Persnickity

I fell in love with Persnickity's "Fancy Little Frocks" (as they say) last winter at a mall kiosk while visiting Utah and loaded up on cute stuff for my girl. I'm happy to find them online...especially with this ridiculously cute spring line! La-love the colors!

I'm wishing it all came in my size, but I'll just dress vicariously through my daughter, I suppose...particularly in this top...

...and this dress.

Tub Buddies, Wrasslin' Buddies & Dudes

It's February. I.e., sick month at our house. Fun times. There have been sick tummies, coughs + runny noses and even a burst eardrum. (Sorry about that, Miss Lucy!) We've been making it thru, trying not to complain too much...it's just life, you know? So my clothes are glorified snot rags and I'm dispensing Tylenol at records rates. We're on the mend, fingers crossed...I just haven't been as productive as usual. So here's a little catch-up...

The little goose finally likes her bath! It has taken...well, 9 months, but she's finally enjoying splash time with her bath buddy, Simon. I do appreciate them posing so modestly for the requisite tubby time photographs. Good work, kids.

In other Goose milestones, Miss Lucy has teeth! See that one lil' toofer in there? There's a mini-version right next to it, and two more just about ready to burst on through on the top there. See, teeth are supposed to burst. Eardrums are not. Sad times!

February = Texas spring time. Well, the weather, anyway. The grass is still dead, as you can see. It's perfect weather for taking your baby sis on a wagon ride with your BFF's...

...It's also great wrasslin' weather, if you don't mind pokey-dead grass.

Which these kiddos obviously do not.

Mason's is a free man! That's right, the training wheels are no more, woo hoo! He's rather proud of himself and is looooving tooling up and down the streets, bumping down off the curb and popping wheelies left and right. Okay, no wheelies yet, but that can't be far behind...

While recently sporting his shades and sucking his ring pop, he assured us all: "I'm a dude.". Indeed.

Oh, and this little guy. The Mr. Mischief tee and helmet really say it all. He's quite the 2 year old. And he seems like such a big boy lately! Sometimes. And sometimes he's still just a tiny bit my baby. I like that.

Hope you are sickness free! Wishing you a great week.

Nest Pretty Things

Tamar of Nest Pretty Things is at it again. She's got some ridiculously gorgeous new things in her shop, and I'm adding plenty of them to my wishlist!

1 - 2 - 3
4 - 5 - 6
7 - 8 - 9

Book Pick: Elephant & Piggie + Learn-To-Read Resources (Vlog!)

We love the Elephant & Piggie books by Mo Willems. You know Mo, right? Of Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus (etc.) fame? He's the best! Very clever.

Elephant & Piggie books are the greatest for the young reader in your house. They're designed not only for easy reading, but maximum enjoyment for all. (No "See Spot run." here!)

They are simple, and allow for reading with maximum expression. (Elephant is decidedly dramatic...Piggie is most definitely hilarious.)

Easy to sound out.

Fun to read out loud.

Super clever and cute. Lots o' fun.

There are many books in this series, and they're all worth reading...or, even better, they're great for your kids to read to you!

If you're working with a new or soon-to-be reader, I've got some tips & suggestions for you. (Click over to watch the vlog if you're reading via Facebook...)

One resource I forgot to blah blah blah about is Starfall! I don't know how I forgot it...it's one of my absolute favorites. This is a great (free!) website where kids can play letter and word games. It's lots of fun, and they really learn a LOT! I especially like the movies in the Learn to Read section (look in the right hand column under "Skills"). They teach some very important reading rules in fun and memorable ways, and have helped me teach reading skills to my littles. Definitely play around on that site with your kiddos if you haven't! Lots to learn there, and it's all presented as FUN, which is the best way for kids to learn, I think.

Okay, as I mentioned, you might want to check out...

• Leap Frog Letter Factory and Storybook Factory
  
• BOB Books
• Thomas and Friends: On Track With Phonics (and other similar sets...)
• Dr. Seuss I Can Read It All By Myself books, especially Hop on Pop, Go Dog Go and Big Dog, Little Dog.
• And of course, Mo Willems' Elephant & Piggie series!

One other random recommendation is the They Might Be Giants kids albums, Here Come the ABCs, Here Come the 123s and Here Comes Science. I'm not sure they help with reading per se, bu my kids have learned lots o' random stuff from the music (and accompanying DVDs)...and it's just really fun kid music!

This kid highly recommends all of the above! :)

Read on, y'all! Preferably in your PJs...

BHLDN

Did you see the debut of BHLDN, Anthropologie's wedding-centric offering? Pretty gorgeous stuff all the way around. I think these shoes are my favorite.

