Father's Day footprint craft

We're on 3 years now of making a new handprint/footprint Father's Day gift for Chris and thought I'd share this year's craft with you all. You can personalize this poem however you want but ours reads:

"Walk a little slower Papa,"said Landon oh so small.

"I'm following in your footsteps and I don't want to fall.

Sometimes your steps are very fast, Sometimes they're hard to see;

So walk a little slower, Papa, For you are leading me.

Someday when I'm all grown up, You're what I want to be;

Then I will have a little child Who'll want to follow me.

And I would want to lead just right, And know that I was true;

So walk a little slower, Papa, For I must follow you."

Then just used some washable ink pad to make his little (big) footprints. Each year we put his new craft over last years in the same frame, where someday he'll have a very large collection of Landon's growing hands and little foot prints. You can look at our previous year's Father's Day crafts HERE.

Happy crafting & happy early Father's Day to all the wonderful & hard working papas out there!

Summer Camp Music Fest

We spent this past Friday and Saturday at Summer Camp Music Festival down in Chillicothe, IL and had soo much fun. My Father & Brother in Law were (thankfully) unable to watch Landon for the night, so we brought him with us for the overnight camping trip, and I can't believe I ever thought about leaving him behind now.  I wasn't sure what to expect as I've never been camping before, Landon had never been camping before, I was pregnant, and I didn't know how 'kid-friendly' Summer Camp would be. But nonetheless, Friday morning we packed up the Tahoe with our family sized tent, tons of blankets & pillows, snacks, tie-dye shirts & all our fun sunglasses, and after about 3 hours of driving south past farmlands and open fields, we finally came upon the most magnificent Wanderlust we got to call our own.
While Chris pitched our tent, Landon and I explored the campgrounds and strolled through the woods, packed with tents, hanging tapestries, hammocks, & hippies everywhere. Landon gave passing high fives and pounds in his tie-dye T, rolled up skinny jeans & totally felt like we belonged.
A soon to be recurring ice-cream truck stop for Landon and we headed back to get Chris and boogie down to some music. We saw Umphrey's McGee, moe., Caravan of Thieves, Papadosio, Maps and Atlases, and Eoto, absolutely loved all of them. Landon especially loved walking from stage to stage and rocking out with his little glowsticks. He wanted to walk everywhere, continuously pointing to the next performance and exclaiming "party!" leading the way to the next.
I took Landon back to our tent to go to bed early while Chris stayed out and joined us later. It started to rain at about 3am which quieted & hunkered down the crowds a bit, but 4 hours later Landon was up and ready to 'party'. Unfortunately we didn't pack smart for the rain so we walked around a little bit, mistakenly attended a hoola hoop class while trying to keep dry in the Soulshine Tent, and then headed home.
Ever since we got home I keep thinking about how much fun Landon had...it was seriously the most fun I've seen him have in his whole life and my heart melts all over again thinking of my cool little hipster tot. I can't wait to go back again (a little more prepared) next year, and with another little hipster babe in tow.

16 Weeks

I am now officially 16 weeks, and almost half way, into my pregnancy with baby bauman #2 :) & I'm feeling pretty good, well, at least much better. I realized I haven't done any weekly baby bump photos with weekly feelings, cravings, etc. so I'll try to make up for that now. For a general update on how baby brother or sister is developing right now you can click HERE. (S)he's about the size of an avacado and 4 1/2 inches long, & heart beat is 150 bpm, very strong, fast and most importantly, very healthy. This year I received an extra special Mother's Day gift -- the distinct and unmistakable sensation of little kicks and flutters from our lil baby boy or girl. (S)he's definitely a spunky one, that I can tell already :)

