RockerByeBaby

#10: Concertina

2012-01-29T09:11:00.000-08:00

Cute, cute CUTE! Concertina is OH SO CUTE! If you are a fan of Amigurumi plush, then Concertina is the place to go!

She has the cutest plush from turtles, mushrooms, whales, elephants, and our favorites, the little jellyfish. "Amigurumi is the Japanese art of knitting or crocheting small stuffed animals and anthropomorphic creatures. The word is derived from a combination of the Japanese words ami, meaning crocheted or knitted, and nuigurumi, meaning stuffed doll."

All of her little jellies are custom made... and can be made in any array of colors. And the best part, is she uses safety eyes, so they are baby safe :) If you are like me, and have a love for the Japanese/Kawaii style, you should definitely check her out... her shop is running on low right now, but keep checking back as she plans to add lots of new items very soon :)

Maria has made the CUTEST set of Jellies... a yellow one for you and a blue one for Ashley... with the cute little applique hearts stitched to the sides.

How to win:
(EACH ENTRY MUST BE IN ITS OWN SEPARATE COMMENT BELOW TO BE COUNTED ACCURATELY)
#1: Heart Concertina on Etsy.
#2: Fan the Concertina facebook page.
#3: Fan the RockerByeBaby facebook page.
#4: Heart RockerByeBaby on Etsy.
#5: Follow the RockerByeBaby blog. (in the upper right hand side.)
#6: Blog about this baby shower giveaway! Linking back to our blog... when you are done come here and comment below with the link to where we can see the post!

Giveaway #9: Stella Grace Boutique

2012-01-24T22:37:00.000-08:00

If you remember, last week we talked about creative play for kids... and sort of detaching from all the flashing lights and sounds of the high tech toys and gadgets on the market. Today I want to ramble on about Stella Grace Boutique... A shop focusing on toys inspired by a Waldorf Education. "The educational philosophy's overarching goals are to provide young people the basis on which to develop into free, morally responsible and integrated individuals, and to help every child fulfill his or her unique destiny, the existence of which anthroposophy posits." (thanks Wikipedia) Long story short... a Waldorf Education focuses on imagination and a creative approach to play time... And Stella Grace Boutique has all the goodies you need to support that type of environment.

Kara, the mama behind Stella Grace boutique has some of the cutest toys on the market. I should know... I have quite the collection ;) Over the last few months we have bought one of the 18 inch dolls...a mini blanket baby... a sensory owl rattle... and Zavery has a custom dinosaur... all skully themed of course :) One of the things on our list to buy are her play silks...

You get 6 hand dyed - rainbow colored play silks... they are "17 inch by 17 inch playsilks. They are wonderful for imaginative play, dress up, peek a boo, music and movement, circle time, and SO much more!" But the next MUST HAVE on our list will require a bit of penny saving. Waldorf dolls are pretty expensive, as they are made with very high quality, natural materials... "The face is made from bamboo cotton interlock and you can select a sleeper made from either knit or velour fabrics. The head is formed with 100% clean carded wool, in the traditional waldorf method. With a interlock body stuffed with carded wool too!!" to make it a little easier on the pocket book, she has an 11 inch "baby doll" listed. And we definitely want one :) With some sort of adorable skull nighty of course!

Last but definitely not least, we love her Teething Ring Blanket Loveys... They are "12x12 knit fabric, backed with soft hand dyed cotton velour fabric." Each one has a wooden ring attached with a snap for teething, and can be taken off when the lovey needs to be washed. Kara made one special for Ashely out of the cutest "I Love You This Much" fabric... with a beautiful blue velour on the back... and of course, one lucky winner will get one too! The winner of this giveaway will get their choice of any custom Teething Lovey...

How to win:
(EACH ENTRY MUST BE IN ITS OWN SEPARATE COMMENT BELOW TO BE COUNTED ACCURATELY)
#1: Heart Stella Grace Boutique on Etsy.
#2: Heart your favorite pair of item(s) in the Stella Grace Boutique Etsy shop, then come back and comment below, telling us what you love!
#3: Fan the Stella Grace Boutique facebook page.
#4: Fan the RockerByeBaby facebook page.
#5: Heart RockerByeBaby on Etsy.
#6: Follow the RockerByeBaby blog. (in the upper right hand side.)
#7: Blog about this baby shower giveaway! Linking back to our blog... when you are done come here and comment below with the link to where we can see the post!

Giveaway #8: Small Threads

2012-01-19T14:27:00.000-08:00

One of my favorite mama's - Mandy... is the human behind the cutest clothes on the web, Small Threads.

Two of my favorite pieces of clothing were made by Mandy's hands... They get worn ALL THE TIME... And if you stop by her shop, you will even see me modeling my FAVORITE FAVORITE hoodie... The "Bony Mama". The teeny little details are awe flawless. How Mandy has the patience to hand cute all those little pieces... and hand stitch them all on is beyond me. The heart is my favorite, and has perfectly placed little stitches all the way around... The details are what makes Small Threads so special and unique. Even if you ordered 100 Bony Mama hoodies, each one would be just a little different. Another of my favorite Small Threads items are her Small Skivvies. They are easily the CUTEST thing you could ever put on little boy bums. Ive made a tradition the last few years of getting them Small Skivvies for their stockings every Christmas, and they're always a hit. This year they got the Rock Hand & The Skull and crossbones. Its a strange feeling when you are actually sad when your kids grow out of their underwear... I mean, their just underwear... but I can assure you, I was sad when I had to pull out the first "too small" pair from their drawers. Then again, it was just an excuse to get some more ;)

You can even get them for big boys too. One year I had a custom pair made for hubby... The heart and banner style with TG (my nickname) sewn in. He loved them :) Since then I have a nice little stash set aside for Rozzlyn, have given Small Threads gifts, and added to our own collection. No matter what your style is, there is a Small Threads design for you :) Don't have kids? No worries, she does adult sizes and pet clothes too!! Mermaids, Skulls, Cake, and of course... what kind of shop would it be without a Octopus with a Mustache!?!? Don't worry... she has those too :) But of all the cute designs... our favorite has to be the Love mom/dad Heart t-shirts and they're perfect for the upcoming Valentines Day holiday :) But it doesn'st stop there. Not only can you customize that design (like I did with the underwear) Mandy has come up with a new one that says ROCK inside... for all of those baby rock stars that love to rock :)

This brand new onesie design is headed to Mrs. Ashley for her shower gift. Isn't it the cutest thing ever!? Im totally jealous. But you don't have to be... why? Because Mandy says, "i will make a custom short sleeve tee or onesie for the winner. Any size 3 months thru 6". This way, no one is left out, and everyone can find something they love that fits their little one...

ALSO - Mandy has so generously offered a 15% discount to all of our readers. Code: RBBSHOWER when checking out. And be sure to look at her "sale" section for ready to ship goodies at a killer price already!

GOOD LUCK!
How to win:
(EACH ENTRY MUST BE IN ITS OWN SEPARATE COMMENT BELOW TO BE COUNTED ACCURATELY)
#1: Heart Small Threads on Etsy.
#2: Heart your favorite pair of item(s) in the Small Threads Etsy shop, then come back and comment below, telling us what you would pick if you won!
#3: Fan the Small Threads facebook page.
#4: Follow Small Threads on Twitter and tweet this message: "Giveaway @RockerByeBaby for a @SmallThreads baby/toddler Tshirt! Enter to win! http://punkrockerbyebaby.blogspot.com/2012/01/giveaway-6-stellarcheri.html"
#5: Fan the RockerByeBaby facebook page.
#6: Heart RockerByeBaby on Etsy.
#7: Follow the RockerByeBaby blog. (in the upper right hand side.)
#8: Blog about this baby shower giveaway! Linking back to our blog... when you are done come here and comment below with the link to where we can see the post!

GIveaway #7: Sweet Monkey Tots

2012-01-19T03:00:00.000-08:00

EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEKKK!! This is me squealing :) One of my new favorite shops is Sweet Monkey Tots and I am SO SO SO excited she decided to join in on this baby shower giveaway week with us!

A little while back I was on the hunt for a super cool travel wipes case to match my awesome Stellar Cheri diaper bag. I wasn't having any luck finding anything that matched, or even came close to coordinating... right up until I came across Sweet Monkey Tots... and its pretty easy to say I fell in love. She was so sweet and quick to respond... offered to use any custom fabric out there (like the one that MATCHED my diaper bag... ) and we designed it exactly how I wanted it to be. Down to the font on the monogramming... and the trim.

In the end I was so beyond thrilled with the final result. When it came time to put her nursery together, we designed another custom wipes case, but this time the nursery tub style to match her room. We picked a super cute Pink, Black & white damask print that I actually have mixed into her bedding... and the fun little pompom trim you see above. It turned out adorable and I couldn't possibly be happier with the quality & customer service that Stephanie provides. Also, the packing is over the top professional. But you will just have to order and see for yourself :) She has some ready to ship items for the wipes cases... but LOADS of custom listings and options... so I know she will help you find exactly what you need :) If you aren't in the market for a wipes case, you should still check out her shop. She has some great gift options like hooded towels, pacifier clips, burp rags, and the cutest bibs ever!

All of her adorable monogramming makes me want my own machine! Ahhh, I can dream :) "Sweet Monkey Tots is your one stop shop for handmade essentials for special tots! I strive to make my items boutique chic with a touch of monkey sweetness! Come on in and browse for a while. I am sure you will find something for the special tot in your life!"

Now that you see my obvious love for Sweet Monkey Tots... I suppose I should show you the SUPER CUTE case she made for Ashley's nursery :) Its an awesome fabric from the Joel Dewberry collection. In black, granite, and yellows. Using a pewter colored GIMP (trim). It turned out beautiful.

And lucky you... one winner will receive the custom wipes case of their choice. Valued at $25.95...

How to win:
(EACH ENTRY MUST BE IN ITS OWN SEPARATE COMMENT BELOW TO BE COUNTED ACCURATELY)
#1: Heart Sweet Monkey Tots on Etsy.
#2: Heart your favorite pair of item(s) in the Sweet Monkey Tots Etsy shop, then come back and comment below, telling us what you love!
#3: Fan the Sweet Monkey Tots facebook page.
#4: Fan the RockerByeBaby facebook page.
#5: Heart RockerByeBaby on Etsy.
#6: Follow the RockerByeBaby blog. (in the upper right hand side.)
#7: Blog about this baby shower giveaway! Linking back to our blog... when you are done come here and comment below with the link to where we can see the post!

Giveaway #6: StellarCheri

2012-01-18T15:13:00.000-08:00

There isn't very much to say about StellarCheri that I haven't already said. Its no secret that I love and adore her stuff. I stand behind her quality 100%... so much so, that you will find the RockerByeBaby name on our special line of diaper bags with her. I have so many of her products, myself. Snack Bags, a couple clutches, a diaper bag, dresses... and more I'm sure.

If you havn't had the pleasure of checking out StellarCheri, you must. I promise, everything you find will be of amazing construction, and super super cute. :) One of her new goodies on my wish list is this adorable wallet. Simple, functional, and would look so so cute with my diaper bag!! I love the patchwork detail and the big chunky button. Another one of our favorite items are her snack bags. They are not only cute, but functional too for SO MANY THINGS! The obvious use is for snacks... they are water resistant so you can pretty much put anything in there without having to worry too much about leaks. But another great use is as a small wet bag for potty training accidents when you are out and about... its the perfect size to just toss soiled undies in there after an accident. Though, I would recommend alternating between snack and soiled undies, lol maybe you should just buy two of them ;) While you are searching around her shop, you will also find the cutest dresses, hair bows, laptop sleeves and more... and among those other items are her brand spankin' new diaper clutches! Scratch that... you won't see those because the two she listed yesterday are already sold! "The StellarCheri diaper clutch is the perfect size for a a few diapers and a travel pack of wipes. Its great for quick trips with your little one, and especially awesome for your toddlers who really don't need all the necessities that a baby needs. :)

It measures 9.5"x6" when folded and closed. It has two elastic pockets on the inside, closes with an elastic band and also has a wristlet strap for carrying. All diaper clutches are made with cotton fabrics and a layer of interfacing to give it a bit of sturdiness." StellarCheri made a special one just for Ashley... And guess what... you will get to be among the first to try it out! One lucky winner will receive this super cute argyle diaper clutch, just like Ashley's. They are so great, and you can be sure there will be one coming to the RockerByeBaby household! Also, what do you guys think about adding these to our line? Maybe a special combo of diaper bag and diaper clutch for a deal? Hmmmmm *wheels turning*

How to win:
(EACH ENTRY MUST BE IN ITS OWN SEPARATE COMMENT BELOW TO BE COUNTED ACCURATELY)
#1: Heart StellarCheri on Etsy.
#2: Heart your favorite pair of item(s) in the StellarCheri Etsy shop, then come back and comment below, telling us what you love!
#3: Fan the StellarCheri facebook page.
#4: Follow StellarCheri on Twitter and tweet this message: "Giveaway @RockerByeBaby for a @stellarCheri diaper clutch! Enter to win! http://punkrockerbyebaby.blogspot.com/2012/01/giveaway-6-stellarcheri.html"
#5: Fan the RockerByeBaby facebook page.
#6: Heart RockerByeBaby on Etsy.
#7: Follow the RockerByeBaby blog. (in the upper right hand side.)
#8: Blog about this baby shower giveaway! Linking back to our blog... when you are done come here and comment below with the link to where we can see the post!

Giveaway #5: OllieBeez

2012-01-18T06:00:00.000-08:00

I can't even begin to count the number of times that I was completely overwhelmed by the flashing lights and annoying sounds of an interactive toy. I have 3 kids... I've been parenting for over 5 years now, and there have been so many toys in and out of our house that as the years go on, I am starting to change my thoughts on play time. At first as a new mom I wanted all the most interactive gadgets for my baby/toddler that I could get my hands on. But, looking back now, I wish I would have never given in to those things. It seems like now a days so many kids aren't even capable of just "playing"... Asking my oldest to go to the play room to play with the Thomas the Train set, or color in a coloring book is like a terrible chore for him... By the time I got to my middle son, I had realized how these things have changed their play time, and really started pushing more classic toys and creative play. It shows... he loves puzzles, coloring, playdough, etc. He is great at entertaining himself and doesn't need to constantly be stimulated like my oldest. And now this time around with Rozzlyn, I want to be really sure that we are going back to basics. With this is mind, I came across OllieBeez.

