Dandy Holiday

November 15, 2014 by Leave a Comment

The weather has turned cold here in the Lou.  Really cold.  Like in the 30’s cold.  I don’t think that I’m ready for this, but I guess snow is pretty dandy???  So…  I gotta look at the positives and outweigh the negatives.  Snow is kinda dandy…  Am I right?  It looks dandy.  The smell of it all fresh as it falls from the sky.  Big fluffy flakes.  I’m making this sound better and better.  More and more dandy.  If I keep up the mantra then I will believe it.  *wink*   We only had flurries the other day.  I’ll be sure to let you all know when the first big snow storm hits.  I’m sure you will be waiting on pins and needles for this announcement.  *wink again*

I’ve always loved how the Brit’s refer to vacations and trips as, “going on holiday”.  Could be my British ancestry speaking, but it’s just more dandy to call it a holiday.  After all holidays are time spend with family and loved ones.  So if you are going on a trip with your family then why shouldn’t you call it a holiday???  Well, last weekend we got out of St. Louis and took an overnight getaway kind of holiday.  We headed west on I-70 a few hours and came very close to entering another state.  That’s a clue as to where we went.  It was great to get out of town and spend time together as a family.  This family adventure was truly a grand time.  In fact we went on a tropical adventure.

We stayed warm by the fire:

dandyholiday

We were greeted with warm cookies upon our arrival:

holiday3

 

And we spent time in a sauna like atmosphere.  All misty and warm air.  Safe and protected from the outdoor elements.

WHERE  DID  WE  GO???

Just for funs I’ve created a puzzle for you to help “piece” together where exactly we went.  Hey, it’s too cold to go outside these days, so I’m spending a lot of time indoors.  Oh and the pun was definitely intended.  🙂  Enjoy!

Stay tuned for a detailed post on the new blog, Seeing Dandy.  All will be revealed soon.  🙂

*I received a discounted hotel stay and park tickets in exchange for my review, but all opinions are definitely my own.

Filed Under: Dandiness, Dandy Tagged With: , , , , , , , , ,

Our Boo-tiful Wagon

October 29, 2014 by Leave a Comment

Remember that ultra cute, very dandy, and super fun wagon that we took on our fall outing last week?

wagon4

Yep.  That’s the one!

The baby is also ultra cute, very dandy, and super fun if I do say so myself.  *wink*

(He has some teeth coming in and is constantly feeling with his tongue and sticking it out for pictures.)

Isn’t the wagon just so charming?  Our kids simply love this wagon.

The charm is all in that happy face.

wagon

My kiddos were invited to decorate the Cozy Coupe Wagon just to show how perfect it is for the trick-or-treating adventures and it is perfect.  I mean seriously… why walk from house to house when you can ride in style?  And decorating your own ride for the big All Hallows’ Eve???  Even better!

My kids really got into the decorating process.  It brought out their creativity and we were able to discuss our plans for the wagon weeks in advance.  This family activity has made this year’s Halloween festivities that much more memorable for us so I highly recommend.  Ready to see what my kiddos did to their new wagon?  Here you go:

Little Tikes sent them the wagon, I gave them the supplies, and they got to work.

bootiful

Didn’t they do such a boo-tiful job?

Of course in addition to the decorating…

We just had to put our new friend in costume.

bootiful2

After all… Those Cozy Coupe eyes were just screaming to be a ghost.

Do you have any other ideas of how we could have dressed Cozy?

Thanks to Little Tikes we are all ready for trick-or-treating.  Are you?  It will be here before you know it.

The countdown is on.

Bring on October 31st!

bootiful4

Do you stay in your own neighborhood for trick-or-treating?

Or do you go all over town?

 

Have a very safe and Happy Halloween!

I did receive the Cozy Coupe wagon from Little Tikes to bring you this posting.  However, all opinions are strictly my own.

Filed Under: Dandiness, Dandy Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,

Fall is dandy.

