Yeah, so this one day, my little one said “fork.” But it didn’t sound like “fork.” It sounded like “f*$%.”
Yup. So that happened. It happens a lot.
Like these? One of my favorite bloggers, ViolaCay, posted some of the most hysterical kid swearing-but-not-really videos ever HERE and HERE. I remember seeing these and laughing so hard I had tears.
And now I have my little chatterbox. More videos to follow…I’m sure.
I cannot wait to see this movie…Disney’s OZ THE GREAT AND POWERFUL. Honestly, I never go to the movies…but this one is a must see. James Franco, Mila Kunis, Rachel Weisz, Michelle Williams & Zach Braff. I think the original movie was one of the first movies I really remember seeing as a kid…the scary monkeys and all. But I loved it. And this looks absolutely amazing. OZ THE GREAT AND POWERFUL hits theaters soon…as in March 8th soon!
Disney’s fantastical adventure “Oz The Great and Powerful,” directed by Sam Raimi, imagines the origins of L. Frank Baum’s beloved wizard character. When Oscar Diggs (James Franco), a small-time circus magician with dubious ethics, is hurled away from dusty Kansas to the vibrant Land of Oz, he thinks he’s hit the jackpot—fame and fortune are his for the taking—that is until he meets three witches, Theodora (Mila Kunis), Evanora (Rachel Weisz) and Glinda (Michelle Williams), who are not convinced he is the great wizard everyone’s been expecting. Reluctantly drawn into the epic problems facing the Land of Oz and its inhabitants, Oscar must find out who is good and who is evil before it is too late. Putting his magical arts to use through illusion, ingenuity—and even a bit of wizardry—Oscar transforms himself not only into the great wizard but into a better man as well.
“Oz The Great and Powerful” is produced by Joe Roth, with screen story by Mitchell Kapner and screenplay by Mitchell Kapner and David Lindsay-Abaire. Grant Curtis, Palak Patel, Josh Donen and Philip Steuer are serving as executive producers. “Oz The Great and Powerful” opens in U.S. theaters on March 8, 2013.
“Like” OZ THE GREAT & POWERFUL on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/ozthegreatandpowerful
“Follow” OZ THE GREAT & POWERFUL on Twitter: https://twitter.com/disneyozmovie
Visit the website: http://www.disney.com/thewizard
OZ THE GREAT AND POWERFUL lands in theaters on March 8th!
Welcome to the Second Annual TinySophisticate Holiday Gift Guide. When it comes to the ladies gift ideas and hostess ideas…those are pretty much my personal “want” lists. So take note friends and family, I’ll have one of each. And just to get it out of the way, I’m usually a size x-small or small, 2 or 25/26, shoe size 5. Thank you 
FOR THE LADIES:
1. Leopard print scarf from Stella & Dot – chic, simple and on trend.
2. Marc Jacobs clutch from the Target + Neiman Marcus Collection – Marc Jacobs for under $75??? It’s a steal. Grab it.
3. Colored skinnies – Old Navy, Express, Paige…they instantly brighten up any outfit and are a great gift idea
4. Chunky necklace from Zara – I’ve always loved the clothes from Zara but this necklace stopped me in my tracks when I saw it. Please, Santa…
5. Custom iPhone case – love these custom iPhone cases from Shutterfly
6. Ray Ban shades – up your cool factor instantly
7. Hunter wellies – even if she has a pair, she can use another in a fun bright color
8. Zoya nail polish – toxin free…nough said
9. Tracy Reese Dessert Plates – for the lady who loves to entertain from the Target + Neiman Marcus Holiday collection
10. Bangles – the more the merrier! These are from Banana Republic (here, here and here)
HOST/HOSTESS WITH THE MOSTESS:
1. Custom monogrammed note card - in a virtual world, it’s always great to encourage old school snail mail
2, 3, 4. Tray, Cocktail glasses and Shaker - love these from the Target + Neiman Marcus Collection that would be great for entertaining
5. Truffle salt - needs no explanation
6. Apron - with this apron from Sur la Table, who needs to wear clothes under it
7. Tea cups – I love the color and whimsy of these cups
8. Single serve blender - for the health conscious host/hostess who loves them some protein shakes
9. Personalized return address stamp - I love these….nothing I hate more than writing out my return address.
10. Chalkboard spice jars - These type of jars are great to be left on top of the counter.
FOR THE LITTLE ONES (remember, I have two girls under 4 so I’m skewed toward what they would like):
1. Fisher Price Team Umizoomi Come and Get Us Counting Car - my little one received this as a gift from Fisher Price at the #BSMHoliday party and she loves it. The controls are super easy and my 3 1/2-year-old loves it
2. Art bin filled with all sorts of creative goodies. I got this for our girls and bought the Creative Options Grab n Go storage unit from Michael’s in pink and purple. I think the color is exclusive to Michael’s. I’m filling it with crayons, colored pencils, felt, glue, glitter, paper, popsicle sticks…all sorts of things that foster creativity an imagination.