OllieBeez is a super cute shop specializing in custom wooden blocks for kids. She has everything from cowgirls to Dr. Seuss to shabby chic styles, monkeys and more. There is something for everyone. Not only are these blocks adorable decorations propped on a shelf in a nursery, but they are perfect creative play toys. Stacking, sorting, and building with blocks are a great way to stimulate your little ones imagination. And not only that but each block has 2 letters on it, all 13 combined represent the entire alphabet... therefore making it a great educational toy as well. Each block is hand painted with non-toxic paint, the papers cut and letters placed by hand as well. Then Sealed with non-toxic sealant making it safe for babies and toddlers. But always use common sense... they're play blocks, not teething toys ;) While searching through OllieBeez shop, I came across the CUTEST block set that I will have to get for Rozzlyn. They are perfectly girly, but still a twist of hidden Rock N Roll when you look closely. There are little skulls in the duck and the rattle! Love, love love ;)

When OllieBeez agreed to do this giveaway I was so excited. They seemed right up her alley. The mama behind the blocks was so sweet to work with and I can see that as a customer, her customer service is amazing. She responded promptly and was eager to get started on the project. And did I mention, a mom to 4 month old TWINS!? Where does she find the time!? Together she and I came up with the closest match to Ashley's nursery colors as possible (on short notice). If we had a little more time we could have gotten even closer by ordering specialty papers! But I think the final look is just perfect. We chose a light yellow base for the block... and then all sorts of shabby chic graphics in light aqua blues, grays, etc. I think it will go great with Ashley's modern with a vintage twist nursery... and can already picture the little man playing in his room stacking up blocks with mommy :)

Adorable, right? Well, don't feel left out. OllieBeez has been SO sweet as to give us a set for you... but not just any set - one special just for you :) The winner will choose from a custom designed block set from OllieBeez. Match your nursery, your play room, any place you want. Or maybe just your favorite character or theme! The options are endless. Good Luck!

How to win:
(EACH ENTRY MUST BE IN ITS OWN SEPARATE COMMENT BELOW TO BE COUNTED ACCURATELY)
#1: Heart OllieBeez on Etsy.
#2: Heart your favorite pair of booties in the OllieBeez shop, then come back and comment below, telling us which one you would choose if you win.
#3: Fan the OllieBeez facebook page.
#4: Fan the RockerByeBaby facebook page.
#5: Heart RockerByeBaby on Etsy.
#6: Follow the RockerByeBaby blog. (in the upper right hand side.)

Giveaway #4: CuddleStar

2012-01-17T15:00:00.000-08:00

Now a days it seems like anyone can be a good photographer with an iPhone and Instagram, but Ashley - the mama who this shower is for and the A in AE Photography is the real deal. In fact... she and her husband were the photographers at our wedding. Talent, talent, talent.

She also does a lot of the photography for our shop... like our Camera t-shirt, modeled by her son Finn!

So, when I was "window shopping" on Etsy... and came across a super cute camera Onesie by Cuddle Star, I just KNEW Ashley would love it. Cuddle Star has some of the cutest onesies I have ever seen. Truly. If you are in to any sort of western style, this shop is for you. From Deputy Dude to Pearl Snap Vests onesies for the Cowboys (and girls)... to the Shadiator or the tie and suspenders for the "scenester" babies... This mama has got you covered. Everything you see in her shop is amazingly well made, down to every last detail. Even the little story in her "announcements" makes me love this shop even more... "Once upon a time there was a little girl named Adrian who lived it Texas. She loved to draw and paint. She wore tiaras, jewelry, slips on the outside of her clothes, and cowboy boots. She dreamed of growing up and moving to a coast thousands of miles away, marrying el Principe Rafael Medina, and having a daughter named Tigerlilly Goldfeather.

While some of those dreams came true, others faded and new dreams came to be.

Now Adrian resides in Austin TX, married a different kind of prince and has her el Princepe Rafael Medina in the form of a son. Thorough all life’s adventures and changes, Adrian never let go of her love for quirky fashion. Cuddlestar came to be with the birth of her son."

Its so true. Just because we have kids doesn't mean we have to give up that unique sense of style. I can promise you that in the 5 years of my oldest son's life, he has never wore an outfit with teddy bears or rubber duckies... and the only choo choo train shirt he has is an awesome one with the smoke stack letting out puffs of skull and crossbones shaped steam. And like Adrian, if I couldn't find it in a store, I made it myself... (and also like Adrian, that inspired my store) Im so happy to find yet another amazing Etsy shop like Cuddlestar that has awesome style and high quality... and you should too! Why? Because if you're lucky, you could be the winner of a super duper cute piece from her shop! They were so sweet to be sending Ashley this insanely adorable camera onesie for her little man. And lucky her because this is one of the last ones in this style!

The winner of this giveaway will get to choose their prize between a tie vest in brown or turquoise, or a tie suspenders in black or brown, or a deputy dude... size 0-3m, 3-6m, 6-12m or 12-18m.

How to Win:
(EACH ENTRY MUST BE IN ITS OWN SEPARATE COMMENT BELOW TO BE COUNTED ACCURATELY)
#1: Heart Cuddlestar on Etsy.
#2: Heart your favorite item in the Cuddlestar shop, and come back here and tell us what design you would choose if you won!
#3: Fan Cuddlestar on Facebook!
#4: Fan the RockerByeBaby facebook page.
#5: Heart RockerByeBaby on Etsy.
#6: Follow the RockerByeBaby blog. (in the upper right hand sidebar.)

Giveaway #3: KateMaeDesigns

2012-01-17T09:01:00.000-08:00

I am a huge fan the paper mobiles I have seen around lately... They come in all different shapes and textures, a rainbow of colors, and all different lengths. So when I came across Kate Mae Designs, I knew it was a shop we just had to get in on Ashley's baby shower.

Kate Mae Designs is a shop specializing in paper crafts... specifically, cards and mobiles. Finding a quality shop like Kate Mae Designs is really awesome for a shop like mine. Since we specialize in custom bedding and nursery decor, its often hard to find things like mobiles and other certain accessories that we just havn't taken on yet. Kate Mae offers custom paper mobiles that could be made to match any decor... in all different paper shapes to go with any theme or style.

Like Butterflies... for the perfect girl's room.

Sparkling Black, White & Lime rectangles... For a sleek but dramatic accent.

Or Smokey Gray & Yellow Circles... the perfect fit in Ashley's nursery...

Its true! Kate Mae Designs has given Ashely this modern baby mobile. Colors fading from Slate Gray to white... with a pop of yellow. It will be the perfect fit into Ashley's nursery for her little man. They are adorable over a crib or changing table for baby to look at, or just as a great accent to a bare corner of a room. I will definitley be headed to Kate Mae to have one made for Rozzlyn's room. Pink, Lime, Black, White, Zebra, Damask, Dots, Stripes..... yeah. All of that. The crazier the better for us :) But of course, they're aren't just for baby rooms. They are great in any room to bring a little color out, and add a little visual interest.

The winner of this giveaway gets their choice of any of the in stock mobiles in the Kate Mae Designs shop. So check back with her often as she is always adding new ones!

How to Win:
(EACH ENTRY MUST BE IN ITS OWN SEPARATE COMMENT BELOW TO BE COUNTED ACCURATELY)
#1: Heart Kate Mae Designs on Etsy.
#2: Heart your favorite item in the Kate Mae Designs Etsy shop, and come back here and tell us what you would choose if you won!
#3: Fan the RockerByeBaby facebook page.
#4: Heart RockerByeBaby on Etsy.
#5: Follow the RockerByeBaby blog. (in the upper right hand sidebar.)

Giveaway #2: Wild Juniper

2012-01-16T14:00:00.000-08:00

My little sister is obsessed with Mustaches... who isn't? They're funny. The tickle... they make boys going through puberty look like they're almost young men... and they make men who can't grow one properly *ahem, like my husband* look like little boys going through puberty. Old men love them, I know women with them tattooed on their fingers, kids love to have them painted on their face, hipsters think they're cool... and the list goes on and on... So it was no surprise to me when the mustache trend hit Etsy. But of all the hundreds... no... THOUSANDS of mustache items on etsy, what you're about to see if one of my favorites.

While strolling through Etsy the other day, I came across the shop, Wild Juniper... and I can truly say it was love at first sight. The mama behind Wild Juniper very obviously has some talent. Her shop is overflowing with adorableness as fas as the eye can see. One of my favorite things to buy for Ms. Rozzlyn are the cute headbands with the fabric roses... I think they are so super cute and shabby chic and add the perfect touch of girlie-ness to my bald baby. :) This one most definitely needs to be added to our collection.

And how cute is that packaging???? I love the post card :) So clever! But the real reason we are here, is because of her SUPER adorable mustache onesie. I fell in love the second I saw it. I absolutely love the shape of the mustache, but my favorite part is the textured brown fabric gives it a more dimensional look as opposed to just your boring brown cotton.

Cute right?! Well, Wild Juniper has been so generous as to send one for Ashley. For those of you that don't know, Ashley is a photographer... and I can already see a photo of her little man snuggled in a sea of brown, wearing this onesie, and a tiny little mustache... haha. Now, hopefully you love this mustache onesie as much as I do, because Wild Juniper is giving one away to the winner as well! The winner will get the onesie shown... in one of the sizes below.
The sizes available include: nb, 0-3m, 3-9m, 12m and 24m

How to Win:
(EACH ENTRY MUST BE IN ITS OWN SEPARATE COMMENT BELOW TO BE COUNTED ACCURATELY)
#1: Heart WildJuniper on Etsy.
#2: Heart your favorite item in the WildJuniper Etsy shop.
#3: Fan the RockerByeBaby facebook page.
#4: Fan the WildJuniper facebook page.
#4: Heart RockerByeBaby on Etsy.
#5: Follow the RockerByeBaby blog. (in the upper right hand sidebar.)

Baby Shower Giveaway #1: Me and Reekie

2012-01-16T06:00:00.000-08:00

Every time I do one of these showers, or host a big giveaway - there are always a few people I secretly hope will join in on our fun. For starters (and perfect for the #1 giveaway)... is Me & Reekie. We are a huge supporter of her in the Zrust household. Maria, the talent behind Me & Reekie is amazing. She is one of the sweetest people I have ever had the pleasure of working with... so giving, so passionate about what she does, and most of all she is beyond awesome at her craft.

Me & Reekie is a shop full of adorableness... When you first find your way over to her store, you will see cute skull & crossbone onesies and tank tops for the kiddos... knitted slippers for mom... newborn hats... but my favorite, FAVORITE items in her shop are her Boot-ys... They come in all different colors... fabrics from canvas to chenille... hand sewn prints like lady bug dots to skull appliques. In our house, I believe we have 4 different pairs of the skull ones. A gray pair... a black and white pair... and 2 sizes of the black and pink ones. You could say I highly recommend them ;) One the newest changes I have seen in her shop is that she now offers three different boot heights. A "summer slip on" style, a
mid-rise, a tall knee high boot. And of course, all are equally adorable. My favorite thing about these boot-ys is that of all the shoes I have for my kids, as babies, these are a great fit and they actually stay on their feet! It seems like even the size 1 crib shoes for baby Rozzlyn get kicked off in a matter of minutes. Not only are they super cute... but they're functional AND cozy. "Booties have grey cotton denim on the outside, fuzzy fleece on the inside, next to the babies skin. Elastic in the back, around the ankle and a snap closure. Bottom is made of ultrasuede. All seams are enclosed in grey bias tape to ensure the utmost comfort of your babies tootsies!" I highly recommend that pick up a pair... or 3... and maybe a pair for yourself too ;) Now enough rambling... on to the fun stuff!! Maria has so sweetly given Ashley these adorable gray Boot-ys... perfect for her little man arriving soon.
And of course, since this is a giveaway, one lucky winner will get a pair too! The winner of this giveaway gets their choice of boot-ys... in any size ranging from newborn - 3 years... so good luck! Anyone would be lucky to receive these cute, snuggly shoes.

How to win:
(EACH ENTRY MUST BE IN ITS OWN SEPARATE COMMENT BELOW TO BE COUNTED ACCURATELY)
#1: Heart MEandREEKIE on Etsy.
#2: Heart your favorite pair of booties in the MeandREEKIE shop, then come back and comment below, telling us which one you would choose if you win.
#3: Fan the RockerByeBaby facebook page.
#4: Heart RockerByeBaby on Etsy.
#5: Follow the RockerByeBaby blog. (in the upper right hand side.)

We meet again...

2012-01-14T23:23:00.000-08:00

It seems like I go through these blogging spurts... where I'll be flooding Blogger with posts of kids, work, life, favorites, rants, etc... then there is a stand still... Well, it happened again. Life happened. Chaos has ensued at the Zrust house... between work & kids... I hardly have time to say hello to my husband, let alone post a meaningful blog daily... but I hate it. I LOVE blogging. I love your comments, positivity, feedback, and well wishes. Sometimes I find myself blogging in my brain before bed... If only there was a way for my thoughts to magically transfer into a well written blog. Complete with pictures and cute things my kids have said. But, that doesn't work that way... Anyways, I am rambling. I come here today to announce a SUPER awesome baby shower I am hosting for my good friend Ashley. Starting Monday we will be posting at least one giveaway a day for a week! Its filled with so so so much awesomeness. I can't wait to show you all! So stay tuned, I promise it will be worth your while!

Best customer email EVER!