October 26, 2014 by Leave a Comment

It really is.  Dandy.  Fall is.  I love this time of year.  Absolutely love it.  I think that I’ve always been a fan of fall.  There’s just something about this time of year that draws me in.  It reminds me of things.  For starters it tells me that everything is going to be okay and eventually will become anew.  After a very long, hot summer the temperatures will start to drop, brilliant colors will form on my favorite trees, leaves will begin to fall, snow will eventually cleanse, and then spring will burst forth The newness happens all because of fall.  All because of it.  Without fall we would miss out on so much!  (If you’ve never experienced a Midwest fall then I highly recommend it.  Visit a place that has a real and true fall just once.  You will see exactly what I’m talking about.  The beauty of it all.  Truly breathtaking.)

Everything about this season for me is a memory.  My childhood is a big part of this memory.  I remember going with my grandparents to stomp through piles of leaves in the parks near Jefferson Barracks.  We would leave the pathways to find the biggest clusters of leaves.  The crispness in the air was often filled with silence that was then broken by our feet crunching through the giant, untouched leaves.  My grandparents would positively glow at the happiness that I expressed on our leaf walks.  I knew that they were happy and, as their only granddaughter, I reveled in the attention.  The walks were filled with love.  They taught me the joy that is leaf stomping and I can never look at falling leaves in the same way again because of it.

This year the change of season has taken on new meaning for me.  My feelings toward fall are now bitter sweet.  Seven years ago next month my grandfather (the inspiration for the dandy blog) passed away while raking leaves.  In a strange way it was almost meant to happen that way.  Despite the fact that I was thousands of miles away when it happened… It happened while he was doing something that was so closely connected to me.  Something that tied us together.  Maybe that sounds silly, but it has become a comfort to me.  We lost my grandmother earlier this year.  I’ll forever miss our walks together in the fall.

Despite the sadness that I feel this time of year I can still feel the joy of the season.  I’ll always have the wonderful memories and I’ve come to love sharing this season with my own family.  Spending time out in the fall weather with my husband and children, teaching them about the dandiness that is leaf walks, and taking part in all the fun of the season.  There truly is so much to enjoy this time of year.  Last weekend we found ourselves at a corn maze with friends.  Always a fall gem.  It has become a tradition for us to go to this specific maze.  Our dandy kids had a great time while building their own fall memories and I was able to reflect on all the many reasons why I love this time of year.

A dandy fall to all!

wagon2

Little Tikes recently gave my family the gift of the Cozy Coupe Wagon.  It’s perfect for all of your fall outings.  Stay tuned for the Halloween review. 

Filed Under: Dandiness, Dandy Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

For The Love Of Blog Flash Back {May 1, 2008}

October 2, 2014 by Leave a Comment

Another blast from the past with a sharing of my family blog. Way back when… Before the Dandy blog was even thought of!  Do you like that I’m sharing these?  Should I continue?  It’s all for the love of blog!  The way things used to be.  Life before the Dandy was still dandy. 

bloglove

**************************************

Thursday, May 1, 2008

We Miss Gran & Boompa Already!
Banjo had such a fun time with his grandparents and he loves them so much! See how much?  You can also see some of our cute baby gifts in the background.  We are so loved!  My parents came into town the weekend before Banjo  was born and they were such a great help to us. They were a support to us at the hospital, got us all settled back in at home and even made our neglected backyard beautiful…just to name a few!!  My dad was able to stay for a week and my mom stayed to help for an additional week and a half. She just left yesterday and ever since Banjo has been wondering where she is! We can hardly wait until June to see them again.  Isn’t family the best?  Just spending time with family.  THE best.  Thanks again Mom and Dad! Mom and Dad, thank you for planting a garden and the yard decorations and making our home that much more dandy!  We couldn’t have done it without you!!!

So sad to leave Gran at the airport!
Filed Under: Dandiness, Dandy Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,

Joovy theBabaSling {Review}

July 10, 2014 by Leave a Comment

Remember how I told you there would be an upcoming review from Joovy?  Well, well, well.  Now is the time.  First I have to take you back to the beginning of May…  If you follow us at all on Facebook then you will remember that we were vacationing in WDW at that time.  (Yes, we busted Banjo out of school to hit Disney before the crowds got crazy.)  Joovy sent us theBabaSling before we left on our trip.

joovy5

I’ve always liked to do the whole baby wearing thing, so was ecstatic to take it with us on our pre summer vacation.  Plus, theBabaSling is uber chic looking, so I’d be styling.  But then I got to thinking that I wouldn’t use it all that much, because we were after all taking our Joovy Caboose stroller.  Cache would just sleep in the main seat of the stroller, Ruby would sit/stand on the platform, and Banjo would walk.  That was the plan.  And all went according to plan…

joovy11

For about half of our first day in the magical world of mouse.