I've been struggling with awful allergies and recent headaches (unfortunately can't take anything for the allergies), & have terrible baby brain already. During the first trimester I felt very sick and nauseous all the time, which is now (for the most part) gone, thank God. I still get random waves of nausea but they are few & far between, and thankfully only 2 of these has resulted in actual vomiting. As for cravings....nothing too weird at all. It's been quite the opposite, most food items have been totally grossing me out or don't taste good to me at all. I've mostly just been craving lots of fresh fruit and vegetables. Still not eating any meat, but adding in a little whey protein powder in my morning smoothies. Craving a few sweets here & there, but only the finest gourmet cookies, cake, & pastries, which is definitely atypical for me. And sushi. Dear Lord that's all this baby wants. I've treated myself to sushi a few times, only ordering cooked rolls (eel, shrimp, calamari, crab) and it is the only thing I think I could eat nonstop throughout this entire pregnancy and not get sick of.
I'm really excited to be pregnant during the summer months and am determined not to turn into a blimp like I was with Landon (48 lb weight gain is not happening this time around). So far I've only gained 2-4 lbs -- I'm not exactly sure how much I was pre-pregnancy, but I only weighed in @ 122 today, & I'm hoping to stay on this good, healthy track I've set myself on.
I still have the feeling I'm carrying a little girl because all my pregnancy symptoms are exact opposite of what I was like when preggo with L. But we have to wait another 3 weeks until we find out the sex - gah! At which point, I have plans for a fun (yet low-key) gender reveal barbecue. Thinking I am going to forgo my original plans of the gender reveal cake and surprise myself with a box full of [pink or blue] balloons. Although I've only been pregnant for 16 weeks I feel like it's been longer, and I feel like the big ultrasound is an eternity away.....so until then, I've been keeping myself busy with lots of yoga, healthy recipes, Big Brother Training (likely a new post all to itself), perusing some beautiful pin-spirational maternity photoshoot ideas, & getting as much rest & relaxation as I can possibly get with a very energetic two year old.

Random bits & snapshots

A few random tidbits & snapshots of where we're at lately:

- Landon is officially sleeping through the night in his own bed, after many 8 1/2 months of painful, horrid, sleepless nights. It took A LOT to get us/him to the point we are now - a sharp 8-8:30pm bedtime, no milk during the night (only a cup of water on his nightstand), and remaining in his own bed until 6am - and I am finally convinced that our hard work is paying off and that we've successfully kicked all his bad nighttime habits. After 1 solid week, I think we're finally at the start of something really good and normal. This is me, doing celebratory karate kicks and fist pumps.

- Been spending lots of time outdoors, soaking up the gorgeous, sunny weather we've been having, and playing lots of make-believe with Landon. We chase each other around and scream and play "monsters", we play rescue trucks that put out fake fires and rescue little play people, we love playing hide 'n seek (house rule: Landon only gets to hide), and we play "babies" with his stuffed animal friends where I basically sit and admire him sweetly hold his 'babies', gently feed them, strap them in and take them for little carriage strolls, and tuck them into bed with his blankies (aka "treaties") to go "ni ni." I really can't wait for him to be a big brother.

- I'm in love with some new all natural cosmetics & skincare I've been using lately. (Did you know that 60% of everything you put on your skin is absorbed into your bloodstream?) After years of searching, I finally found an awesome 100% organic foundation by 100% Pure that I LOVE. I'm obsessed with my new Butter London nail polish in Yummy Mummy & Pink Ribbon, 100% Pure body cream in Lemon, Dr. Bronner's bar castile soap and lip balm in Peppermint, & even more so loving the fact that everything I've been lathering all over my body is from 100% natural ingredients and safe for the fragile little developing life inside of me.

- I'm thoroughly looking forward to all our summer soirees, wedding showers, tiki parties, pool parties, & weddings with friends. Chris and I will both be standing up in a wedding in September, Chris a groomsman in a wedding in August, and I will be traveling out east at the end of the summer for one of my best friend's wedding showers in Mass., (travel arrangements have not yet been made but hopefully will be longer than just the weekend). A few maternity clothes I'm eyeing for a few of these special occasions: this ASOS lace black dress for a wedding or rehearsal dinner, & this cute lil swimsuit in coral.