And this dress.

Oh, and this one, too.

Definitely worth a look.

eShakti Review, Coupon Code + Vlog!

Now, may I tell you about one of my favorite shopping spots on the world wide web? eShakti is all about customization! Each dress/top/coat, etc. is sewn specifically for you, even to your custom measurements (for an additional $7.50) if you'd like. See something you like but wish it had sleeves? They can do that! Prefer knee length to mid-thigh? They can do that, too! Each dress has all sorts of customizable options for length, neckline and sleeve. And it's only $7.50 to customize! Pretty awesome, right? Let me tell you how much I love it...

Look, it's my dress! But with no sleeves! In all colors! Would it be wrong to get the yellow one too?

{Ruffle front cotton poplin dress}

I love that there are custom options for each of their items! Make it your own, baby!

{Length options for my dress.}

{And even more options available, depending on the style of the item!}

{These were my sleeve choices.}

{Other shirts/dresses have other options. Love that bell sleeve!}


{Neckline options o' plenty!}

Hop on over there to browse some of their fun dresses, tops, coats and more. Here are a few that are currently on my wish list...

Some tops I'd like to customize...

1. Wood block print top - maybe making it mid-thigh length to pair with some super-dark rinse skinny jeans.
2. Cascading ruffles jersey top - I think a puff sleeve would be cute!
3. Ruffle neck artsy print blouse - I'll take this one with a short sleeve at a lower hip length, please...

And a few dresses...

1. Floral rosette trim shift dress - cap sleeve + knee length = perfect!
2. Cotton poplin rosette trim dress - this one comes in an entire rainbow of colors, with about a million different options. How pretty would it be with a 3/4 length sleeve and "full length with 3 inch heels"?!
3. Pleat neck cotton poplin dress - lots o' colors available for this one, too. I think it's perfect just as is as a casual little spring/summer day dress.
4. Bow-tied sleeve shirt dress - my sister in law wore this dress for their family pictures, and it looked awesome. Love it as-is, or maybe with a cap sleeve...?
5. Pleated yoke chiffon print dress - this is shown as a "maxi-dress", but I think it would be fabulous just below the knee.

A few other things I love about eShakti:

1. Everything is sewn for you, to your custom measurements if you'd like ($7.50 extra). If you don't want to go totally custom, they do make each item to your specified height and bra cup size regardless.
2. Items are sewn and shipped within 3 days and are delivered from India in about a week.
3. They can be made in practically all sizes, from XS (0) up to 3X (26W).
4. Their overstock/ready to wear section carries items at 35% off in a variety of sizes. Those ship right away from the US.
5. Get on their mailing list! They send out lots of coupon codes!

Plus...

Don't forget to use the coupon code 100PERCENTCOTTAM for 20% off your purchase thru the end of February! Woo hoo!

I hope you'll check eShakti out and I hope you like 'em as much as I do! If you browse/buy, let me know what your favorites are!

{Disclosure: the dress was provided to me as a sample for review. The opinions expressed are aaaaallll mine! You wouldn't expect someone elses' opinion from ME, would you?} :)

What I Wore Wednesday

Linking up with the Pleated Poppy for my weekly dose of outfit accountability. Did I get out of my sweatpants? Yes, yes I did! Did I get out of my jeans & Ugg-ly boots? No, no I did not.

Brrr! Baby, it's cold outside! Sweater - Forever 21; Gap jeans, Ugg Boots

Chuck E. Cheese party day! Top - Target; Sweater - Old Navy; Jeans - Gap; Boots - Kohl's.

Casual Friday. Top - Anthropologie; Sweater - Old Navy; Levi jeans, Ugg boots.

Family time Saturday. Sweater - Kohl's? JC Penney? I can't tell those 2 apart. Jeans - Target; Boots - Ugg.

Church. Sweater - Target; Skirt - Nordstrom; Tights - Forever 21; Shoes - Target

Busy, busy day! Top - H&M; IYS (Infamous Yellow Sweater) - Sears; Jeans - Levi; Shoes - Local

Mason's 5th Birthday! Top - Target; Sweater & Shoes - Old Navy; Jeans - Levi

Ta da! I lived to get dressed another week. Hooray!

Angry Birds Balloons + A Birthday Vlog

In honor of Mason's 5th birthday, I blather on about how cute he is, plus tell you about Cottam birthday traditions and how to make your own Angry Birds balloons!

Those balloons are truly the cutest, are they not?