2011-11-10T11:19:00.000-08:00

I have to share this with you... it gave me goosebumps. And its emails like this that keep me going on little sleep & late nights... stress etc. THIS STUFF RIGHT HERE - makes it all worth it :)

"Hello, Amber! I know you're a busy lady but I just have to share this story with you.

This past August I was searching your site just for fun. That's when I saw it. The Pink Japanese Kawaii Blanket deer cherries skulls with fuchsia minky swirl. It was love at first site. I had fallen for other fabrics in the past but none had taken my breath away like this. I instantly posted it to my Facebook page with the caption, "This site makes me want another baby and all the disposable income in the world". I thought about buying it right then but thought I had better sleep on it. My daughter did already have a rockin' blanket by you.

The next morning I went to my mother's house. She asked me what I had posted to Facebook, "What the hell is a pink Japanese blah blah something something?". I pulled up my Facebook to show her the link to the blanket. That's when my heart broke a little. It had been sold. I hadn't noticed the red sold tag the night before. I spent the next few days searching the internet for the fabric. Nothing.

November 5th was my daughter's first birthday. My mother handed me a gift to help my daughter open. I pulled out the tissue paper to see the Pink Japanese Kawaii blanket sitting in the gift bag. "But? How? Did she make another one? Oh my god!!!!". My mother had bought it the night I posted it to Facebook and then played dumb the next day. She kept it a secret for months. The most beautiful blanket in the world is now mine, um, I mean my daughter's. Thank you so much! You're products are amazing and I cannot wait to collect more."

Movember - Join team RockerByeDaddy!! Check out this stache update!

2011-11-09T15:26:00.000-08:00

Wow... its been 9 days since my husband has shaved his sweet stache... by sweet I mean hardly there... he looks like a 14 year old boy who forgot to wash his face... sorry baby... but lets be real, this is gunna take awhile... now with that being said, it is coming in quite nicely... if you are a 14 year old boy that is... though, if you actually ARE a 14 year old boy, look out for my husband...

because he looks like a child molester. PSSSH. haha. I can proudly say the jokes having been laid on pretty thick around here... and Im taking some good jabs at him any chance I get... I figure its kind of like a reward for me... since i have to look at him *and kiss him* with that thing on his face... its so pokey! Zaq says: "It's official... I'm coining the term "zrustache"... Sure there's the "cowboy" the "handlebar" but this is so sad others struggling as I need a name to their own...." Anyways - there is a purpose to this whole mustache thing if you remember... its actually NOT just to poke fun at Zaq... its to raise money for testicular/colon/prostate/man cancers... It seems like its always about the boobs (lets face it, those are way more fun than balls) and then men kinda get shafted. haha. get it? Sorry.... So the whole month of november you can find both Zaq... and the RockerByeBaby logo sporting mustaches... in hopes to raise some funds and make a difference... So far - members of Team RockerByeDaddy have raised $75!! And we are dang proud of it... So PLEASE! Stop by the Team RockerByeDaddy page and click: Donate to Team... and send anything you can. Even if its just $1... every single bit counts and makes a difference. If every person on the RockerByeBaby fan page donated just $1 - we will have raised over $4,500 ... and THAT my friends, is something to really be proud of...

PLUSH RIOT!!

2011-11-08T11:23:00.000-08:00

My girl Mandy surprised us with one of the most awesome baby gifts thus far for Ms. Rozz, a Punk Chick from Plush Riot. She is perfect size for squishing... matches Rozzlyns room PERFECTLY and is filled to the brim with plushie awesomeness... If you havn't yet had the pleasure of finding Plush Riot - I suggest checking them out... And stop by and fan their facebook page, too! Mandy gifted us with this adorable chick you see in the top left... Such a lucky girl... this basket is filled with oodles of handmade awesomeness!! Thanks again Mandy!!

Movember - Join team RockerByeDaddy!!

2011-11-05T20:16:00.000-07:00

MOVEMBER!! Join team RockerByeDaddy to help us raise money for mens cancer... my husband is on day 5 of growing a disgusting mustache... and we would love your support!

The best part about this - is he literally is like a 12 year old when it comes to growing facial hair... so never EVER has a mustache even been considered... let alone attempted... so he really could use some support... He is sacrificing his pretty little baby butt smooth face to raise money for testicular/prostate/colon, etc. Cancer... focused towards mens health. Even if you just donate $1 its appreciated. Follow this link - http://us.movember.com/mospace/1612546/ and under the photo, choose DONATE TO MY TEAM... and spare anything you can. If we get over $150 raised Ill give everyone a 10% off coupon... if we get over $500 raised - Ill do a 20% off coupon. Ready set GO! TELL YOUR FRIENDS! Oh, and after you donate... PLEASE join the team!! We would love to have you a part of RockerByeDaddy and for you to help us raise money and spread the word. <3

The beautiful natural birth story... or something like that.

2011-11-04T16:31:00.000-07:00

Looking back - Im pretty sure the only thing natural about my birthing experience was that I had no pain management... no drugs... no tub... I did however get some ice chips... that was nice... and then I threw it up. Beautiful right? *sigh* something like that...
Before all this Best Buy nonsense happened, we had planned for a totally natural water birth. I had every intention of waiting for the spontaneous labor like the movies... where my water breaks in a crowd full of people... and we have to fight our way to a cab and rush to the hospital... just in time to hop in a warm birthing tub, relax, and bring my baby girl into this world. Ok - maybe thats a little dramatic, but you get the picture. I was in no hurry, and though I was READY for her to be here... I have had pitocin before and wanted nothing to do with that this time around. Well, plans all changed when Zaq was fired and out insurance ended on October 31st. We had to be in and out of the hospital by midnight that night. So to avoid thousands and thousands of dollars in medical bills, we induced on Sunday morning.

Bright and early... well - I think it was still dark... 6:30am I popped out of bed (couldn't sleep that night) to call into the hospital. My midwife was already there and we were clear to be there by 7:30. When we got there, I slipped into my Hot Mama Gown... climbed into the bed... and waited on word from my midwife. Around 10:15 she finally came in... She had been up for about 30 hours at this point she said, and had two other moms delivering the same time as me. Well, I knew pitocin takes a bit so I wasn't worried. She "checked" me... and I was at a 3 and high. Totally different from the 4 and low she had said 3 days before... *discouraged* I asked her if there was any chance we could break my water first before the pitocin because I have a history of going FAST after my water breaks... and she said no... so the nurse came in and started my IV and the dreaded pitocin. *shivers* It started out slow... they upp'd it every 30 minutes... pain was manageable... I did lots of walking, rocking, bouncing on the birthing ball... By 2:00 I was at the max amount of pitocin they can give (remember this for later)... and the nurse said if my contractions didn't start getting closer (4 minutes at that point) that we wouldn't have to have a plan B. I did NOT want a plan B... At 2:08 my midwife came back in... asked me if I had been checked and I told her that my nurse was waiting for her to come in. She seemed confused... and went ahead and checked. Now keep in mind - when I switched from my regular OB clinic to the midwife I was assured a better experience... and told that a midwife is by my side at all times... keep that in the back of your head for later... At this point, she said I was at a 4 and low - and that if I wanted we could break my water now. I said absolutely. She was going to go take a nap and be refreshed and totally devoted to us... great. So at 2:19pm she broke my water. IMMEDIATELY my contractions went from about an intensity of 34-40 (on those stupid fetal monitors) Up to 80... and they were coming about 2 minutes apart. Naturally - the pain kicked in SO FAST AND HARD that I got to throw up my snack of chips the second some ice chips hit my mouth. Not my finest moment, as Zaq chased after me with my IV so I didn't rip it out. There I was hunched over the bathroom sink as the contractions hit me one after another. Zaq was pushing into my lower back while my nurse tried to help me focus on my breathing. Both we're nice. But lets be real... it came on so fast that I had no prep time... no get focused time... The only thing I could think was holy shit this hurts... and Jen says keep your mouth open... so I did.

After about 15 minutes of this, almost dropping to my knees with every contraction and tears rolling down my cheeks - I looked at Zaq and said there is no way I can do this for HOURS! Its too much... I can't do it... well - super hubby that he is talked me off the ledge every time I was ready to cave to ANYTHING they would have given me to help... He assured me I could do it... He knew I could do it more that I did... so I kept going... I asked the nurse if I could get into the tub now... and she said wait 15 minutes and we will check you again and see where we are at... in the mean time... to get onto the bed on all fours and rock into a pillow. This helped... though I caught myself looking over at my monitors during an intense contraction... and through tear filled eyes - saw 109 on the scale...

by the time it had gotten down to 50 (where they were pretty intense earlier in the day) it was almost like they weren't even there in comparison. Zaq continued pushing into my back while I contracted... butt in the air, probably not my finest moment... but whatever, it helped. He even started counting down the monitor so I could focus on it going away. And the pillow gave me a nice muffling tool to moan into... all of a sudden... I was sure I could feel her head coming. Assuming it wasn't possible, they had me flip over and check... I was 7 CM... so in under 15 minutes, I had gone from 4 CM to 7CM... They put me back on my knees while she prepped for labor and called my midwife... *who had been gone the whole time* Id say it was about 5-10 minutes, and much more supportive super husband later... I felt my body taking over... my contractions were coming in waves of 1 minute apart... meaning by the time it was ending, I literally got to take one breath and it started again. I could feel her coming... I had done this before, I knew what was happening and demanded they check me again. When she did, she said wow, you're 10 and she's right there. I wined "but Im supposed to be doing this in the tub" and my sweet nurse said "honey, you're going to do this right here in just a couple pushes." And she was right... they didn't even have time to pull the end of the bed off... they slipped a paper pad underneath me and a couple towels. Pushed my feet up on their hips... and in about 3 or 4 contractions... she was out.

... ... ... 3:08pm ... ... ...

and that was it... So those of you tuning in hoping to hear about the beautiful water birth... peaceful... empowering... etc... you're at the wrong blog. It was the opposite of everything I wanted.. everything we "planned" for... but I guess thats what I get. We Zrust's aren't very good at planning... we just roll with it. I ended up with a drug induced labor... intensified 10 fold with pitocin. Going through the most excruciating pain of my entire life... a labor that made Zavery's seem like an uncomfortable doctors visit in comparison... and Izzaq's seem more like a movie maraton at a hotel with my hubby rather than a birth. And I gave birth in the worst position... for pain... and for gravity to help do its job, on my back with my feet up in the air...

3:10pm... midwife walked in... "Wow, what did I miss?" *crickets* "Everything"... I said.

She pushed on my tummy... delivered the placenta... checked for tears, and headed home for the night.

Am I complaining? eh, I don't know. It was chaos... it was more that I ever imagined... Max dose of Pitocin? Likely reason... no midwife help with pain? Breathing? Etc? Maybe... but hubby did the best he could. But for now - my baby is here... she is healthy. She is BEAUTIFUL... so for now... right now - that all I care about. And of course I can wear my "natural birth badge" with pride... haha. And hope for all the other natural births out there, that their experience is much more calm and peaceful than mine ;) But, sk me again when we get a giant bill from the Midwives office... for a delivery that she didn't deliver... then there may be a few phonecalls to be had.

Here we go!

2011-10-30T03:30:00.000-07:00

So its saturday night... but if you're reading this, its Sunday morning and we're at the hospital! Induction scheduled for 7am... bright and early. Hoping they will break my water first and see how that goes... if no luck - pitocin... either way Ms. Rozzlyn is getting evicted ... We're out of waiting time (see previous posts) and she needs to get out. Im sitting here staring at the empty MamaRoo... feeling her kicking around inside me... and its insanely surreal to think that by this time tomorrow night if all goes as planned... Ill be in this same spot, blogging about my amazing water birth experience... looking at a beautiful baby girl in that chair. (if I can handle the idea of putting her down that is ;) wow... Its all happening so fast. Yet I feel like its been weeks of trying to coax her out! So - think of me! I need all the awesome pain free water birth vibes I can get!!!

Favorite Japanese Fabrics...

2011-10-29T03:48:00.000-07:00

Most people know by now - I have a crazy obsession with Japanese fabrics... and people are always asking me where I get all my fabrics in the shop. Well, I can't tell you all my secrets of course. But I thought it would be fun to point out one of the more obvious sources - Etsy. There are some GREAT Prints available on etsy... my favorite way to shop for them are via the Supplies Section... just choose Supples, then enter the keywords into the bar & click search.

I chose "skull Japanese fabric" to see the new ones out there :) but there are OHHHHH so many great things to search so have fun with it! Click the pictures to be taken to the shop it is sold from.

Here are some of my favorites :)

GLITTER!! $7.00/half yard

Unicorns: $18.00 /yard

My all time favorite skully print...

I made Ms. Rozzlyn a blanket out of this one... $4.50/ FQ

CUTE ABC print!! $7.50/half yard

Also - i LOVE seersucker Japanese fabrics... such a fun texture.

I might have to snag this one up :)

$8.50/Meter (just over a yard)

So that is how its done! Search around and see what you can find - share your favorites with us! I would love to see what inspires you :)

A peek into the new clothes coming after baby.

2011-10-28T03:35:00.000-07:00

I did a sneak peek of these on the fan page the other day, so I figured I should sneak peek them here too. This is our new exclusive RockerByeBaby print - seen ONLY in our shop... custom designed by my amazing designer friend Mandy... basically we're replacing everything that we made that WAS in the Regent Skulls print with our new design. There is a girls & boys version of the polo on black... and a girls and boys version of the hoodie on Gray... Notice how awesome the gray is with the sketching in the bones & the skull... LOVE!!! This is definitely a new favorite in the RockerByeBaby house. Samples are headed out to the photographers, and by the time we are ready to reopen full force after baby, we will have awesome modeled pictures ready to put this guys up for sale. Can't wait!

Sigh... here we go again.