3. Create your own watch from Disney. Choose character, band color and more.
4. Jingle the Husky Pup – love this sweet dog that “barks” along when you read the story book
5. Stacey Peasley Children’s Music - my kids love this music…I love this music. It’s a great stocking stuffer
6. Laughing Giraffe Book Sets - LOVE LOVE LOVE these books sets. It takes the guess-work out of trying to decide what books to buy the little ones, by letting the expert select for you. Laughing Giraffe Books provides themed book bundles and book of the month collections with an added surprise – a game and prize. By creating an added hook to get kids excited about reading we are helping to create a new generation of lifelong readers.
7. Rody - this ride on hopping horse is a favorite. Get the rocking base to make this toy good for bouncing and rocking
8. LEGO DUPLO blocks – I love all the LEGO DUPLO sets. Of all the toys in our house, our LEGO blocks get the most activity. We build castles. And pirate ships. And farms. And houses. My toddler’s imagination is amazing and she loves building (almost as much as the little one loves to tear down her structures).
Okay, if you know me at all, you know me + wordless does not mix. So I have to write a few words. Our kids don’t willingly sit on Santa’s lap for pictures. Since the age of 6 months, never have. Never will. We even invite Santa over for brunch but they still resist.
So in order to get a family photo…we had to be creative and do some Photoshopping.
Not bad huh?
And for my style and fashion friends, I was wearing a pair of awesome green festive skinny jeans from Old Navy with booties and a black top!
Rhymes with Curious George? Yeah, that’s a tough one. This is a long and windy story so just bear with me…but I’ll try to make it brief.
My youngest daughter’s name is Ella and we often call her Ella Bella. And then we keep rhyming. So sometimes it’s Ella Bella’s feets so smella. I know, genius right?
My oldest daughter’s name is Lily. We always rhyme Lily with chilly and silly and all sorts of other made up -illy words.
But one day she had a better suggestion.
“Lily, Lily, Curious George.”
Yup. That’s it. Give her a break, she’s only in preschool. But she laughs hysterically every time. And honestly so do I.
I’m sure you are thinking I am the worst story-teller ever at this point. But it is a true story, and relevant. Keep reading…please.
We love Curious George in our house and was super excited to be invited to preview season 7 of his show on PBS. We previewed the first episode in a theater and my girls loved it. They sat in their seats in the theater and attentively watched George and his Australian adventure. The show features Bindi Irwin as a special guest…but come on, monkeys and kangaroo? How can you go wrong?
Here’s a sneak peek :
It was a very cute show and the adults were giggling and enjoying it as much as the children. Any who…after the screening, we had the opportunity to meet George himself! I think I was way more excited than my little ones. The three year-old played it cool, but did ask him where the Man with the Yellow Hat was. Smart question if you ask me. My little one, well, she had a meltdown. She is a huge fan of Curious George books, shows and even her little Curious George stuffed monkey, but a 6′ tall fuzzy, in real life George? Not so much.
From that picture, I am not sure you can really tell the fear in my little one, but trust me, she clung on to me so tight, buried her head in my shoulder and sobbed. Uncontrollably. Poor George…I hope he didn’t take it personally.
So we left. Quickly. Without saying good-bye.
And I took them for fro-yo. Because that solves all problems.
Here is more info on season 7 of Curious George, premiering on Monday, December 3rd:
Monday, December 3, 2012
“Monkey Down Under”
G’Day Mate! George and The Man with the Yellow Hat visit the land down under for an Australian outback safari adventure! While the Man goes sightseeing for sea cows, George stays behind to investigate footprints in the sand. Could it be a mysterious hopping clown rabbit? Or perhaps…a baby kangaroo!
“Bright Lights, Little Monkey”
George, Allie, and Bill go on a late-night search for a mysterious creature – the Perseids. But taking pictures in the dark is hard enough without making noise that would scare away their camera-shy guests. They’ll need a new way to communicate…in a flash!
Tuesday, December 4, 2012
“We Otter Be Friends”
After an otter swims away with Mr. Quint’s boat keys, a stranded George tries everything he can to retrieve them. But the otter is a faster swimmer, a quicker runner, and a better hider than George. Can George out-otter the otter and get the keys back?
“Sir George and the Dragon”
George is starring in his first play. Under the hot stage lights, George falls asleep and dreams he’s a guarding a medieval castle! Can the clever monkey figure out how to keep Dragon Charkie out of the castle and be the hero of the play?
Wednesday, December 5, 2012
“Hundley Jr.”
What’s long, low to the ground, and loves to clean milkweed off the lobby floor? Hundley’s newest friend and caterpillar, Hundley Jr! But when Hundley is torn between looking after the lobby and caring for his new friend, he turns his lobby duties over – to a monkey!
“Curious George Gets Winded”
Bill needs one more newspaper delivery to win the coveted Golden Pouch, but a big snowfall ruins his chances. Even with George’s help, there’s no way he can deliver all those papers in time. Can George’s monkey-made wind sled help the duo sail to victory?
Curious George airs weekdays on PBS KIDS (check local listings). For more monkey fun, visit Curious George’s website at pbskids.org/curiousgeorge. The site has games, printables, and video clips to enrich kids’ creativity.