At first all was right in the world.  Baby Cache just road along sleeping, Ruby was more entertained by jumping off of her seat on the “train” and running around before getting back “all aboard”, and Banjo was quite content to walk along with his cousins.  Then EVERYTHING deviated from the plan!

Ruby became a hot mess and didn’t want to ride on the platform any longer.

joovy8

She wanted to SLEEP.

Need I remind you that this was our very first day in the most magical kingdom on earth?  And Banjo?  Well, he grew tired of walking.  He grew tired very fast.

joovy9
What happened?  Where did we go wrong?  Well, for starters we should have purchased a Joovy Big Caboose Triple stroller before heading Orlando.  That would have been the solution.  However already being in Florida when we made this discovery… We didn’t have that option.  We will definitely know for next time.  But since I had the handy, dandy BabaSling all was right again in the world!

baba2

The hammock style of the sling was perfect for carrying tiny Cache and the  comfort padding… perfect for my bum shoulder.  The shoulder I’ve had surgery on twice and I’m now a candidate for a total shoulder replacement.  What?  I’ve never told you about that before?  Yeah.  Remind me to tell you sometime all about my shoulder problem.  😉

This sling carried Cache all over the parks.

He was able to meet all the characters just like the big kids.

joovy7

Can you believe that Stitch actually sports a Dandy Giveaway logo???  😉

TheBabaSling comes in sooooo many beautiful and vibrant colors.

joovy

As you can see from our vacation photos we have it in Scarlet Red.  I can’t tell you how many compliments I received on it while at WDW.  Too many to count.  One stranger just came up to me to say, “That’s a nice looking sling!”  Why, yes.  Yes it is.  🙂

Since Disney I’ve been using the BabaSling all over the place.  Particularly on the 4th of July at the lake.

joovy6

It was a long day.  The BabaSling put Cache right to sleep.

joovy

It’s my hero.

*This posting and review are sponsored by Joovy, but all opinions are strictly my own.

Filed Under: Dandiness, Reviews Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Mooshka Sing Around the Rosie Doll {Giveaway} – CLOSED

June 21, 2014 by

About my Ruby

A couple of years back when I found out that I was having a baby girl I was beyond ecstatic.  Don’t get me wrong.  I love all my children equally.  They each have their own unique qualities  and are so super sweet.  Basically I just love being their mommy!   *grin*   When Ruby came along I just knew that she and I would bond.  She would like all the things that I liked as a child.  She would like unicorn figurines.  She would like the creepy looking dolls that survived my childhood and were saved just for her.  She would like those plastic charm necklaces.  She would like to collect stickers in a sticker book.  She would like to get in shape girl.  Okay are you ready for a shocker?  I was a child of the 80’s.  I know.  You weren’t really able to figure that out already from my childhood likes list.  *wink*  Yes, Ruby was going to be just like me.  Exactly like me.  You know what?  She likes none of those things.  Not. At. All.  She likes music way more than I ever did.  The girl seriously walks around the house singing all day.  She likes super heroes, trains, and building blocks.  Basically anything and everything that her older brother likes.  She likes baby dolls that are so different than the ones of the 80’s.  They aren’t even remotely creepy looking!  Speaking of the dolls that she likes…

Combine her love of music with a cute doll and what do you get???

This adorable doll!

Here’s my Ruby playing ‘Ring around the Rosie’ with her new friend:

doll

 

 

Mooshka sent us her new friend and she has been having too much fun playing.  Banjo has even been joining in on the fun.  There are several “singing” dolls to choose from.  Each one just as cute as the next.  We have Lera and she’s perfect, because she resembles our little girl!

doll6

 

And… I’m giving away a Lera Mooshka doll to one very lucky winner!

(Enter to win on the Rafflecopter below.)

mooshka-logo

 

*This giveaway is open to US entries only.
*The winner of this giveaway will be drawn no later than the evening of Monday, June 30th and will be emailed.  If the winner does not respond within 48 hours, a new winner will be drawn.
*This posting and giveaway are sponsored by Mooshka, but all opinions are strictly my own.

