National Teddy Bear Picnic Day

Tomorrow is National Teddy Bear Picnic Day! So today we are getting things ready for the big celebration. (will post photos soon)

We made teddy bear ears out of construction paper to disguise ourselves. (read song lyrics) We're also making wagons out of old shoe boxes, diaper boxes, etc to pull the bears around in for our teddy bear parade. I covered the sides of the boxes with construction paper and the boys are decorating them. Then we'll tie a small rope to the front for them to pull the box around with.

We've been practicing this song to sing during the parade. You can find the music here.

If you go down in the woods today
You're sure of a big surprise
If you go down in the woods today
You'd better go in disguise.

For every bear that ever there was
Will gather there for certain, because
Today's the day the Teddy Bears have their picnic.

Picnic time for Teddy Bears
The little Teddy Bears are having a lovely time today
Watch them, catch them unawares
And see them picnic on their holiday.

See them gaily gad about
They love to play and shout
They never have any cares.

At six o'clock their Mummies and Daddies
Will take them home to bed
Because they're tired little Teddy Bears.

Every Teddy Bear who's been good
Is sure of a treat today
There's lots of marvelous things to eat
And wonderful games to play.

Beneath the trees where nobody sees
They'll hide and seek as long as they please
'Cause that's the way the Teddy Bears have their picnic.

Picnic time for Teddy Bears
The little Teddy Bears are having a lovely time today
Watch them, catch them unawares
And see them picnic on their holiday.

See them gaily gad about
They love to play and shout
They never have any care.

At six o'clock their Mummies and Daddies
Will take them home to bed
Because they're tired little Teddy Bears.

Because they're tired little Teddy Bears.

Our picnic basket will be full of pb&j sandwiches cut out like teddy bears, teddy grahams and different yummy fruits and veggies. We'll bring a thermos of milk and some bottles of water and head to the park. For dessert I'm baking a special cake shaped like a teddy bear! The boys are so excited!

We'll search for hidden pictures and color these pages from Highlights:

Then we'll lay back and read a few books, some of which include Goldilocks and the Three Bears, Corduroy, The Adventures of Paddington Bear, and my personal favorite, The Tale of Tatty Teddy (which is my bear of choice to bring along as well).

The basket and blanket are ready! Are you?

What makes you smile?

Sometimes it's the little things in life that make me smile. The quirky little things that sometimes go unnoticed in the midst of the gazillion things we do each day.

I'll never forget the first time I saw one. We were grocery shopping and the boys were both ready for their naps. The baby was screaming and trying to climb out of the buggy and Ace was sitting in the back pushing and smashing the groceries while whining because he couldn't get comfortable. We made 3 other stops that morning and needless to say we were all ready to get home.

I zoomed up and down the aisles scanning my list and trying to grab the items off the shelf supermarket sweep style. If I didn't live a good 30 miles from the nearest grocery store I would have left the buggy mid-list and gone back another time.

I was almost finished. Just the produce section left and I was done. That's when I saw it. This Chiquita Banana sticker...


Perhaps it was my partial delirium, I really can't say for sure, but you better believe I peeled that little sticker off and placed it on my forehead. Then I laughed out loud so hard that both of the boys start cracking up. After several strange looks and smiles of approval from fellow Wal-Mart shoppers, we made it through the produce and checkout aisles in much better moods. I've been obsessed with them ever since.

It makes the Infinite Monkey Theorem seem much more plausible doesn't it? I could just picture those silly little monkeys sitting behind typewriters and chuckling as they come up with these funny little sticker slogans.

People oftentimes look at me funny as I giggle and peel off these little stickers and place them in the diary I keep in my purse but that's ok. The Chiquita monkeys with typewriters and I have a secret friendship. So I extend my thanks to them for making me smile--especially on nightmarish trips to the grocery store...

Some of my other faves:

What makes you smile?