Next week, my baby turns one. Yes, one. Already. How can she be one already? I obviously haven’t come to terms with this yet. But that’s a conversation for a different post.
I was looking through pictures and thought a last year vs this year picture post could be fun.
Since I was 9 months pregnant last year at this time, we’ll start with me
Whoa….what a different a year makes. But a funny note, I still wear the dress that I was wearing last year, I just belt it. And the dress I’m wearing in this year’s picture, I wore last year unbelted. Fun fact 
Now for my princess….
And my baby princess….
I can make one prediction for next year….I will not be pregnant again! I love comparing pictures year to year, and now pictures of my girls at the same ages.
I remember being so excited for my first daughter to crawl and walk. She crawled at about 7 1/2 months.
#1: Her push up stance....the day before she crawled
She was an early-ish walker at 10 1/2 months. We were so proud.
Fast forward 2+ years to baby number two. The thought of her crawling and walking was not as exciting.
It’s been easy…a toddler and a baby. The toddler is like a tornado sometimes, but the first few months, the baby was a constant. Just in one spot. Minding her own business. Not getting into things. Not getting into her sister’s things. Happy to spend time in a swing, a bouncy seat or just on her back on her play mat.
And then she started crawling. And everything changed. The baby discovered toys. And puzzles. And not just her toys and puzzles, but her sister’s toys and puzzles. And trains. And Disney friends.
But crawling wasn’t so bad. She was always low to the ground, so we learned to strategically place her sister’s special toys a little higher and we avoided any issues.
Until she walked.
Two days shy of 11 months, the baby started walking.
S(&#!!!!!!
She didn’t “just start walking.” Within a week, she was fully walking across the house and using her newfound skills and steadiness to discover and more “new” toys. Including her sister’s kitchen, crayons and shopping cart.
Don’t get me wrong….we are still so proud and excited. But it changes things around the house. And at times makes things more chaotic (not sure that was possible). She gets into everything. And she is a “different” walking baby than her sister was.
#1 was very cautious. She very rarely tried to get into things that were not hers. Like in the kitchen. She never cared about the cabinets and drawers, except for the one lower cabinet where I kept some of her food and snacks.
#2 gets into all the cabinets and drawers, so I’m thinking we need to go to phase two of baby proofing. She’s tried to crawl up the stairs (and with me behind her, she successfully has). She tried to climb on things. She’s quite adventurous.
It’s funny. We tend to “compare” milestones for both girls. And the girls’ milestones are all pretty close, within two weeks of each other. But they really are individuals and each have their own little personalities. It’s fun to compare, but it’s even more fun to see the differences.
So, notice a theme here? Last year, we had a Mini/Minnie Mouse birthday party for my daughter’s second birthday party. This year, I was planning on a very fun, festive Yo Gabba Gabba themed party, but as I posted a few months ago, the little one changed her mind and basically demanded Mickey.
It’s her birthday….so whatever she wants goes. So Mickey Mouse it was.
It was fitting since the week before her party, we took a family trip to Disney World (post to come soon…but in meantime, check out last year’s trip to Disney World).
I made the decision to host two parties for her. In one day.
2 parties + 1 day = 1 crazy mommy
One for her friends. One for family. Putting the two groups together would be awkward and way too crowded for our place. I decided on a morning party for my daughter’s friends….and an afternoon party for family. It was a little crazy but I’m glad I did it. And I’d highly recommend it. Two in one day meant just one house cleaning, one set of decorations, one burst of cooking in the kitchen.
PARTY #1: The morning party for friends was relatively simple. About eight three-year-olds attended.
The food:
The fun:
The decorations:
The birthday (cup)cake:
We decided to go with cupcakes for the kiddie party.
Her adorable dress was from Zulily. I thought it looked Disney inspired and it’s monogrammed on the front. After the cake incident (read below) she changed into a Gap black dress (see above bounce house picture).
PARTY #2: The afternoon party was for family and we expected about 22 guests. I had about two hours in between the two parties to clean up and prepare for the second wave. Some of the food I had prepped the day before and some of the desserts I had made a double batch of and used for both parties.
The food:
The fun and the decorations:
The birthday cake:
My mother is an amazing cake maker as you can see from last year’s cake. She made all my cakes growing up. But at her suggestion, we ordered one from BJ’s this year. My daughter loves Mickey, and loves airplanes, so it was a hit. And I traded the time my mom would have spent on the cake for time watching the kids while I prepped for the party the day before.
The cake was delish. My daughter actually got cake all over her dress as she leaned into it to blow out the candle! But nothing a quick change and some stain remover couldn’t fix!
We had a great day with friends and family….next up, I’m already planning my baby’s first birthday party in August! Stay tuned!
This morning, my 3 year-old daughter stepped onto the scale in our master bathroom.
As she stood on it, I asked, “What does it say?”
She responded, “It says two, seven, six….and that I’m perfect!”
I hope her sense of self, positive body image and self-confidence always stays like this.