 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Filed Under: Dandiness, Giveaways Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , ,

Little Tikes Garden Chairs {Giveaway} – CLOSED

June 13, 2014 by Leave a Comment

Can you tell that we like to read?

388117_10151412362010894_2144559091_n

Yes, we like to read lots.

All winter long and into the early spring we were shut ins around here.  So all of our reading took place indoors.  We didn’t even venture out to the library.  No siree.  Why is that?  First, it was super cold outside.  Second, it was super cold outside.  Third, it was super cold outside.  Okay you get the idea.  It was super cold outside.  Then… Don’t even get me started on the amount of snow that was dumped on us.  Loads and loads.  All winter long.  I thought that it would never end.  We even got a snow storm when I was postpartum in the hospital with Cache.  Oops. I think I must have left that out of Cache’s birth story.   Yes, I know that I forgot to put that part in.  Basically a HUGE snow storm decided to come rolling in the day after he was born and we weren’t sure if we were ever going to get to leave the hospital.  For some reason when it snows in St. Louis the ENTIRE city shuts down.  Does that happen in other cities?  Anyway, back to our love of books… Now that the weather is simply glorious outside (not too hot and not too humid yet) we can take our reading outdoors.

My friends over at Little Tikes sent Banjo and Ruby these adorable garden chairs.

chairs8

The chairs are the perfect size for their little tushies and are now their favorite reading spots in the backyard.

chairs7

I LOVE that my sweet littles LOVE books.

Now… for the giveaway!!!

The winner of this giveaway is going to

receive TWO garden chairs from Little Tikes

in the colors red and orange!

(Enter on the Rafflecopter below.)

chairs

*This giveaway is open to US entries only.
*The winner of this giveaway will be drawn no later than the evening of Monday, June 23rd and will be emailed.  If the winner does not respond within 48 hours, a new winner will be drawn.
*This posting and giveaway are sponsored by Little Tikes, but all opinions are strictly my own.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Filed Under: Dandiness, Giveaways, Reviews Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Little Tikes Picnic Table {Giveaway} – CLOSED

June 9, 2014 by Leave a Comment

We finished our patio late in the season last year, so we didn’t really get to enjoy it before it started to snow.

littletikes8

But this year we were ready for the spring and summer!  In fact we have been dining al fresco for quite a while now.

littletikes6Basically as soon as it stopped snowing.

That’s why when my friends over at Little Tikes  (Yes, I said LITTLE TIKES *squeal*) offered to send us a picnic table for our kiddos I jumped at the chance.  And of course you know what that means…  If I get one then one of YOU gets one, too!  *SQUEAL* from you, right?!

The Easy Storeâ„¢ Picnic Table with Umbrella is amazing.  Seriously dandy.  As soon as it came Banjo had to open the box immediately.  He even starting dragging the pieces from the front entry to the back patio.  Fortunately for me it require no tools to put together.  I’m all about the ease of things like that.  The entire table just snaps together and the instructions were super easy to follow.

Here we are at snack time:

littletikes2

And then dinner time with cousin H:littletikes

My kids cannot get enough of their new table!

What’s more???  It stores aways really dandily.

Screen Shot 2014-06-07 at 1.48.47 PM

And now… The moment you have all been waiting for…

The GIVEAWAY!!!

The winner of this giveaway is going to receive an…

Easy Storeâ„¢ Picnic Table with Umbrella

from Little Tikes!

And the crowd goes wild!!!

(Enter on the Rafflecopter below.)

629952_easy-store-picnic-table-with-umbrella---blue-green_xalt3

*This giveaway is open to US entries only.
*The winner of this giveaway will be drawn no later than the evening of Monday, June 16th and will be emailed.  If the winner does not respond within 48 hours, a new winner will be drawn.
*This posting and giveaway are sponsored by Little Tikes, but all opinions are strictly my own.
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Filed Under: Dandiness, Giveaways Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Fash’Ems {Review}

May 25, 2014 by Leave a Comment

My girl, Ruby loves her some My Little Pony.  When she talks about them it’s, “My Pony” this and “My Pony” that.  She ALWAYS leaves out the mention of “Little”.  The girl knows what she wants and she knows what’s hers.    I must admit that I cried real tears of nostalgia when I realized that the My Little Pony of today is so very different that the My Little Pony of my past.  I’m talking the My Little Pony of the 80’s.  What happened to those ponies???  It’s a good thing that my girl is in love with these ponies, because it takes away the pains of a childhood lost.  I’ll admit that the look is growing on me…  Probably because Ruby thinks they are sooooo very dandy!