Wee Squeak Shoes Giveaway

Last year at Barnes & Noble I spotted--more like heard--a little girl running around with the cutest little shoes that squeaked! I thought that was such a great idea! I had put bells on the boys shoes when they were little and thought it was darling...until they pulled them off and started chewing on them. So I really thought these shoes were great! I asked the mom where she got them and she said someone brought them as a gift from Japan. I was so bummed!

Until I ran across this site...

Wee Squeak Children’s Shoes are footwear that's fun to wear! Comfortable and stylish, these little shoes are great for any season. With a variety of styles and colors to choose from, these children's shoes are a great gift idea as well as a way to help children learn to walk properly without even realizing they're being taught.

Traditional Mary Jane’s, along with a wide variety of boys sandals, children’s tennis shoes and girls sandals in several different colors and styles, Wee Squeak Shoes has a very diverse selection. They even have accessories to go with their “Wee Snap” shoes…clip on flowers to dress up the shoes, as well as Crystal Crown accessories in white or pink. These decorative additions to the Wee Snap line will put a sparkle in any girl’s eye when she sees them gracing her toes!

Wee Squeak shoes are designed for children and parents alike. The shoes actually make a fun squeak sound as the child walks. A cushion in the heal squeezes air through a tiny nozzle making the squeak sound. For those occasions when the shoe needs to be silent, the squeaker can be removed very simply by an adult.

One lucky winner will win one pair of the following shoes of their choice in a size 5. Retail value $29.95!

GIRLS:

BOYS:

To enter simply visit the Wee Squeak site and leave a comment telling me what you like best about their products and which pair you'd like to win!

For extra entries:

• Become a follower of A Purse Full of Cheerios (if currently following leave a comment telling me)
• Subscribe to A Purse Full of Cheerios
  
• Blog about this contest (leave link)
  
• Tweet this contest (leave link)
  

Good luck! The winner will be announced on Saturday July 11th!!

Small Town Girl

I am back from my vacation in Ohio. I giggle as I write this because growing up there I never would've considered going back a vacation. Dorothy got it right though, there's no place like home. There is something about those pothole covered roads and little white flowers covering the front lawns like a blanket that makes me yearn for my childhood. It makes me wish I was still that little girl running barefoot through the grass, wrists wrapped in dandelion bracelets with a big popsicle grin across my face.

Growing up in a small town is tough. Your parents knew you got in trouble at school before you even got home because Miss Natalie from the cafeteria called home after lunch to tell them. As teenagers there wasn't much to do except hang out on the front porch or drive around. and around. and around. I remember when Angie, one of my closest friends in HS, got her first car. A white Grand-Am--I think we put 1,000 miles on it that week!

After graduating high school I couldn't wait to move on to bigger and better places. I yearned for the lights of a big city and the hustle and bustle that lined its streets...

Now that I'm a mother I see things soo differently. I cherish those small town values and memories.

I don't know that I would or could ever go back to my small hometown but I hope one day to dig my roots far into the ground of some small town, perhaps a bit closer to home too.

I had a great couple of weeks catching up with old friends and spending lots of quality time with my family.

Here are some of my favorite moments:

Watching my Dad put rally caps on the boys at their first baseball game

Attending my cousins graduation party and seeing family members I haven't seen in awhile
(that's my lil' bro, cousin Drew and I)
Watching the boys play with their cousins


Listening to the boys laugh as they get pushed on the swings by their great-grandmother


Hanging out at the little hot dog joint for lunch

Root, root, rooting for the home team...Go Tribe!

Playing in the rain

Celebrating my grandparents 50th Anniversary

Sipping my 1st Appletini...

Admiring my parents, who have been married for over 30 years and still act like honeymooners...

and of course, probably my favorite thing of the entire trip, watching my sister waddle around as she enters her 8th month of pregnancy. This baby is such a blessing and I cry every time I think of how I won't be there when she gives birth. I've prayed for this child and that moment for so long and I never in my wildest dreams imagined I wouldn't be there to share it with her and her husband. She is such a beautiful pregger! Keep her and her baby in your prayers!

