Time Saving Tips and Tricks (AKA Our Television Debut!)

Earlier this week, we made our television debut! I was approached by Fox 5 Atlanta about doing a short segment on some tips and tricks for busy parents. Now I want to share those tips and tricks with you as well as our five minutes of fame!

You can ready the whole story on the Fox 5 Atlanta website as well. Tell me what you think!

Rain, Rain, Go Away

The rain in Atlanta this year has been absolutely unreal. Its almost gotten to the point where I may have forgotten what it is like to not have it rain for 24 hours. Completely ridiculous. It does this constantly.


If that did give you and idea here is a more blatant case in point:

• The usual rainfall in Atlanta for the month of June over the last 5 years: 2.5 inches.
• The rainfall recorded for Atlanta in June 2013 alone: 9.6 inches.

It's coming a flood! That's almost 4 times the rain average. I feel like we are floating away and July, so far, has seemed worse than June as far as rainfall. 

Of course that also means two things for us. The mosquitoes are ridiculously large and are coming in ridiculous quantities. I have seem more mosquito swarms this year than  I can ever remember. You can't step outside and not get bitten all over. Usually the mosquitoes don't even bother me, but this year they are out for what ever they can get. My poor, sweet tasting Monster is getting eaten alive this year.  It really surprised me to hear the other day that we are just now having our first West Nile virus case in Georgia with in the last week. Those little buggers are angry this year. 

All the rain also means we have had really great air quality this year too though. We haven't had a smog alert in 2013 at all yet and that is almost unheard of. I'd love to say that we could tell a difference in the air quality but between the rain and the mosquitoes we are never outside long enough to actually breathe very much. Sad but true. We also moved a mattress

I am hoping that all this cooler weather and rain will mean we will actually have a cold winter this year though. Maybe some good snow? Too much to ask from you Georgia? Probably. Last year we totally got jipped on the Winter front. It was warm til Christmas and we only really had a few days where we needed a coat of any kind. 

Its okay though. We have had some awesome sunny beach days and we have learned to just make the best of the rainy days. This weekend we went to White Water. In the rain. Where we got wet on top of our wet. No harm, no foul. This time.

Bunk Beds!

Last week, the boys took a big step. Well, okay, a big step for me anyway. They upgraded to bunk beds! It was a half surprise from a loved one, half letting them pick out the bedding type of a deal. Needless to say, they are mad excited.

They have actually done a lot better about sleeping in them than I would ever thought they would. I figured that D especially would have a hard time adjusting because he usually does when anything changes. He has done great so far though. He is loving being the big boy and climbing up into bed where his brother can't reach him to pester him. K on the other had regularly falls asleep in the floor/ in the yard/ wherever he stops, so I knew he would be fine.  Of course, K has already gotten "stuck" up on the top bunk once already by climbing up there and being to chicken to climb back down. At least Captain Clumsy knows his limits? His brother has tried to help him figure out how to go up and down the ladder but its only half hearted at best because he really doesn't particularly want him up there. Which I can't blame him for. Everyone needs their own space. 

K picked Cars.

D picked Spiderman.

The best change so far? D is obsessed with keeping his bed made. Loving it!

Up next is a little paint and some decorations to match their choices of bedding. Luckily they are both pretty much the same color scheme. Here's to growing up!

My Very Own Boys Choir

My boys love to sing. They always have. D has always been more of an animated singer than K but K has been better at memorizing lyrics from a younger age than D. At any rate, I decided to share some of my favorite songs I have been lucky enough to catch on tape over the last year. Usually when they see the camera coming, they either stop singing, run away, or start acting like little weirdos so thats just kind of the way the cookie crumbles.

This one is actually a little more than a year old. My D has such a sweet little singing voice. This video makes me just want to kiss his little face all over.


This one is very blurry and not the best quality but its my little monster singing our goodnight song with me. We sing it every night and he always sings with me. I love it.



This is K's most recent favorite song. the theme to the Disney Show Little Einteins. He sings it over and over and over until you want to scream but its so stinking cute that you can't.

 

Then there is D's most recent. He learned it at preschool complete with hand motions and I can't get enough. Of course he may be a little bit confused about who George is and why we should be glad about it but hey, still freaking adorable.

 Gah, my kids are cute. Right??

Close Enough

Yeah, He Has Me Wrapped. Can You Blame Me?

My little monster loves to sing. He loves to snuggle. He loves to giggle. Just thought I would share some of why he has me totally wrapped around his little fingers. Just pay no mind to the old hag singing in the background.

Mr Blue Eyes

Bring On the Babiators

I was recently given the opportunity to check out a relatively new product: Babiators. Cute, right? The whole aviators/ baby thing? Well, I thought so. I have to admit when I first heard about them I thought they were probably just like all the other kids sunglasses I have bought for the boys that they wore for a few hours and then snapped the arms off of.


I was wrong. Yes, I admitted it. In fact, I was so wrong and so impressed, I made my very first vlog about them:



These little guys are impressive, no? I have actually been way rougher on these little sunglasses than probably is considered normal wear and tear and they have stood up to and bounced right back from every test I have put them through! I did actually managed to stop myself from running them over with the van but I think they would survive just fine. Just in case though, Babiators come with a one-year Wear and Tear Guarantee!



The best part is that the boys love them too. Who can resist this face?

Just in case you were wondering, they are actually great beyond their flexability too. Babiators’ lenses offer 100% protection from UVA and UVB rays! Very important for little eyes. (Especially for blue eyed people like us!) Plus, Babiators are made without BPA, without phthalates, and without heavy metals. So you know you are offering the epitome of safety and comfort for your little ones.


Ready to buy your little ones their very own pair of Babiators? They are available online at the Babiators website and also in select retailers across the United States!


Or, you could win a pair here! Here is how to enter:


1. You must follow Render Me Mama via GFC and leave a comment saying you do. Do this before any other entries or they won't count! (Mandatory) *1 entry


2. "Like" Babiators on Facebook.  *1 entry


3. "Like" Render Me Mama on Facebook . Leave a comment saying you did so with your First name. *1 entry


4. Follow Render Me Mama on Twitter and leave a comment with your Twitter handle. *1 entry per tweet


5. Follow Babiators on Twitter and leave a comment with your Twitter handle. *1 entry


6. Tweet about this giveaway using this: "I just checked out @Babiators on @RenderMeMama and entered for a chance to win my own pair! Check it out! http://www.rendermemama.com/". Leave a comment with a link to your tweet. You can do this once a day. *1 entry per tweet


7. Subscribe to my feed either by RSS or Email. Don't forget to click the confirmation link it sends you! *2 entries each. (Leave two separate comments!)

Be sure that your email address is displayed in your profile you that you leave it in the comment or I won't be able to reach you if you won! I will draw the winning number via Random.org on Friday the 24th at 6pm and email the winner. Good luck!
*I was sent a pair of Babiators for the boys to try out for this review. All opinions are my own.