How can I not begin to feel this way when they make her so happy?

fashems

She received an entire fleet of Fash’Ems for this review and she was definitely not disappointed.

IMG_9186

What are Fash’Ems, you ask?  Well, for starters they are squishy.  They aren’t going to break or get scratched up the way a lot of other toys do.  And… They stretch!

photo 3

The ponies come in these adorable little capsules in hot pink.  We had an absolute fun time playing hide and seek with them in the backyard!

In addition to My Little Pony there are these characters:

Screen Shot 2014-05-25 at 2.28.51 PM

Screen Shot 2014-05-25 at 2.29.50 PM

Doesn’t Hello Kitty look adorable?

Some of the sets even come with crowns and other accessories to dress the characters!

Fun times for my little Ruby!

photo 3.png

This review was sponsored by Tech4Kids, but all opinions are strictly my own.

Filed Under: Reviews Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , ,

LEGOLAND Kansas City {Giveaway} – CLOSED

April 26, 2014 by Leave a Comment

legoland

My Banjo is now 6-years-old.  It’s weird to think that my first born is that old.  He’s like a little man who is almost finished with kindergarten.  So very strange for me!  In past years we have always had a birthday party for him.  I was trying to be that mom who threw those big, fabulous parties with lots of friends invited.  Yes, that mom.  I even invited the siblings of the friends, because I didn’t want anyone to feel left out.  Is that a little crazy?  Maybe a little excessive?  (Now there’s nothing really wrong with being that mom.  There are plenty of moms who can pull it off and more power to them.  I’m just not good at being that mom.  For sanity sake I had to take a step back, evaluate what’s truly important, and just say no.)

This year?  No more.  We have three littles now.  All will have a birthday.  All will eventually want to have a party.  All cannot have a party in the same year.  That would be maddening.  I can’t plan for such things.  I can’t decorate for such things.  I can’t organize for such things.  I can’t do such things.  It’s just not going to happen times three every year.  Nope.  Not going to do it.  So I’m thinking that each child has a “friend party” every other year.  Maybe every 3rd year.  Just. Not. Every. Year.

That’s why this year we decided to take Banjo (and the other two littles) out of town for a surprise birthday weekend extravaganza.  Banjo expected to have a party.  We told him we had a special adventure planned instead of a party.  It was a weekend all about him, things he likes, and together as a family.  The best part of celebrating in this way?  Family time!

We went to LEGOLAND Discovery Center in Kansas City!  LEGOLAND agreed on us coming for a visit, my doing a review on the blog, and giveaway away FOUR tickets.  You will find that giveaway below.  First, here are just a few of our favorite highlights from the place Banjo now thinks is the bestest birthday celebration ever.  At the LEGOLAND in Kansas City you can…

Find out how many LEGO bricks you weigh and your height in LEGO bricks:

legoland2

 

 

Travel to a distant land:

wizardofoz

 photo-105.png

oz.png

 

 

Meet your favorite LEGO characters:

legomovie

 

Build and race LEGO cars:

PicMonkey Collage.png

And just have a fantastically dandy time!

Of course you can’t visit LEGOLAND without getting some LEGOS.  Audi came out of the shop with this on my keys:

10258082_10152027507970894_3170210231329684569_n

He said it’s because I’m Wonder Woman.

As I already mentioned, the winner of this giveaway will receive FOUR tickets to LEGOLAND in Kansas City!

*This giveaway is open to US entries only.
*The winner of this giveaway will be drawn no later than the evening of May 2nd and will be emailed.  If the winner does not respond within 48 hours, a new winner will be drawn.
*This posting and giveaway are sponsored by the Kansas City LEGOLAND Discovery Center, but all opinions are strictly my own.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Filed Under: Giveaways Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Next Page »