- In my spare time I've been watching Downton Abby and reading "Gone Girl" both of which I would highly recommend. Was a little hesitant about a 1900's British show that airs on PBS but it's honestly so, so good and I've been finding my own thoughts to have a British accent now.

- Landon is enrolled to begin summer school next month (so excited) and I've got him placed him in a private off-site speech therapy once a week beginning in July. His speech is still delayed for an almost 3 year old, but I've seen a lot of improvement over the past month and I am confident that the peer interaction that comes with summer school and preschool in the fall will bolster his talking abilities immensely.

- It's that time of year again when Top Baby Blogs has reset their rankings. If you are reading this (& enjoy reading my blog), I sincerely ask you to please click HERE and vote for Mumma's Corner by clicking on the owl on the left. I promised I would only ask this annoying thing of you when they do their quarterly ranking resets...but please keep in mind you can vote once every 24 hours and if you really love us, we would really appreciate it ;)

- Last but not least, little Mumma's Corner is being featured in Pathways Magazine this fall!!!! I was shocked and beyond thrilled when I got an email from their editor asking my permission to reprint one of my very first posts on cloth diapering. You can obtain a free digital copy of their most recent summer issue HERE but you may just want to wait until their fall issue to see my big cameo :)

- A few snapshots for you of little bits of our lives lately:

*Also don't forget to enter into our amazing giveaway going on right now!! Just leave a comment on this post and you're entered to win an amazing gift basket packed with a ton of infant & kids Hyland's Homeopathic Remedies!

Guest Post: Release and Let Go * By Kayma Englund

Happy Monday everyone! What better way to start your day and week with this amazing post and quick 10 minute meditation from Kayma Englund, a very inspiring yogi and certified yoga & reiki instructor. If you haven't already read/listened her other guest posts on Mumma's Corner, I highly encourage you to check them out here & here to help bring a little more serenity & calmness into your life. Because we could all use a little more peace and a little less anxiety, amiright? Hope you enjoy as much as I do! Namaste :)

Release and let go ***

“If you let go a little, you will have a little peace. If you let go a lot, you will have a lot of peace.” Ajahn Chah

I like to think of it like this. Imagine that you wake up in the morning and you have an empty cup and from that moment all the things you have going on in your day slowly start to fill that cup. Now… some days more than others we allow the little annoying things to fill our cup and before we know it we feel like we are going to overflow. Without a way to let go or release we end up holding on to the little stressors that accumulate during our day. For example, the temper tantrums, traffic, difficult conversations, to-do’s, etc etc… Sometimes we don’t even know we are clinging to these little stressors because they come and go so fast. The recording I created for you is a quick and easy way to draw awareness to these little things and then release them. Then you can bask in the beautiful space you’ve created and fill your cup up with the better stuff like  laughter, peace, fluidity, clarity, positivity, comfort and love.


Enjoy!

Lovin' it? You can check out more of Kayma at:
www.kaymaenglund.com
www.kaymayoga.wordpress.com

Giveaway! Enter to win an awesome gift basket of Hyland's Home Remedies!

If you haven't yet heard of or yet used Hyland's Homeopathic Remedies, you've seriously been missing out. When Landon was an infant up until age 2, when he got sick (frequently) I always felt so helpless and like I couldn't do anything for him because everything OTC was either 2,3, or 4 ages +. But now I even use Hyland's products for him at age 3 because I hate the thought of drugging my little kid up, and the additional side effects of doing so. Hyland's products are all made with 100% natural ingredients found here on our sweet Mother Earth and contain naturally grown healing agents. The active ingredients in Hyland’s homeopathic medicines work by stimulating the most effective healing force known - the body's own natural defenses - and are therefore not heavy or overpowering. So they are very strong in relieving symptoms yet very gentle in the way they work, with virtually zero side effects, and perfectly safe for anyone to use, from infants to the elderly.
Since first becoming pregnant with my son, I've turned into a huge proponent of natural healing, as I've seen prescription drugs become more expensive and turn into complex slippery slopes, and the costs of health care skyrocket. I am now very passionate about medicines that are natural, affordable, & effective, and Hyland's has never failed to disappoint us in any of these categories. I hope you enter this amazing giveaway and check out some of Hyland's products for yourself, which can now be found at mostly all drugstores and apothecaries.

