Ma Petite Artiste

Anna came home from school today begging to paint. Maybe it was less like begging and more like incessant whining, but either way - same message. She wanted to paint. Real bad. And Mommy had a sinus headache. (Whining + Headache = BAD). So I put her in her Sarah Janes art apron and got her all set up with her water colors while I cooked dinner.

It started off pretty tame, like this. . .

Not too shabby. Last time I checked, that was pretty much the way that water colors were intended to be used.

But then she decided she'd rather fingerpaint, which was messier, but fine too. . .

Then I guess she figured that if having her finger full of paint was so much fun, her whole hand would be a BLAST. . .

And yeah, it pretty much was. I love your ideas (and your art), my sweet angel!

Nutcracker Market Finds

This past Friday, I took the day off and went to the Nutcracker Market with my mom. It was just a girls day for the two of us, and we had a great time.The Nutcracker Market is a fundraiser for the Houston Ballet where hundreds of vendors bring their goodies to the Reliant Center to get people to empty their pocketbooks while getting a head start on Christmas shopping. There's so much to see (and eat!), you could literally spend all day there. And we did!

Anyway, I wanted to share a few of our fun finds from the Nutcracker Market:

• Play Clay - A better alternative to Play Dough. It even smells great!
• Sarah Janes - Really cute minkee & oil cloth products. I got Anna an art apron, a splat mat, and a little minkee pillow.
• Crayola Doodle Bags - Great little tote for crayons and chalk. This will be a diaper bag staple to keep Anna busy at restaurants or anywhere else we need her to stay in one place quietly.
• Hedge Farms Candles - Wonderful-smelling candles in cute little pots and urns.

Squeaky Shoes

Some people talk just to hear their own voice. Thanks to her new Mooshu Trainers, Anna now walks and walks and walks just to hear her shoes squeak!

We got Anna a pair of these adorable white Mooshu Trainer sandals this weekend, and she has been wearing them out ever since:

It's a really cute concept with the slogan "Encouraging toddlers to walk, one squeak at a time". Not only do the shoes squeak when she walks so we always know where she is (and she's always amused), but the alligator clip bow can be removed and replaced with different colored clips to perfectly coordinate with any outfit.

Does it get any better than that?! Very cool. Check 'em out.