2011-10-27T21:32:00.000-07:00

Sorry for my lack of posting - its just been chaotic around here... between working like a crazy woman, juggling toddlers, calling lawyers, organizing paperwork for insurance, trying to keep up my house, etc... its just been crazy. So many things have happened this week... and yet, I feel like we're no closer to having this baby girl.. and the pressure is officially on. So here is the update:

Zaq's unemployment went through, YAY! One HUGE thing off the panic list... it buys us some time (literally) to adjust to life with baby #3 without having to totally panic about how we will pay out mortgage. So I am very thankful for that. He has already been looking for another job, but at least we're not in a total rush now.

As soon as he was notified of the unemployment, I rushed down to the office to put together my state insurance packet... this took me about 3 hours start to finish. Wow, between bank statements, check stubs, birth certificates, and much more... it was insane! So the next morning after having it all together... I went down to the office at 8:30 am... was person number 4 in line, and ready to meet with someone to get an answer. Only to find out that I was mis-informed and wouldn't not get an immediate answer. I had to wait 10-15 days... and there was no way to get a (you should get it) because we are right on the border of the maximums. When I explained to the woman, "but I don't have 15 days... my due date was October 21st, she could come any day..." She looked at me like the stupidest person on earth and said "you're telling me you're already past your due date and you're just now bringing in your packet?" I swear I wanted to punch her... as if I had planned for my family to be in this situation... as if I was just sitting around being lazy and thought, oh hey, maybe I should have insurance for this delivery. I didn't have a choice... I HAD to wait until we had an answer from unemployment to give accurate income information or they would have just sent it back... Ugh. How rude...

Which now brings be to stress point #3: Baby.
Now that I have no guarantee about insurance... and can't risk thousands of dollars in medical bills, we have to have this baby & be out of the hospital by the night of October 31st. Today is October 27th - do the math... My birth plan is pretty much out the window... thanks Best Buy. This situation has taken control of so many aspects of my life... its just unfair... lawsuit, charges, whatever - nothing changes this experience... nothing will bring back this child birth... I don't get a do-over. I got one shot... and now its rushed. Im supposed to be waiting for my baby girl to make her arrival... going through all the natural steps to get a natural child birth... I had my membranes stripped again today with minimal results. The best news was that Im about 4 cm dilated... sadly, its not where I need to be. I need to be in full on labor to avoid the Sunday induction that has now been scheduled... Apparently the lawyer thinks we can add this to our case. Because of the emotional aspect of it all... and because of the fact that my safer natural water birth will now be one full of hospital intervention, monitors and pitocin. Great - but it still doesn't get me what I want.

SO yeah, thats where we are right now... in a whirlwind of chaos... baby Rozzlyn will be here Monday at the latest... that's about the best news I have to share right now.. I want to thank everyone for their support while we go through all of this... There have been so many kind words, thoughts & prayers sent our way... it means a lot. I know everything happens for a reason... and Im trying to stay oh so positive... Im just kinda hitting a wall with the optimism... physically and emotionally exhausted and starting to break down a bit. *just keep swimming... just keep swimming*

Some Favorite Finds this week on Etsy.

2011-10-23T02:56:00.000-07:00

When you spend as much time on Etsy as I do... it can be hard to find new drool-worthy duds... but this week proved to be nothing short of awesomeness... I went on a hunt for some daddy stuff... Christmas is coming quick and this year we will be on a big time budget... so I have to start planning ahead... and getting some awesomeness little bits at a time...

Give a little... get a little...

2011-10-22T13:22:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone!
Im here today to ask for a little help... A good friend of my hubby's, Tommy - is headed out on one of the most SELFLESS trips I have ever known anyone to take... in January, he is going "the garbage dumps and leper colonies of Hyderabad, India"

From Tommy:
"it's pretty simple, really: my friends and i will pour out our hearts to the lepers and children living in the garbage dumps of hyderabad, india. we are friends with a church right in the middle of a garbage dump and we love to do things like: throw feasts for the village, give blankets to the widows, play games with the kids, sing songs to everyone, pray with people, and meet the needs of beautiful people who are shamefully tossed aside like trash as a result of a cultural caste system that doesn't value them as humans. we will hug widows whose own sons won't even touch them, people who have not been hugged in like 20 years. we honor and value them. You and I might believe some different things, maybe we don't, but one thing that I really value is that when Jesus said to love the least of people, I take it seriously. Now, not everyone is able to just drop what they're doing and do stuff like this because of families, jobs, etc. but I've been placed in the unique position to. Maybe you're not sure about this "Jesus business" but you feel your heart strings tugged when you hear about this. Together, we can live out this vision."

Its people like Tommy that make this world a better place... doing selfless acts to help the people around him... to no benefit of himself. No matter how much he raises, he is taking this trip... either with the help of us, or out of his own pocket... but I know we can put a huge dent into the outrageous cost of his ticket to India.

Now, we have raised money for people before and had pretty huge turn outs - so I know we can make a difference for Tommy too... So with Halloween right around the corner - Ill make you a deal... Anyone that donates $5 will get entered into a giveaway to win a pack of Halloween Booger Bashers... Donate $10 and be entered to win a Halloween Pacifier Clip & Halloween Booger Bashers... And if you donate $20 - you will be entered in to win a special one of a kind (unisex) Halloween Cotton/Minky blanket.

Here is how you do it...
Go to this website... Choose either the $20 option... or below it you can enter your own amount... it says over $20 but you can do less than that as well... so enter in either $5 or $10 in that box... then Check out with Paypal... (you can either use your paypal account for that, or just enter in your credit card info) Then check your email... you will have a receipt that is titled:

Then just forward it to me at rockerbyebaby@me.com with your name...

I will then total up all the entries/donations... and on Monday we will pick a winner... so PLEASE give what you can... and PLEASE share and tell your friends... I know we can make a difference...

My custom Hot Mama Gown...

2011-10-21T04:21:00.000-07:00

OMG OMG OMG - Love. For years now - I have daydreamed about having my own awesome custom Hot Mama Gown... as soon as I got pregnant I immediately contacted the mama behind the magic and we worked out a plan to get it rolling... Deidrea is super mom in my eyes... juggling her business, family, interviews, TV spots like Shark Tank... whatever she does, she rocks it... and when it came to my custom gown... *maybe Im biased* but its easily the coolest one she has ever made :)

I can't even begin to describe the excitement of the doorbell ringing and getting handed this box by Mr. UPS man... I swear my heart skipped a beat as soon as I realized what it was... I tore the box opened... drooled over the amazing packaging... and ripped open the sparkly hot pink tissue to find this <------- purely... awesomely... punky perfection... and in the perfect print... why? Because Ms. Rozzlyn has a matching blanket, onesie, and pacifier clip that I made her in this print... so of course we will be perfectly coordinating, and I can't be more excited about it...
Each Hot Mama Gown has some truly amazing features:

Hospital / Birthing Center friendly with short sleeves and a full coverage snap-open back
Two ribbon-tied panels allow for quick and easy access for discreet nursing

Plenty of room for a growing belly... and perfectly comfy & cozy for both before & after pregnancy. Saying I am excited to show it off in the delivery room is a total understatement... so be sure to check back soon, as of COURSE I will have to take a bajillion pictures actually wearing it :)

Also - if you're interested in your own custom Hot Mama Gown - all the info is here :)
"The custom order process goes a little something like this: Send us an email Sales@HotMamaGowns.com and tell us all about your idea. We’ll then discuss the final design and try our best to meet all your requests!"

The last one standing - congrats ladies!!

2011-10-20T06:07:00.000-07:00

*sigh* So, I lost the race... me and these 3 awesome mama's were all due within a week of each other and we joked about who would go first. Well, Im the last one still standing... Ms. Rozzlyn is just hanging out... cookin' away... I just wanted to take a second to introduce the 3 cutest baby girls on earth :)

Allison Paige 8.2lbs 21inches

Izlyn Grey 20 1/2 inches long and 8.6 ibs

LOOK AT ALL THAT HAIR!!!

Izzabelle Imogen 7 lbs .8oz.
Snuggled up on her boppy cover we made her :)

And a shameless plug - I made her crib bedding too :)

So congrats again to all these super mama's... you're all amazing... and all recovering from c-sections... I don't know how you do it!! Hopefully I will join you in the new baby world soon! Kiss all those baby cheeks for me... and enjoy every second... it goes by so, so, so, fast... my "baby" is 4 now... wow.

Babble Babble Babble... Blah Blah Blah...

2011-10-18T10:11:00.000-07:00

Im a huge follower of the Babble articles/blogs... they're typically funny, inspiring, educational, or something of that sort. But the one the posted today really kinda sent me into a whirl wind... It was about horrible hair cuts for kids... one of which included the Mohawk... and a picture of Gavin Rossdale's son - Kingston... Saying below it "Should your three-year-old really look like a pissed off 14-year-old?" Now lets be real - i think this is the worst possible picture that exists of poor Gavin, because I have seen him looking pretty dang cute... and the weird gag face they caught him making, maybe not his most flattering moment... but to make a comment like the one tagged, to me is just ignorant. However, to me it wasn't even the article that got me going... it was all of the comments below it from the parents... so so so sad... so close-minded... so judgmental... and we wonder how there can be so much hate in this world... its judgmental parents raising judgmental kids... Here are a few of my favorite quotes from the article. "Mullets should be made illegal and if u put one on ur kid u should be arrested 4 child abuse as 4 mohawks shame on parents for making your kids look ridiculous like that!" This parent should be arrested 4 bad grammar... "No. I am in the pick your battles camp, and agree that hair is harmless; however, I want my kids to project a certain image to the world, and trash is not it. There is enough judgement out there, why make it worse? The little boys I know that sport mohawks are some of the nastiest, most violent kids I know; self-fulfilling prophecy?" Trash? really? Nasty - Violent Kids? wow... I want to meet this nasty violent three year old with a mohawk she is talking about... he must be intense.
Over there on the right is my scary, violent, 3 year old. Doesn't he look so angry! Hide your kids!! Sheild your eyes!! Oh, Oh, and this is a favorite... "it looks retarded.. fowhawk maybe..." It looks retarded? So now we have a judgmental parent stereotyping about intelligence? Because calling someone retarded based on their looks is a really appropriate and politically correct thing to do... I bet that mom is a way better mom that I am... you know - since my kids has/had a mohawk. This one however... makes me really happy :) I love sarcasm... "Those kids are shitheads because of their hair-dos. There's this weird neurological thing that happens when a certain hair cut tops somebody's head - and with mohawks the wearer actually BECOMES a bad kid." <-- my hero. Its funny/sad to me that people can actually believe this kind of thing... that people are raising their KIDS to believe this kind of thing... that people can be good or bad based on their color, their location, their hair cut... their sexual orientation... their religious preference... the list goes on. If I can do one thing right in parenting, I hope it will be to raise my kids openly - and to let them make their own decisions on people based on the PERSON - not the things that surround them...

Would love to hear your input on this... maybe I'm being dramatic... maybe I'm taking it too personally... or maybe Im right on being offended by the ignorance that is pushed so harshly onto children... whatever your stance - I'm interested in hearing your perspective. And for your viewing pleasure... some more pictures of my mean and nasty child with a mohawk ;)

Angry baby... obviously... He was probably cursing at me here...

This is at Zavery's baby shower... I bet Izzaq went and beat some poor baby with that chain afterwards, LOL

Collect the Whole Set :)

2011-10-18T03:30:00.000-07:00

Two of my most recent Crib Bedding Sets that feature lots of fun nursery accessories - they look great don't they!!

Halloween Must Have's!

2011-10-17T03:06:00.000-07:00

Halloween is just around the corner... are you ready!? Well if you're not - here are a few of my favorite must have's for Halloween. Know of something awesome that I missed?? PLEASE SHARE BELOW!

Maybe baby? Someday? Please?!?!

2011-10-16T06:55:00.000-07:00

Im starting to wonder if this little lady is ever going to get out... Hubby keeps telling me "don't worry, eventually she HAS to come out"... but I am really starting to question this theory... At this point I think her little butt is so deeply wedged up into my ribs that it may actually be stuck in there... and she has been punching so hard into my insides... that maybe she punched her little hand right through my stomach... or maybe my kidney... and I think they might be holding her hostage... So maybe she won't come out... maybe I will blink and have a 5 year old living in there... boy would I ever be lopsided... Can you imagine a little Izzaq balled up underneath my favorite hoodie?

Alright, maybe Im being a little dramatic... Im sure she is going to come out eventually... and Im not even to my due date yet - so maybe I should settle down a little bit... eat my cereal... work... snuggle my boys... and take a chill pill... but we all know that whole "relax" thing isn't so much in my vocabulary as is "running like a crazy person"... most people would be on their maternity leave by now... soaking in the last bits of pre-baby time they have left... but you know me better than that... the other day someone asked me if I planned to work all the way through my labor, haha... knowing me - if I could I would... but I think the birthing tub could make that complicated, so I guess not... but - Ill be working till I can't anymore, thats for sure... still lots to do, though I am getting there... I am down to 68 orders... and I havn't been there since we went to Vegas - and that was in July... so I am pretty proud of that :) And I just keep chug-chug-chugging away! Well - I hope everyone has a beautiful Sunday morning... Its chilly here... but perfect weather for the car show & wedding we have in the plans today. Have a great day - and send me all the "get that baby out" vibes that you can spare. :)

Recent Finished Crib Bedding

2011-10-12T05:39:00.000-07:00

So many awesome crib sets have headed out the door recently... Just wanted to take a minute to showcase some of my favorites :)

Mama Loves..............

2011-10-11T04:47:00.000-07:00

Some etsy favorites that I would just LOVE to get into after baby :)
Click the picture to follow the links to etsy.

Sleep? Meh, who needs sleep...

2011-10-10T04:45:00.000-07:00

I think I have slept less in the last week than back in my college final exam days. Between all the Zaq stuff going on... getting final things in order for the baby to get here... and working like a crazy person... I feel like I just can't catch a break. Im drowning over here... finding my feet just often enough to gasp a breath of air.