Oh, and see that banner! Fine Natalie hand-craftsmanship. Very hard to come by! :)

• Get your FREE Angy Birds balloons download at The Party Animal Blog. (Many thanks to those geniuses, as well as Tip Junkie, for pointing me in that direction.)
• Make someone you love some cinnamon rolls today!
• Or a pig cake. I've never known anyone to turn down PW's pig cake!

Happy February 8th to you all!

A Birthday Party, A Snow Day, + A Weekend Wrap-Up

Good times around here lately! My #2 child turns 5 tomorrow. F-I-V-E FIVE! I can hardly believe that. He was such a sweet baby and truly continues to be the sweetest child...you know, mostly. He was super excited to invite a few friends on out to Chuck E Cheese's to celebrate.

The boys LOVED this one ball tossing game. The girls too, actually. At times there were 6-8 of them crowded around it. I need to get one for the house! :) Chuck E's was pretty stress-free...they did the food, the entertainment, the cake, the goodie bags...all I had to do was pay for it. Wait, I didn't even do that! Good moves, Chris Cottam. He's da best.

Mason's entire motivation for having his party at the up-Chuck was the opportunity to do the "ticket blaster". I was actually surprised that he was willing to get into that thing...he's not my most adventurous kid, that is for sure. He did confide in me later that he was actually terrified to go in, but I had no idea at the time. (I find that if Big Sis Maya is nearby and encouraging him, he's about a million times more courageous.) All in all, good times.

And the excitement didn't stop there. The next morning we woke up to a legitimate Texas-snow day. A nice layer of ice covered up by a bit o' snow made for excellent laundry basket sledding. My poor boys are all decked out in Mama's hats and scarves. Nope, they don't have any of their own. Hey, this is a rare occurrence around here! And sure enough, it had all melted by the afternoon and it's been in the 70s ever since. Got to LOVE Texas winter.

Maya and her best buddy had a blast. For about 20 minutes. Then Maya came in and promptly came down with something wicked. Poor girl was wiped out all day on the couch...very out of character for my Maya.

My cousin wondered how it's possible that these boys aren't Swedish or somesuch. They are very Scandinavian looking, aren't they? Those albino blondies with the blue blue eyes belong in a Hanna Anderson catalog if you ask their Mama!

So that was an exciting start to the weekend! And the rest went as follows:

• A very cranky Mexican dinner out with the Grandparents. (Yummy, though...)
  
• A very unusual trip to a new-to-us bouncy-gym place. (Mason, of all my kids, was the only one running around making friends - not usual behavior for him. Maya was starting to feel very rotten and sat on the couch most of the time. And Simon was terrified?! It was like opposite world in there. We didn't stay long, although I really liked it.)
• A canceled date night (due to sick Maya) turned into a quick lunch date at Which Wich and HEB (and if you don't live in Texas, you have no idea what I mean by that...Which Wich = sandwiches, HEB = best grocery store ever) thanks to my kind Mama.
• A very uplifting Saturday night church meeting (for just me, Chris was home with the sickies).
• A Mason/Mommy Sunday church date. (Good stuff.)
• A new tooth discovered - Lucy's first - by Daddy!
  
• A delicious spread of Super Bowl snacks.
• A round of prayers that everyone if feeling better tomorrow.

I hope you have an exciting week ahead! Mason's birthday tomorrow is at the top of my radar. I have a very exciting, super secret surprise gift for him that I think he's going to absolutely flip over. So that's fun.

Happy Monday to you!

Super Bowl Sunday Snacks (Vlog!)

Yum yum yum! Hope you'll whip up a batch of Valory's delicious and famous (at my house, anyway) veggie ranch dip. Or go see Ree to make French Onion Soup Stuffed Mushrooms and/or Holiday Bacon Appetizers. Mmm. Enjoy!

Valory's Veggie Ranch Dip

(makes a GIANT batch!)

2 cups mayo
2 cups sour cream
2 cups grated cheddar cheese (it's so much better if you grate your own!)
2 bunches green onions, sliced (whites only)
1 Ranch "Dips" packet

Mix together & chill for a couple hours. Serve with veggies, crackers, pita chips, etc.

Friday Favorites + Vlog

Blah blah blah. Lots to share. Making a weird face there at the beginning. Hmm.

Segway Tour! Like how mine says Police? That's right, I was finally getting the respect I deserved out there on the streets of downtown Austin! Really, though, I have no idea why it said Police. Kind of funny.

Okay, so don't forget to read Tiffany's snow poem & Julie's thoughts on how to get what you really want...plus...

Art Party

Fancy 5th Birthday Party + Giveaway!

Gumball Necklaces

Sucker Valentines

Super Amazing Globes


and...a way out of the budget, super amazing dress.

Hope you have a fabulous weekend! Stay warm!