What hometown memories do you have? What memories are you creating for your family? I'd love for you to share!

Alice in Wonderland Baby Shower

I've been in Ohio for the past couple weeks visiting my family. My sister is expecting her first child and we threw her baby shower last Saturday at a local country club.

We did an Alice in Wonderland theme. It turned out so beautiful and we pretty much made everything ourselves--from the Alice invitations that read R.S.V.P. by June 13th or off with your heads to the whimsical character cutouts that adorned the ribbon and tulle garland on the main tables. (see photo below) The tables were set with brightly colored napkins and balloons and we had the movie soundtrack playing throughout the room.

We also found giant teacups and teapots that we used to decorate in various places around the room.

We bought these adorable teacups and saucers and filled them with a tea bag, honey stick and a thank you note from the baby. Geri hand-stamped the little tags that read, "Drink Me".

And we bought these colorful cupcakes to place on cupcake towers and use as centerpieces. We made almost 200 (!?!) sugar cookies and iced them with royal icing and wrote the words "Eat Me" on them.

Geri is pretty artistic and so she sketched and colored several different characters to hang from the tulle and ribbons. They looked adorable!

Here's a photo of the Queen of Hearts herself. LOL. She's on bedrest so she couldn't stand while greeting guests or opening gifts so she sat at this little table.

Here we are with some of our cousins:

She also did something that I thought was really nice. Inside of each invitation sent was a list of various baby items such as diapers, wipes, pacifiers, etc. Each item was worth so many tickets and when guests turned in the items, r.s.v.p.'d or won a game, they won tickets. We made up themed gift baskets--cooking, reading, games, romance, kids, etc--and guests used their tickets to enter for a chance to win them. Here's a photo of the basket table:

Then Geri took all of the baby items that they brought and donated them to a local women's shelter. I thought that was great.

Here's a photo of me with my mother and sister:

The moment we've all been waiting for...

The winner of the coveted (by me too!) Coach Signature Ali Flap Bag is {drumroll} Megan!

Congratulations! Please e-mail your shipping info to Sylvia{at}chasingcheerios{dot}com!

I wish I had one to give to each of you but I think Coach would go out of business! But I do want to thank everyone for entering! We received such a terrific response that I already have a bunch of new giveaways coming up including another fabulous handbag from another fabulous designer {wink, wink}

Stay tuned...

Teach 'em young

This past weekend I took the boys to our library's annual Children's Book Festival. This is by far my favorite local event.

Each year the library gives each child a free book, and we're not talking a 10 pg. paperback either, they offer several beautiful hardcover, board and activity books for the children to choose from.

They also get to meet several authors and illustrators, attend workshops, make crafts and more.

This year we had the pleasure of meeting Suzy Kline, author of the Horrible Harry and Herbie Jones series. She was such a sweet lady! We chatted for a few moments before she began her workshop and the boys got their photo taken with her. She gave an excellent presentation as well.

I really love how she emphasized the importance of carrying a little notebook with you everywhere you go. Ace has been in the habit of doing this for the past 8 months or so and I continue to try and encourage him to keep it up, so it was really nice that she mentioned this as well. Ace likes to practice writing words or doodling in it. I usually write somewhere on each page what exactly he was trying to describe. It's a lot of fun going back and looking at all the funny moments he chose to record.

We also got to meet Frank Remkiewicz, the illustrator of the infamous Froggy books and also of Suzy's Horrible Harry series. The boys took a photo with him and he signed a couple of their books. He also gave an awesome workshop teaching the children different ways to illustrate their stories.

After the workshops the boys got to play with slime, make their own paper frogs and enjoy a yummy ice cream cone from the local ice cream parlor.

And guess what was the first thing the boys wanted to do when we got home?

Write in their little notebooks. Thanks Suzy!!