As I type this, its 6:15am... I went to bed at 2:30 am... Zaq couldn't sleep so as he got up, then went in and out of the room & house, I kept getting woken up. Finally at 4:30 he came to bed... and then I tossed and turned until 5:15 before finally caving and getting up... so far in the hour I have made coffee, an egg sandwich, responded to a plethora of emails... and am sitting on hold with paypal... YAY! Just think what Ill be able to accomplish with Im not pregnant and can get back to chugging Red Bull's like waters. Can't wait! Ill have to have a special caffeine free mommy milk stash for my late night benders, haha.

Its now 6:20am... the paypal call went nowhere but in circles and as usual they didn't tell me anything I didn't already know. Heartburn is kicking in from my coffee... and the sun is starting to come up... wow. What a day already. I think that means it can only go up from here right? RIGHT?! Oh man, I hope so... three crib sets on the agenda to finish today and no helper until tomorrow. Then more tomorrow... and the next day... ANNNNND the next day... and somewhere in here I am supposed to make time to birth a child... but we will see, she might just have to wait ;)

A big Thank You.

2011-10-09T09:49:00.000-07:00

I wanna say thanks to everyone who has read & shared our post - I really appreciate it... Your support & kind words mean a lot. I can't quite figure out if Im a little more at ease about it all... or just more annoyed though. Reading everyone's personal stories just gets my blood boiling. It's unfair... we're supposed to be protected from things like this from happening... and between the comments here, facebook, twitter, etc... there is WAY too much of it going on... and I really hope that we can find the right lawyer to teach Best Buy a lesson... Cuz' they sure need it... its unacceptable. And from what Im hearing, this is pretty common for them... To think we packed our family with such hope and excitement to be back in Minneapolis working for a local, family centered company just one year ago... there was so much promise for growth and a long future with this company... and here we are now wondering how it is that we even got here.

But, everything happens for a reason right? Well... that's what everyone keeps telling us. So that's what we're focusing on. We're waiting to hear back from the unemployment office... most people are saying of course Best Buy will likely fight it, so we will have to go to court for that as well (or a phone hearing)... But, in the end if that works out we should be fine, then we can focus on the court case for wrongful termination. He has a phone interview on Wednesday with a popular, well known lawyer here in MPLS, and waiting on calls from a couple others. So it's looking good right now... and in the mean time, he has been looking for jobs and reaching out to connections to try to set some things up for a job after Rozzlyn is here and we're situated... So I think as of right now, we're taking all the right steps to come out of this in a more positive place than we started. One can hope...

While we wait? He makes an AWESOME Boppy cutter... we rocked it the other day - and with his help I shipped DOUBLE what I could have on my own... so I will definitely be sad to see him go back to work! Somehow - spirits are pretty high around here, and we have been enjoying our time together... lots of laughs... lots of smiles... lots of fun working together... Keep the prayers, vibes, thoughts, etc coming our way - its all appreciated :)

The other.... OTHER F word... Fired.

2011-10-07T11:59:00.000-07:00

I can honestly say I never thought I would ever be in this position. Zaq is a superstar among his peers when it comes to work. I have watched him come in and flip stores with Guitar Center... we traveled the country... the found our ticket back to Minneapolis with an awesome job offer from Best Buy... Perfect timing too, because we were DONE with California... Best Buy started out as such a great opportunity. But like most things, "all that shimmers in this world is sure to fade". All was manageable up until recently. Zaq had started talking about taking 3 weeks off when Ms. Rozzlyn makes her appearance... He had his sick time saved up... and we had some savings... so we were fine... and if something came up where we needed more time, thats why laws like FMLA exist... why not spend some time with baby as a family before the grueling 60 hour work weeks of the holidays begin... poor guy would blink and have a 3 month old before things get back to normal if he didn't. Well, I guess we should have taken some joking a little more seriously... Zaq did the right thing... He started talking to people who had been through maternity leave with Best Buy... One person - "its career suicide"... another person - "I had to take 10 weeks FMLA because of complications and when I came back it was never the same..." and another person... laughed and said, "I wouldn't do that if you want to keep your job." Well - Zaq came home and we talked about it and in the end said - there are laws that protect us from that, Im sure everyone was being dramatic... and if I had anything to say about it... I needed him home that 3 weeks to help with the baby so I could get RockerByeBaby back into a routine with a little baby mixed in. So it was done, 2 months ahead of time he went to his boss and the talked about all the details. Where he got a smart ass giggling comment of "well, then I'd have to replace ya"... shrugged it off, and the boss scheduled in his 3 week baby-cation. No big deal... so we thought. Almost immediately following this, everything started to change. His boss was being short & rude... negative... and constantly bringing Zaq down as if anything he did wasn't good enough. Now let me rewind for a second... Zaq is a "numbers guy" when it comes to stores... its always been his JOB to walk into an underperforming store and make it awesome... and he has been doing the same since he started with Best Buy... Bringing departments like MI & Geek Squad bigger and better than ever before. He hasn't had a single write up since starting with Best Buy... never a bad performance review... no reason to think that he should be being treated that way... To pile it all on, with all the holiday fun slowly creeping its way in to the store, it seemed like more than ever he had been coming home talking about all the crazy customer stories that were going on... Like the guy demanding to return a printer over a year old... and calling zaq a f*cking @$$hole because he wouldn't return it. Well, duh. The guy was holding the receipt in his hands that clearly stated 30 days to return... or the kid that wanted to return a lap top... the one that he "had no receipt for and paid cash for" but demanded a full refund... then told Zaq he would be waiting outside with his "boys" when he got off work. OOOH OOH OOOOOOH!! Or how about the time that some kid came and sat in the aisles of the store for over an hour... after being asked to move multiple times (all while ignoring everyone around him)... finally got up to leave when he friend came... then as Zaq was following them out... he stopped quick and lifted his fist as if he were going to punch Zaq... That was a fun story to hear too. There are OOOOH so many fun stories of where Zaq is getting harassed and poked and cussed at and demeaned... and never... ever... has he lost his cool with a customer, never cursed back, never raised a finger in a threatening face... with so many witnesses to stand behind him to say that... because he was always the guy to get called when a heated customer came in. Zaq was the guy to stand his ground for the company, but keep his cool. Apparently, until a 10 year old their walked into the store last week... The security cameras had picked up a young kid walking around with a PS game, then wandering into random departments... then all of a sudden - no game. A couple guys went and found the empty case, meaning the game was likely in his pocket... Zaq and a couple others went to talk to the kid and talk him into giving up the game. They said things like "give up the game and we won't call your parents. If you walk out with the game, we have to call the cops, your parents, and its gunna be way worse off" The worked on the kid for awhile, then his brother came over... *smacked him upside the head* and said "give them the game stupid!" and that was the end of it. Minimal drama, recovered game... success! Or not... that was just the beginning. Somewhere lost in translation... in the back office of BB, someone had asked how he got the game back... to which he laughed and said "I said give me the f*cking game"... aka - *Im in the protection of my office that I have heard WAY worse and more inappropriate things come out than the f-Bomb... And I am not going over a 20 minute story about how i recovered a stolen game from a kid* Within a few days someone had filed a complaint with HR stating that Zaq had cursed at a customer... a child... and was now under investigation... two signed statements from witnesses there said he didn't... he wouldn't... and no way were the accusations true. Multiple other people stood up and said I have seen him in WAY worse, more heated customer arguments and he had never cursed... in my head - I was thinking about all the times he has yelled at me for slipping up in front of the kids... there was no way he would throw the f-Bomb around someone else's kid, let-alone in a threatening way. I along with many others, were sure the situation would be squashed, that was HR's job... to protect their company and employees after all, right? Well, I guess not. On Tuesday Zaq got a text from his boss to go into work at 1pm instead of 10am because there were 4 managers on, and they didn't need all that coverage... he said ok, great. "Have you heard anything from HR about the case" to which boss man sad no, not yet. On Wednesday, at 12:30 he left for his shift... at 1:10 my phone rang... it was Zaq. He had gotten fired... *crushed* Boss lied to him, he had found out he was being let go on Monday, and told him NO on Tuesday... Boss lied and said come in late because of coverage, but he had him come in late because they needed another Manager to be there to give him his paperwork and take his keys... Somehow... on a he said/she said case - with witnesses proving that Zaq didn't curse... he was fired. I couldn't believe it... there was no way this was happening. His "baby-cation" was supposed to start in 2 weeks. Our insurance now runs out at the end of the month... and oh yeah, MONEY!! We're gonna need that too. Why didn't we listen to all these people saying don't take the time off, you will get fired/replaced/canned/demoted/etc... WHY didn't we just say "hey, who needs baby time, keep working" I would be willing to personally stand behind that fact that my husband would still have his job right now. And, instead of watching him apply for jobs, I would be watching him get ready for work. I truly, honestly feel like they were just waiting for an opportunity to get him out of the way to have someone new trained in for Thanksgiving/Christmas. Watching my husband in all his years of retail management, I know how hard it is to fire someone. It takes statements, facts, write ups, performance reviews, etc. to put the wheels in motion to fire someone. And even then, they usually end up with written warnings and a slap on the wrist. After all, there was no CUSTOMER complaint... *because it didn't happen* but some pissed off employee gets to hold the lives of our family in their hands? How is it possible that knowing all of this, he is fired. I have no idea...

So here we are... 3 days later, and its all starting to sink in... Im back to slaving away at the sewing machine, freaking about every order that I have to pass up because my baby will be here any day... I was supposed to get a break... I was supposed to get time home NOT WORKING with my new addition to our family... Now instead I get to work until I pop, then come home, and hand over my baby girl to my husband and get back to work to help keep our family afloat while Zaq looks for a new job. If you want to help out, please just share this post... tweet it, facebook it, whatever... We are not going down without a fight, thats for sure... and the more people that hear this story, hopefully more will stand up. This is unacceptable, and unfair... Best Buy, you'll be hearing from us. You don't mess with my family.

"The Other F Word"

2011-10-07T05:07:00.000-07:00

If you havn't already heard me ranting about the awesomeness of "The Other F Word" you're seriously missing out... I am so madly in love with the idea of this movie, I can hardly even begin to explain. About a a couple years ago I bought hubby the book "Punk Rock Dad" written by the punk rock dad Jimmy, from Pennywise. The book was so hilarious, so raw, so real... and so inspiring... that I expect this movie to be all that times 10... The have an amazing cast... "With a large chorus of punk rock's leading men - Blink-182's Mark Hoppus, Red Hot Chili Peppers' Flea, Rise Against’s Tim McIlrath - THE OTHER F WORD follows Jim Lindberg, a 20-year veteran of the skate punk band Pennywise, on his hysterical and moving journey from belting his band's anthem ”F--k Authority,” to embracing his ultimately authoritarian role in mid-life: fatherhood. Other dads featured in the film include skater Tony Hawk, Art Alexakis (Everclear), Mark Mothersbaugh (Devo), Tony Adolescent (The Adolescents), Fat Mike (NOFX), Lars Frederiksen (Rancid), and many others." Im so excited to see this awesome group of guys come together to talk about the trials and tribulations of parenthood... through the eyes of touring punk rock dads. Be sure to stop by and fan them on facebook so you can be the first to hear when it comes out... and while you're waiting... go find a copy of Punk Rock Dad to read... it comes high recommended, I promise :)

Punk Rock Baby Girl.

2011-10-06T07:15:00.000-07:00

Things I <3 on Etsy today... Click the photos to go to their listings :)

If you happen to snag anything up, let me know! I would love to hear what you purchased!! Did I forget something? What is your favorite punky baby girl item out there right now?

MMMMmmmm Candy.

2011-10-05T07:46:00.000-07:00

Last month, my little sissy went off to college... so slowly but surely, I have been having fun little goodies show up at her dorm... A nice little pick me up surprise to put a smile on her face... The most recent one *so far* has been from one of my ALL TIME FAVORITE shops... Vintage Confections.

We have been long time fans since hubby and I got married back in July of 2009... We had her make us these AMAZING red skull suckers for our candy table & favors, and they were the perfect touch. They are shown below in the bottom right hand corner.

I swear these suckers alone were the reason for the happiness of my youngest boy, Zavery... If I had to guess I would say he had 3-5 of them... and they are huge super sweet suckers... and he loved every minute of it. And his red candy stains lips and face perfectly coordinated with the wedding :)

Well, last month I was cruising Etsy *as usual* and searching for goodies for my Mustache obsessed sister... when I came across my old friend Vintage Confections... and what is THE COOLEST mustache goodie I have ever seen... the mustache sucker... and even better yet - they were on sale!!! We got 12 custom suckers for $10 and shipping. You get to choose your color & your flavor... and we went with black suckers and blueberry flavor. They were a huge hit... my sister was SO excited. She immediately sent me a picture of her (right) and her friend Katie (left) enjoying they sugary goodness.

So I just wanted to take a second to say a huge thank you to my friend behind Vintage Confections... for putting out such amazing treats for us all to enjoy... They are SO SO busy right now that custom orders are taking a bit... BUT if you're in a hurry, she just started an awesome ready to ship section for all your impulsive candy needs :) So stop by and try some new treats! And be sure to tell her RockerByeBaby sent you :) Remember... life is "sweet" :)

Sneak Peek at whats coming when we re-open!

2011-10-04T07:22:00.000-07:00

A little something for ya to look forward to, while you wait for us to get back to new/custom listings...

I had TOO much fun making these... and these got shipped of to Ms. Pili after we photographed them. Awesome right!? Can't wait to get them listed ;)

Black & Red @ RockerByeBaby

2011-10-03T07:13:00.000-07:00

Do you miss us already? We have pulled 90% of the cusom listings from the shop now... just bedding/nursery left... along with a hand full of ready to ship items in preparation of Ms. Rozzlyn's big debut. But don't be sad! There are still lots of good stuff's in the shop, and the good part of ready to ship blankets means you don't have to wait!

and as shown above... don't forget to add you monograms! Just $5 per letter.

All items above are listed in our etsy shop...

www.rockerbyebaby.etsy.com

"You're so cool..."