What You Will Win:
Gift package including the following "4 Kids" products:
- Calms Forte (Natural sleeping aid)
- Allergy Relief 
- Cold 'n Cough
- Nighttime Cold 'n Cough
- Complete Flu Care
- Sniffles 'n Sneezes
The following infant products:
- Tiny Cold Tablets
- Vitamin C Tablets
- Teething Tablets
- Teething Gel
- Infant Earache Drops
- Cough Syrup
- Diaper Ointment

How to Enter:
Leave a comment on this blog post (be sure to include your email so I know how to contact you if you're the winner!)

For additional entries: (One additional entry for each of the following):
1. Follow Mumma's Corner (via google friend connect or email feed or bloglovin')
2. "Like" Hyland's Facebook page.
3. Follow Hyland's Twitter page.
*Leave an additional comment to this blog post letting me know you've done any of the above.

*Giveaway will run 3 weeks from today and will officially close on June 5, 2013 at 3:00pm. Good luck!!

Snapshots of a Happy Mother's Day

Wishing all the mamas (& especially mine) a very happy & blessed Mother's Day surrounded by lots and lots of love and appreciation <3

Pictures of Recently Enjoyed Things

What I would give to to bottle up his energy and be able to sip from it every morning.

Holy deliciousness: whole wheat bread, chive & onion cream cheese, baby cucumbers, sprinkled with salt & pepper, & topped with scallions. 

 *Note: I did not stage this for picture-taking, Landon walked this lil yorkypoo on his own for about half an hour with no help. And yes, we need to get him a dog. 

Finally gave my thrifting itch a good scratch & Landon some sweet new recycled summer clothes for .40 a pop.

Pit stop on the way home for kiddy cones & choo choo trains. Simple joys.

He closes his eyes whenever he takes a bite out of something really tasty.

Homemade arugula salads, my fave. (arugula, fresh feta, baby tomatoes, & scallion, tossed in evoo + balsamic vinegar).

& last but certainly not least, this lil growing bump of mine :)

Homemade Mother's Day Cards

Made these DIY Mother's Day cards with L for all the special women in his life. It's cute cause you have his little handprint in there, and also very easy to make: All you need is card stock paper for the card, hand, & flower stems, and little tissue paper balls for the flowers.

*Note, if you end up mailing these out, you may need to pay a little extra in postage -- about .20 more because it won't fit through as a flat envelope.

Happy Crafting! & Happy early Mother's Day to all you hard working mommas out there! :)

Homemade Teeth Whitener

I used this homemade teeth whitener for only 3 days and am ridiculously pleased with the results. On day 4 I went to the dentist for a cleaning and the first thing my dentist said was, "you have the whitest teeth I've ever seen" and then I told him how I made and have been using my own whitener and he completely approved it and of all the ingredients. It's super easy to do and all you need is a little bit of toothpaste, water, baking soda, & hydrogen peroxide.

Directions:
1. In small mixing bowl, mix together 1 teaspoon baking soda, 1 teaspoon hydrogen peroxide, 1/2 teaspoon water, and small amount of your regular toothpaste. Here is what mine ended up looking like, Mine was a little on the watery side, if you want yours thicker simply add more toothpaste. The baking soda will also cause your concoction to fizzle a little.

2. Brush your teeth with it and then rinse your mouth out afterwards.
3. Do this about once a day for about week or until you see the results you want. (I only needed to do it for 3 days). Once your teeth are nice & white, limit yourself to using this once every month or two.
4. If you need to quick start this within a few days or aren't seeing the results you want after a week, you can also try also mixing 1 part hydrogen peroxide and 1 part water and swishing it around in your mouth after brushing your teeth before bed and then spitting & rinsing it out.