2011-10-02T07:29:00.000-07:00

How many of you have touched the grass on a major league baseball field? If I would have to guess, I would say not many... even talking to the WHOLE internet world... Im sure few of you have had that opportunity... Well, last week we had the pleasure of driving the boys down to Target field, because IzzaQ had been picked to be the ball boy for the last home game of the year... This was a pretty amazing opportunity... he is a HUGE baseball fan... and quite the super star at the sport himself... so needless to say he was excited. Im so proud of my little man, as he was one of the youngest to ever do this... but he rocked it :) So as the blubbering gushing mama that I am, I had to share it with you :)

Spoiled baby girl... or mama? Whichever

2011-10-01T13:12:00.000-07:00

I'm sure you're not surprised when I say that this baby girl, Rozzlyn... is already totally spoiled. She has a so many outfits... I think Ill be hoping for poo-splosions just for an excuse to change her... She got a new crib & changing table, because well.. the old one has scratches on it ;) And all the high tech gadgetry we could ever need... like a MamaRoo & a fancy schmancy video monitor... but of all this awesomeness... I am so excited about my StellarCheri diaper bag... and my Sweet Monkey Tots wipes case!!! If you're a fan of us on Facebook... then its pretty likely you already saw me ranting about its awesomeness... but COME ON!!!! Its amazing... This is a rare and expensive Japanese fabric... and when I found it, I about had a heart attack. Back when I made the boy's quilts... I used this same print but in black as some of the squares... and some matching wall art. And now i have PINK! So I bought up as much as I could afford so I can put some into her bedding too... and of course, a matching wall art... and who knows what else... all I know is I am so amazingly thrilled so far with both of these companies and I don't even have them in my hands yet! I knew Cheri would kick out an amazing product... we have been working together for awhile now... and I have been a customer for even longer...

But like most people, I sometimes get nervous when trying new shops... ya never know when they will just blow your mind with awesomeness or let ya down... but I gotta say, my experience with nothing but AMAZING. Her products are worth EVERY penny. From the very beginning, her communication was prompt and she was SO SO helpful while I searched for the right print and combination... She has kept it constant contact sending preview files of fonts, letting me know the status of the order... and a sneak peek of the case before she emailed saying she shipped it off. I have been absolutely thrilled and I highly recommend shopping with either one of both of course. Both of these awesome companies take custom orders... and both of them make it super simple to put together the perfect set... they also have many fabrics to choose from if you don't have anything specific in mind... so PLEASE take a minute to stop by their etsy shops... Stellar Cheri is here... though remember, the style of bag you see above is the exclusive StellarCheri for RockerByeBaby design... and can only be found in our shop :) But still go check out all her other awesome goodies... and then Sweet Monkey Tots... Be sure to tell them RockerByeBaby sent ya - and if you order, come back and tell us what you got!

Happy Mail: Inspiration...

2011-10-01T08:27:00.000-07:00

So, today I woke up and was crusing Facebook on my phone and came across a post my friend Jamie over at Max & Meena... she had posted a link to this AMAZING blog called Giver'sLog... about Happy Mail. I totally fell in love with the idea. The segment is called 13 Ounces or Less... and the idea is to find random, fun things to mail... and let me tell you, she is a GENIUS about it... some of the ideas she has posted are just amazing. (Obviously) SO I was thinking - with all the mailing i do for RockerByeBaby why not throw some fun ones in there now and then? I thought we could maybe mail things to each other... and take pictures of the fun-ness... What do ya think? If you're interested... send me an email and we can swap addresses... rockerbyebaby@gmail.com with Happy Mail in the subject Oh, and don't forget... the idea is 13 oz. of Less... so you can ship it via first class mail... Pili - you're pretty much the only one that still reads my blog... so maybe you and I could do it?! LOL But yeah, would love to hear from you guys if you're interested! I think it could be a really fun way to put a smile on our faces :) Plus... everyone loves getting "happy mail"...

Wow deep breath

2011-09-26T08:52:00.000-07:00

We are coming down to crunch time... there is ACTUALLY a baby inside of me... (I know, because she has had her little booty wedged into my ribs for a few months straight now...) and said baby - will ACTUALLY be coming out of me... and living in my house... and eating via me... and crying... and needing diaper changes... and snuggled... and kissed... and loved.... ok those last few things don't sound so bad, but WOW! *deep breath* this is real! Last week at my check up... my midwife said I could start Red Raspberry Leaf Tea & Evening Primrose... both of which tell your body to start getting ready to have a baby... and I figure since Im planning to do this one au'natural ... I guess I need all the help I can get ;) I know a handfull of people that have started these two things, and had the baby within 2 weeks. So really... she could be here any day now... Im just trying to get as organized as I can... and work my BUTT off to catch up as many orders as fast as possible... but you know me... I'm sure 5 days after baby Rozzlyn is here I'll be back to sew sew sewing away... so yeah! Thats my little update... the store is still open for now... mostly ready to ship stuff... crib bedding... etc. Just remember, if you order and it takes a little longer than normal, its because Im ready to pop... lol

RockerByeBaby update!

2011-09-19T20:02:00.000-07:00

Something missing in the Etsy shop? We cut down our listing by half... and will continue to do so slowly... I am due with my baby girl Rozzlyn at the end of October... so for now until we can catch up, we cut out a lot of the listings... Most of what you see is crib bedding, RockerByeBeanies, and ready to ship blankets... new stuff will pop up here and there... but for now - just gotta catch up before the baby girl gets here :) So please be patient with me... as I am sewing like crazy 8 months pregnant with two toddler boys running around...
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Fan us on facebook for all our sale information and to be the first to see new product!!

Giveaway #7: BlueMoonCrochet adorable baby bird rattle

2011-08-31T17:46:00.000-07:00

omg, omg, omg... can we say SOOOOOO CUTE?! Blue Moon Crochet is officially on my "must buy for baby" list... I am always on the hunt for cute, handmade, and natural toys for baby... and Blue Moon Crochet is exactly what everyone needs...
THey have owls...

They have beavers...

Elephants...

and oh oh oh so adorable bird rattles...

"This hand crocheted little bird fits perfectly in the hands of babies and toddlers. Its shape is ideal for them to learn to hold objects, chew, and engage in other sensory motions."

Blue Moon Crochet sent the red bird rattle that you see above to Sarah and baby Evan, and is giving one to you too! One lucky winner will receive a bird rattle of their choice :)

How to Win:

(comment below with each entry in a separate comment)

#1: Fan Blue Moon Crochet on facebook.

#2: Fan RockerByeBaby on facebook.

#3: Go to the Blue Moon Crochet shop - and favorite her shop.

#4: If you win - what color would you choose.

ALso - she has so generously given us all a coupon code! If you would like to make a purchase, you can get 15% off if you use the code: Shower15

Wordless Wednesday: Love.

2011-08-31T06:36:00.000-07:00

My baby is now a little man...

and he can't wait for his little sister to get here... he loves her SO much already :)

We're not the only ones throwing a baby shower!

2011-08-30T15:26:00.000-07:00

Hey mama's! After you're done entering our giveaways over here... stop by "Love, Sara Sophia" this week.. she is having a HUGE baby shower bash for a friend of hers... so far on the list... MamaRoo plush... Misfit Menagerie... Sakura Bloom sling, and many more to come! Be sure to keep checking back with her... because like with our shower, for every item her friend gets, she is giving one away as well!! Ill try to remember to keep updating/reminding you... tell your friends!

Giveaway #6: Hair Candy Boutique

2011-08-30T13:40:00.000-07:00

Hair Candy Boutique is an up and coming company started in 2010 specializing in hair bows, bibs, camera straps, card holders and more... One of our many favorites are her super cute tutu's... They're just $5-$7 and come in all different colors... There are a couple awesome things about these besides just the cuteness! First - we love that they elastic is wrapped in satin... so cute, so professional, and so much more comfy for baby :) And best of all they are pretty much one sized and last from about 8 months to 10 years old!! Talk about big bang for your buck! Cute, Quality, and long lasting...

Another thing that we love from Hair Candy is her adorable diaper clutches & wipes cases... One Clutch... "will fit one travel sized wipes case, 2-3 diapers (depending on size) and a tube of ointment. Perfect for keeping your diaper bag a little more organized!" Sarah was given this super cute rocket ship clutch and case for her shower gift... Fashion and function... and one lucky winner will receive their own custom clutch and case in whatever fabric from her shop you would like... and there are oodles to choose from... Want one!?

Here we go!
#1: Fan Hair Candy on facebook.
#2: Fan RockerByeBaby on facebook.
#3: Go to the Hair Candy Boutique and tell us your favorite Hair Candy item...
#4: Tell 3 friends about this giveaway - comment here telling us who you told.

Round Two of the baby shower! Giveaway #5 StellarCheri

2011-08-27T22:13:00.000-07:00

Surely you have heard me rant and rave about a good friend of mine... the mama behind StellarCheri... Not only does she design and create the most AMAZING diaper bags for our shop... but she also has her own store... (of course) and if you havn't checked it out yet... you must. StellarCheri is full of amazingness! I have been drooling over her goodies since she opened up her shop WAYYY back when... and since then - she has it overflowing with so much fun... messenger bags, lap top sleeves, clutches...... hair clips, toddler dresses... Super fun little key chain pouches... shirts, corsets...

THe list goes on and on... but before I wrap it up - I have to tell you about our MOST favorite item in the shop... and I stand by it completely because I have about 8 or so of them... her Snack bags... I have had some from different shops, but my favorites are by far from Cheri... "StellarCheri's Eco friendly, reusable bags are made using 100% cotton fabric on the outside and are fully lined with PEVA. PEVA is a plastic material that is food safe, water proof, PVC-free, lead free, BPA free, non-chlorinated, biodegradable, easy to clean. Bag is the perfect size for a sandwich, its great for snacks like crackers, cereal, apples, grapes, celery, carrots and more (thanks to the water resistant lining). Its even great for things other than foods too." So you can see why we love them so much right? I love filling them up when we head to Target Field to watch a baseball game... for picnic's at the park... or even just snuggling up to a movie and a snack... the boys love getting to pick which bag they get to use... and as a mom, i love knowing I'm doing something ecofriendly and good for my kids. Now let me guess... all this raving about the snack bags, you're thinking... where can I get one? Well - you can either buy one here... OR enter here because we're giving away two of them!!

How to win:
(Must do #1, all others are extras)
*Leave each entry in a separate comment to count
**Dont forget to leave your email so we can contact you if you win!

#1: Fan StellarCheri on facebook
#2: Fan RockerByeBaby on facebook
#3: Go to StellarCheri and fan your favorite item and come here and tell us what it is :)
#4: Sarah had her baby boy. Give her one "stay at home mom survival tip"
#5: Share this one Twitter: " StellarCheri giveaway going on at the @RockerByeBaby blog!! Two re-usable snack bags!! Enter now :) bit.ly/mZNRkq"
GOOD LUCK!

Giveaway #4: Rocky The Zombie...

2011-08-11T13:09:00.000-07:00

If you fan or friend us on facebook... then there is a good chance you have seen photos pop up of my boys wearing some Rocky The Zombie... Or maybe even me since I love in my favorite tank top from her. And of course since finding out Rozzlyn is going to be a girl, I have bought SO SO many to save away for her :) And given countless number of them away as gifts... I have a Rocky The Zombie/BVG camera bag... The boys have paintings in both their play room and bedrooms... (and 2 for rozzlyns room) and the boys have even had the awesome chance to be Rocky Models!! So its safe to say I'm a fan... or *ahem* We're fans...

For those of you that DON'T yet know RTZ... "Rocky The Zombie from Southsea, Hampshire, is the home of the original Rocky The Zombie hand-pulled screenprinted clothing and other art." Handmade by my girl Rhi back in the UK... awesome right? She uses all the greatest quality basics for her art... typically her kids stuff is made on Organic Cotton shirts from H&M... They come in SUCH fun great colors... and they are so so so soft. Our Rocky shirts have been washed over and over and still look great. The best part is they are almost always ready to ship... so you just order and after just a couple weeks (sometimes even less) they show up at your door - adorably wrapped and ready to show off. And don't ever think you will get bored... she is ALWAYS coming up with new designs... new shirts... and new fun combos... so be sure to always check back often as new things are always listed and they go fast!

Lucky duck Sarah was given this ADORABLE striped baby boys t-shirt with the Rainy Day print on it... and I can't wait to see her little man sporting it... it will be oh so cute on him! Want to get your hands on some Rocky The Zombie? She is giving away one lucky winner a $20 gift certificate!! This is how you enter:

How to win:
#1: Fan Rocky The Zombie on facebook
#2: Fan RockerByeBaby on Facebook.
#3: Go to the Rocky The Zombie etsy page - and tell us your favorite Rocky print/design (pirate/dj/etc)
*all #'s below are extra*
#4: Follow Rocky The Zombie on Twitter
#5: Follow RockerByeBaby on Twitter
#6: "Favorite/Heart" the Rocky The Zombie shop.

***ONCE MORE - EACH COMMENT MUST BE LEFT SEPARATELY TO BE COUNTED! **** Also, be sure to leave us you're email in one of the comments so we can contact you :)

Giveaway #3: BrookiEllen Diaper Covers

2011-07-31T14:41:00.000-07:00

If you're a fitted diaper user like me... then its pretty likely that you have heard of BrookiEllen... She is hands down on of my favorite cover makers out there... Maybe its because she uses some of the awesome prints you see at RockerByeBaby... or maybe just because they're all around awesome... but either way... she is one to love. Years ago we had some custom journals made that to this day look brand new... we have had a handful of different covers... and with Ms. Rozzlyn on the way we just ordered FOUR more... So we are so very excited to have her joining us for this little giveaway... Like I've already mentioned - Sarah is a cloth diapering mama... and as a cloth diapering mama we can NEVER have too many covers... Expecially with the awesome design that BrookiEllen is known for... They are great for putting over fitted diapers as a cover...
they keep all the moisture in... then you can just wipe the out quick when you change the diapers and use it over and over... They are ALSO great if you prefer prefolds & covers... just either wrap the prefold around baby, pin & cover... or simply just lay the prefold inside... easy peesy! Sarah was given the awesome Jam Session guitar diaper cover... almost exactly as shown... except a ONE SIZE! Meaning her cover will last her from about 8 pounds all the way through 30+... typically children are out of diapers around this time... so they are really a great investment.

Like I said, I just ordered four of the One Size covers for Rozzlyn w/ snaps... they will most definitely be our "go to" covers... and at just $15-$17 each they are MORE than reasonably priced for any budget in my opinion as you really only need a few of them... but good luck... with all her awesome prints its hard to just stop at a few. I'm already stalking for my new fabrics ;)
BrookiEllen has picked one of my ALL TIME favorite prints to give to one of you lucky readers... its called Damask Rock. And is the most rockin' gender neutral print out there... The winner will also be getting a One Size Diaper... with snaps as shown.

How to win:
#1: Fan BrookiEllen on facebook
#2: Fan RockerByeBaby on Facebook.
#3: Tell Sarah your TOP 5 must haves in your diaper bag.
*all #'s below are extra*
#4: Follow BrookiEllen on Twitter
#5: Follow RockerByeBaby on Twitter
#6: Follow the BrookiEllen Blog.

***ONCE MORE - EACH COMMENT MUST BE LEFT SEPARATELY TO BE COUNTED! **** Also, be sure to leave us you're email in one of the comments so we can contact you :)

Giveaway #2 - Nifty Nappy... a must have for your dryer balls.

2011-07-26T10:00:00.000-07:00

With all the awesomeness we have to give away... its hard to pick which order! But since we just posted the Buddha Bunz giveaway... it seemed totally obvious that the NIfty Nappy giveaway just had to come next!! If you're a cloth diapering mama - then you just have to have a set of Budda Bunz dryer balls to quicken your dry time and leave them feeling soft and smelling fresh... and if you're a cloth diapering mama - then you HAVE to have some Nifty Nappy diapers!

Since Nifty Nappy launched they have sold thousands and thousands of diapers... they are now closing, but never fear... you can still get them all over... AND they are even selling the pattern so you could make them yourself if you wanted! Nifty Nappy is also still selling them on their fan page as they have overstock... and Vilate is always shouting out to the shops that still carry them as well...

I believe the final count on my diaper stash includes around 10+ diapers (some newborns, some one size... and some pockets)... and 5 Woolie Wraps. "The Nifty Nappy diaper is a one size (OS) diaper. It is made to fit from 7 lbs. to 35 lbs. The versatility of a OS diaper saves you money because you have to buy fewer sets of diapers over the course of cloth diapering. They are also great with multiple kiddos as you can use it on your 3 month old and your 2 year old." My favorite part about the NN one size diaper is their super trim lay in soaker... In order for some diapers to be absorbent, they have to be bulky and full of layers... but the NN diaper is so thin and does just as well if not better than the big guys. Another of our favorites is the NN pocket... if you don't like fitteds and covers, its the way to go... You still get the super cute print of a fitted... but a thin layer of PUL keeps it waterproof. So you don't have to worry about Covers or Woolie Wraps... But the cutest of all? This adorable one size Owl diaper!! Its the one that will be headed to Sarah, AND the one that we're giving away!!

How to win: *must do the first three things, and leave them in separate comments below* all other entries are for extra's.

#1: Fan Nifty Nappy on Facebook.
#2: Fan RockerByeBaby on Facebook.
#3: If you're a cloth diapering mama like Sarah, share with us you're FAVORITE diaper brand. If you're not... tell us why you want to try the Nifty Nappy!
*all #'s below are extra*
#4: Follow Nifty Nappy on Twitter
#5: Follow RockerByeBaby on Twitter
#6: Follow the Nifty Nappy Blog.

***ONCE MORE - EACH COMMENT MUST BE LEFT SEPARATELY TO BE COUNTED!

**** Also, be sure to leave us you're email in one of the comments so we can contact you :)

Congrats Sarah! Giveaway #1 - Buddha Bunz

2011-07-25T14:23:00.000-07:00

I can't tell you how excited we are to be hosting this little online baby shower for a REALLY great friend for mine... Sarah. Sarah is pregnant with a baby boy due August 19th (Ahem.. my birthday :) So we figured since so many states separate us from each other... an online shower was a necessity. For each gift Sarah gets... we are giving one away as well! There are 10+ sponsors... including RockerByeBaby of course... and we will be posting at least one a day, so be sure to keep checking back!!

To kick off this little party - we're starting with Buddha Bunz... now, its no secret that we are HUGE HUGE fans of her wool dryer balls... they are hand made (of course) and come in all sorts of colors, patterns & scents... My favorite combo so far has been *undyed*birthday cake* I love the pure, clean look of the natural wool.
And of course... who doesn't love the smell of Birthday Cake!? Or hey, maybe that's not your thing... never fear... there are over 50 scents to choose from... clean, fresh, fruity, sweet, manly... everything you could need. Not only do they make your clothes smell delicious... but they are eco-friendly seeing as they cut down dryer time... they also are safe on cloth diapers! Trust me... we have about 10+ balls floating around our house and in our dryer... Un-dyed... pink... turquoise... I can't even remember what other colors, haha but we have lots and love coming back for more. Its pretty often that I will go to switch loads and find an empty dryer. Why? Because the boys love to take the wool balls and play catch with them in the hallway! Fun for the whole family. And you can never have too many ;)

Now - you made it through my rambling about my true love for Buddha Bunz... and Im sure want me to get to the best part, right? Well - the BEST part... is Sarah was given a set of two Un-dyed, Un-Scented dryer balls... meaning we are giving away a matching set! If you want, you can pay $2 to have both balls scented :)

How to win: *must do the first three things, and leave them in separate comments below* all other entries are for extra's.

#1: Fan Buddha Bunz on Facebook.
#2: Fan RockerByeBaby on Facebook.
#3: Share your favorite eco-friendly parenting tip with Sarah.
*all #'s below are extra*
#4: Follow Buddhabunz on Twitter
#5: Follow RockerByeBaby on Twitter
#6: Add Buddha Bunz to your Etsy Favorites
$7: Add RockerByeBaby to your Etsy Favorites

***ONCE MORE - EACH COMMENT MUST BE LEFT SEPARATELY TO BE COUNTED!

Wetbags Review & Giveaway!!

2011-06-07T15:13:00.000-07:00

We have teamed up once again with the amazing StellarCheri... First to bring you our AWESOME diaper bags... and NOW some amazing coordinating Wet bags! But before we launch them - we are hosting a giveaway to really give them a good test run :)

Details:

-StellarCheri for RockerByeBaby: Eco friendly, reusable wetbags are made using 100% cotton fabric on the outside and are fully lined with PEVA. PEVA is a plastic material that is food safe, water resistant, PVC-free, lead free, BPA free, non-chlorinated, biodegradable, easy to clean. Bag closes with a zipper and has a side handle for carrying or attaching to something else.

-These bags are perfect for carrying dirty cloth diapers, wet clothes, stinky gym clothes, bathing suits, etc. On a different note these can even be used for carrying food or snacks.

-To clean: turn bag inside out and wipe down or rinse with soapy water and let it hang dry. If the bag gets extra dirty, you can throw it in the washer, then line/hang dry.

Measurements are approx:
12" x 12"

ANYONE can enter below... but the winners will be chosen as followed.
*Two winners MUST be moms that are currently cloth diapering and will be able to test our wetbags in their daily routine...
*One winner doesn't have to be... but should test the wetbag in another way... for its use in function, style, etc. It has MANY uses :)

Winners will have one week from the time you get the wetbag to use it, wash it, etc... however you would use it if you bought it... and then report back to us with a thorough review about what you like, what you don't, your favorites about it... and what you would want changed. If you are not willing to do the review, do not enter for this giveaway.

Here are the prizes!!

Wild Girl

Bonehead

Black Tattoo

To Win: Leave each entry in a separate comment below...

1: Fan StellarCheri on Facebook. (comment below telling us you fanned)

2. Fan RockerByeBaby on Facebook. (comment below telling us you fanned)

3. Comment below and tell us WHICH print you would like to win, and what you would be using it for...

4. Copy and paste this message: "By entering this giveaway - I agree to testing out the new Wetbags and reporting back with a review within 1 week if I am chosen as the winner, *your name*"

Rock-Away-Cancer Winner & Donation Amount :) :) :)

2011-04-17T08:29:00.000-07:00

It's with a GIANT SMILE on my face... and a tear in my eye... that I write you this post. Since we found out about my great friends battle, it has been a roller coaster or emotion... for all involved. Friends, Family... and mostly her of course - from good news to horrible news to better news... This Rock-Away-Cancer giveaway was no exception... DURING this push for prayers, thoughts, vibes, (whatever you send our way)... after one month double chemotherapy and no change, her brain tumor shrunk a half inch in diameter and the ovarian cancer is almost gone... I got that amazing news about 3 days into it... Can you believe it? Maybe all this positivity & love really can work! So don't think that just because the giveaway is over that you're off the hook... keep that sweet, sweet lovin' comin our way... we can use all the help we can get. We still have a long long way to go... surgery, healing, etc. And want that tumor as small as possible because surgery is he last resort... So first off, i just wanted to say a big thank you to everyone for that...

Second of all, (and I can't even count how many times I have cried during this) I want to share with you all how much we donated... My goal was $500 and I would have been jumping for joy... I figured if even a fraction of people chipped in a sent a buck, we would hit that no problem... I would have been THRILLED had people donated $1. The first night, I was blown away... not one person donated just $1... everything was above and beyond. Some even came back to donate again... and in the end. The final total for giveaway entries was............ $1,175... So like I said, I have cried like a baby over stories, comments, messages, and donations I have received and couldn't wait to share this number with my friend... So HUGE thank you, again... You guys all exceeded my wildest expectations... HUGE karma points for you all. You will be repaid, some way... some how. :)

Lastly, the moment you've all been waiting for. The giveaway... now THIS was a challenge with well over 1,000 entries... I had to break down all of the entries... copy all the names into a spreadsheet... And THEN I found a random generator that would pick the name for me...

And this winner or the grand prize is.........
1. Dawn Milligan

And since everyone did so amazing, I wanted to pick 4 more winners for gift certificates.

$20 gift certificate:

2. Dancing Bear
3. Michael Palmieri

$10 Gift Certificate:
4. Allie McCarthy
5. Virginia Passarge

So I want to thank everyone once more... for everything. Your donations, your thoughts, your prayers... it is all helping. This went over SO well, I may even do it again next month. In the mean time, we are working on some SUPER awesome shirts to sell... Should have those available for pre-order hopefully this week!! All hand screened, designed by me, and brought to life by an awesome tattoo artist, Emily, local to Minneapolis. Thanks guys!!

Rock-Away-Cancer Giveaway

2011-04-09T19:49:00.000-07:00

I write this post with a heavy heart, but a lot of promise... and a twinkle in my eye. It's rare I come to you asking for anything, but this time is a little bit different. A couple months ago I was hit with some heavy news... one of my greatest friends, at just 23 years old was diagnosed with Stage 4 ovarian cancer. I know this is always terrible news, but at 23 its just unacceptable, and pretty damn unfair if you ask me. No one deserves to be going through what she is right now. She got to spend her birthday weekend getting her first dose of Chemo. A few weeks later she was noticing some strange memory loss... forgetting names of friends... family, etc. so she went to get it checked out. While at the doctor, they found a brain tumor. Seriously?? Ugh. Just writing this I am getting angry all over again. So they doubled the chemo/radiation cocktail... and she's on loads of meds. The good news is - the Ovarian cancer has almost been blasted away - so she will hopefully just need the hysterectomy to finish it off. The bad news is - the brain tumor isn't changing and is going to require surgery. Between being so sick, missing work, medical bills & prescriptions she is out of money just like any one of us would be. I would like to think if I were ever in this situation someone would be willing to help me keep up this fight, so it was NO DOUBT that I was ready to pull all of my resources to help her... Rather than just asking you amazing friends, family, & customers to donate - I came up with a plan... we will do a Rock-Away-Cancer giveaway...

For every $1 you donate you get 1 entry into the contest.
For every $5 you donate you get 10 entries into the contest.
For every $10 you donate you get 25 entries into the contest.

Example: $3 = 3 entries - $7 = 12 entries - $15 = 35 entries

After a week - we will combine all the entries into one big giant hat and pull a name...

The winner will receive a custom basket of awesomeness catered your lil' ones gender. Winner will choose girl/boy/unisex and I will put together a basket of awesom-ness... Blankets, bibs, burp rags, booger bashers... whatever I can come up with valuing well over $150... OR the winner can choose a custom toddler bedding set OR two adult blankets....

I appreciate you guys taking the time to read this... anything... every single dollar will help and I wanted to do something special that would benefit you as well. Win or lose, the prize is high... she gets to keep fighting this battle.

Donate here - the money goes to a special paypal account just for her so that we can keep track. I will run this for a week so until Saturday, April 16th... If it goes as well as I am hoping - maybe we will do another one next month too :)

Fun with Photos...

2011-03-24T12:28:00.000-07:00

So - like I said last week - the AE Photography is in town and we're having a blast. Last night we went to Manny's Steakhouse and spent about $435 between the 6 of us. Worth. Every. Penny. (More details on that later) And today has been a "we were up WAY too late playing games, and slept horrible" kind of lazy day - involving emails, editing, and blogging... YAY!

So Ashley posted an AWESOME blog post last week called "Critique Me" where she is gunna post tutorials to her awesome editing tricks... so naturally, since the master is sitting across the table from me, I started practicing... I had snapped a picture of her & Finn earlier in the day and this is what I came up with.

Before:

After Edits:

And another batch of edits:

Whatcha think? I know they're not perfect... but they're still pretty cool... now I should make Ashley do her own spin and see what SHE would do with it :)

"OUR" wedding Photographers, AE Photography are in town for a week!!

2011-03-18T16:52:00.000-07:00

Check it out - i stole this from their blog so you can share in the deals... to ANY of you in the Minneapolis area - i urge you to JUMP at this deal :)

do you live in or around minneapolis? would you like a session done by ae? day after, trash the dress, fashion bridal, senior, boudoir, engagement, family, baby, maternity, child, loveshoot, product, business, or just a fun portrait shoot?? well, you're in luck! since we will be there already, there will be no travel fees (within a reasonable distance from minneapolis), and we will be offering shoots at the discounted price of:

$250 -- which includes a full photo disc with every image and release rights to print whenever and wherever you would like!

*1-2 hours of shoot time

*full photo disc

*complete editing + retouching for every image

*online gallery for you, family & friends to view and order prints (if you'd like)

*$50 print credit to be used within 1 week of your gallery being fully posted. good for prints, products & albums.

sessions are typically $499 with your choice of photo disc, prints or an album--and you may add on all 3 at an additional charge... so this is a great deal.

why are we doing this?!

because we are dying to shoot in this lovely spring weather.

because we LOVE shooting in new locations.

because we will be on a mini vacation, so we will be in extra good moods!

because we have a lot of new, fun ideas we are just thrilled about bringing to life!

because we love taking pictures... all the time, simple as that.

SO -- if you're interested in booking a session from the 21st of March to the 27th, email us RIGHT NOW (because it's, like, next week!) and let's get your scheduled! limited slots available. more details will be sent out when we hear from you. feel free to email us with any questions you might have before actually booking. we look forward to hopefully having fun photographing some of you!!

happy spring!

Wordless Wednesday: MIssing my boys.

2011-03-16T08:26:00.000-07:00

Boys left on Sunday... 3 days down... about 18 to go... *cries*

Mentoring Monday: One day at a time... Week 8

2011-03-14T11:39:00.000-07:00

Hey all! Another day in the life... sometimes I'm sick in the morning... sometimes in the evening.... sometimes if I'm REALLY crazy lucky - not really at all! But... mostly just sick, haha. Hoping it will pass soon... The boys are off at nana & papa's as of yesterday, so its giving me some time to balance relaxing & working - which is already helping a ton... Its hard though, I miss them like CRAZY! I caught myself watching a bunch of their baby videos... made me sad, but even more excited about the new baby on the way... ugh, babies are so fun!! And cute, and messy, and they don't talk back like toddlers do, lol

Either way... I love and miss them OODLES! But I know they're having a great time... Yesterday they went to the library, and hung out at grandma cookies house... and played with their Auntie Ashley & Uncle Austin... So, even though Im a little whiney about it, I'm so glad they have the opportunity to be there... I hate that we're so far from our family, so it's times like this that we have to take advantage of. Hopefully, at the end of the 3 weeks I can go spend a few days back home so I can see the fam too... and maybe even let this rub on this quickly growing belly. As of right now I have lost 3 pounds since I found out I was pregnant, and I just keep getting bigger!! Zaq says Im gunna be huge this time, i think he's right :)

Swinger Sunday: Just your everyday semi-crisis.

2011-03-13T10:22:00.000-07:00

An amazing Swinger Sunday post by someone I love dearly. I just can't tell ya who! Fun right!? Totally. Either way, leave her some lovin :)

Just your everyday semi-crisis.
By: Anonymoussss.

Holy moly, thank you to the outrageously awesome Amber for having a Swinger Sunday and for letting me treat it as a place to do a little decompressing to a group of readers that I think are just the bomb.

So its springtime…. And I am 26. And unmarried. And getting ready to finish graduate school. And kidless. And business-owning. And big-dream-having. And, well, unsatisfied, semi-unhappy, and totally freaking out about it.

For me, springtime always brings this sense of compelling change, a freshening and excitement for things to come.

But not this year. This year its bringing me nothing but daily anxiety attacks.

Age 26 might not seem ancient to you, but it sure seems like it to me. Well, its more that I just think that its too old to not have anything figured out in your life, not have anything solid and stable and something you can rely on to be good and true and unchanging.

For starters, I am in graduate school and own a business. I worry every day that I am succeeding at neither and really messing up both. I get medium good grades due to the fact that I can hardly pay attention to class, due to the fact that while I am in class all day long, I also have to be dealing with a ton of things for the business. My business’s growth is 100% dependant on, and often slowed down by, my ability/inability to focus on it, due to my school obligations. So, therefore, every single day of my life I am freaking out about being behind on this, forgetting that, and just not be able to do the things that both typical business owners and typical students do correctly and on time. It makes me just feel like a failure all day every day. Always apologizing to someone for effing SOMETHING up.

Also, I am in a 3.5 year long (and currently long distance) relationship. It used to be great. But, unfortunately, seeing him once in the last six months and having our conversations only magnify the characteristics of him that I really have major issues with and am not sure I can get over has been really difficult for me and for my happiness level with the relationship. I am also very social with a lot of friends and that has given me occasion to meet other guys. Ones that are fun, kind, funny, (really sexy/hot,) and think I am the bees knees. Turning down men (that I would typically be falling at the feet of) because I am in a relationship that is only questionably healthy at this point SUCKS. And its giving me a ton of anxiety. Because I am a super crazy and fun and goofy human and want to be having fun at all times. So why am I shutting out these guys that I have a lot of fun with and that could be the perfect person for me? It sucks and I feel like I am in a lose lose situation.

Now that I am back in the state of Ohio, I also have occasion to see my parents more often lately. They struggle to say ANYTHING positive to me or about me. No, really, I am 100% serious. They put me down, mitigate my achievements, and scream at me for minor things. Now, it’s taken me all of my 26 years on this earth to be able to type this in such a matter of fact nature. This used to kill me before I realized that it wasn’t a matter of me perpetually messing up and sucking, but more of their own suckiness. It feels good to be an adult and know that as I grow and make decisions about friends and life, that I will be able to include or exclude that part of my life as much as I see fit. Its an enormous weight off my shoulders actually. They really beat me down sometimes.

I am also moving back to California in May to complete my final internship before I graduate. I am excited to get back there, but feel so incredibly sad to be leaving a ground op friends that I have had for 20 years and that I have REALLY loved reconnecting with while I was spending a year back in my hometown (as I finish school.) I was able to be there when their babies were born and see them for a casual beer or coffee whenever we were free. Being around loved ones is a priceless feeling and is truly the most important thing in the world to me. So the thought of leaving really guts me.

This then brings me to my general lifestyle panic. In the past 4 years, I have been a bridesmaid in 10 weddings. I am now Auntie to the 8 babies that have already been born from these wonderful relationships. My friends own homes and have stable jobs and wonderful, loving, cozy, and inspiring lives.

And the fact that I have none of these things is reallllllyyy starting to get to me. Is my hyperactivity and moving across the country and around the world every 6 months to do new things and build orphanages and try to save the world now sabotaging my ability to chill out and enjoy the only things that ACTUALLY and truly make life worthwhile? I feel like the answer is yes and I don’t know how to fix it.

And now, here we are in springtime, I have all of this change and uncertainty in front of me, and I can’t help but just panic every minute. And it all compounds onto each other. The needing-to-settle down anxiety increases the love life anxiety which increases the work/school anxiety when I then realize that is my only shot at doing something correctly at the current and then I remember that I am doing quite the opposite. So, that is just the play-by-play of my daily freakout, which takes place over deep breathing with my head in my hands at my desk.

So each day I do this. And each day I tell myself that it will all work out and that I should just keep calm, keep my chin up, and spend the day like I would any other day, with a positive and happy outlook on my life and the people in it and a determination to be a good person and make the world a better place.

But my springtime daily freakouts are just… DRAINING. And I am totally trying to work on getting rid of them.

Do you all have any tricks for any of this? Or calming down about it at all?

Thank you for your ears. I really can’t tell you how much it means to me able to just VENT and unload sometimes. (:

<3
Overwhelmed in Ohio.

Mentoring Monday: Another Chapter - Belly Week 7

2011-03-07T07:34:00.000-08:00

Aymee & Adam used to write this post - but they have gotten crazy busy between Maddie, School & Work... and perfect timing, why? Because now I am pregnant again... so I guess its my turn to take over :)

This week has been brutal. The first few weeks were great... I felt great, I was a little tired but that was all... this week - totally different. I wake up trying to keep my mouth shut for fear of what will come out of it... I rush to the kitchen to try to plug my nose and swallow anything that I can manage to choke down... the stand there and just... breathe..... and hope for the best. I have been OH so sick. Nothing sounds goood... and even when I do eat, its a challenge to keep it down... I was never like this with the boys so its a totally new pregnancy chapter for me. MANY of you have given me some great tips to try... and the top choices so far are #1: Preggie Pops... I rushed and ordered these right away... Can't wait to try them! Hopefully they will bring be some releif... #2: Tip - Ginger... apparently ANYTHING with Ginger seems to be a hit... Ginger Tea, Ginger Ale and I hear Dried Ginger is like Candy! WOo Hoo! #3 of course is crackers... I guess its a good idea to keep some by the bed... some be the couch... some by in the kitchen, in my purse and in my car... for whatever reason - they seem to help when I can't eat anything else... and last but not least, my only hope is to NOT get hungry... morning is bad because I havn't eaten in over 12 hours. Once I get some food, i feel a little better, then I eat a bagel an hour or 2 later... then some lunch... then a cheese stick... and some Wheat Thins... and then dinner... thats my secret. Over ALL the other things - that is the most important one I have found... if I can keep myself from being hungry I feel 100 X's better... not perfect, but at least functional. If any of you have any other tips, I would love to hear it... anything to help is worth a try!

So that is my week 7 in a nutshell... sickies, tired & pretty crabby but staying positive... why? Cuz there is an amazing baby Z #3 growing inside of me... and I couldn't be happier about it :)

Swinger Sunday: Take some time off!

2011-03-06T07:03:00.000-08:00

Everyone say hi to Rhiannon - the brains behind Rocky The Zombie... She's amazing and were so glad she stopped by the blog today!

Ok so the idea behind this is to remind everyone to take some time off from everything, you work hard and you owe it to yourself.. let your mind and body rest, write down some thoughts/plans/ lists if it feels like things are getting too much (a cute notebook and a pen is cheaper than a shrink... my pen is pink and bubblegum scented. yep! simple pleasures)

This is to remind you to at some point to turn off the computer, and turn off the email notifications on your phone! Ok.. ready?

I know I'm not alone in my bad habit of not knowing when to take a break. I work at my day job 5/6 days a week, and the rest of the time I'm working on Rockythezombie. Some of my best etsy friends do all of this and take care of an entire family too... and I think I'm tired!? ha!.. I'm sure they could show me TIRED.

I get up in the morning and finish orders, pack orders, and post orders.. and this is all before I start work at 11am. I then get home around 8pm and go right back to it until the early hours. I wouldn't change it though, I LOVE it.. it's who I am. Of course there is ONE thing I would change.. the day job, if it were financially possible I'd get rid of that. Maybe one day I'll be able to... I've done it before, so I can do it again right? I'm gonna work hard and wait and see...

Don't forget to make time for your friends, I am soooo guilty of this.. I'll not see anyone for weeks, and because I'm so busy I'll barely even notice. In my mind I only saw them last week when actually an entire month has gone by and I've spent it working.

This year I made a resolution to STOP every sunday.. and just do nothing, but this didn't really work.. I discovered I simply can't just do nothing. So instead I bake.. I bake cakes, cookies, pies, and anything else I feel like! It's fun, and makes my house smell amazing, and who doesn't love freshly baked goodies? I've also made a promise to myself that at least once a month I'll go out for dinner with friends, and I'll go to an out of town show with Hud.. I almost forgot how much fun it is to grab some beers, take a road trip to see a band you love, and meet up with old friends you just haven't found the time to see. Uh-mazing.. and totally relaxing, even if it does take another day to recover afterwards ;)
I have to admit that by sunday evening I'm feeling quite recovered and am itching to get back to work on the shop, but that's cool... moderation.. Find your perfect balance :)

Note to Self-Saturday: 10-things...

2011-03-05T08:03:00.000-08:00

10-things I love about Zaq :) (my hubby)

Favorites Friday: Cameras!

2011-03-04T08:25:00.000-08:00

There's no doubt that we love photography... we love taking photos, editing them, and can sure appreciate the people that are WAY better at it than us, like AE Photography, StoopidGerl & Beki Dawn Photography... So this Favorites Friday is dedicated to all the fun of photography :)
(click to enlarge)

#1: TooFashion2010 - Pretty Retro Silver Black Camera Pendant
#2: BarrelofMonkeys - I shoot with a *camera* button
#3: LuckyStraps - Damask Camera Strap with Minky Lining
#4: MoonFaces - Vintage Camera Carnival tickets
#5: Jillein Photography - Vintage Damask Camera Brownie Target Fine Art
#6: TimeLessThings - Vintage camera note cards
#7: MaddieBee123 - Damask Lens Case
#8: AForestFrolic - Camera Gift Tags
#9: Snugglens - Ready to Ship Dslr hobo Camera Bag

If any of you awesome sellers would like to host a review & giveaway please let us know, we would love to have you!! rockerbyebaby@gmail.com

Thursdays Tunes: You and Me

2011-03-03T07:48:00.000-08:00

I <3 Ingrid Michaelson... you will too :)

Wordless Wednesday: Ms. Maddie Modeling :)

2011-03-02T08:01:00.000-08:00

You've all met Aymee's little lady, Ms. Maddie :) She's my fav... and boy does she make a good model. Today you see her rockin' our new "Tree" onesie, and our brand spankin new wooden teething ring & holder! Its already been a huge hit, and as you can see here, Maddie loves it :) So far its been nothing but raving feedback about how much kiddies love it, and how universal it is!! You can take off the ring and attach it to a pacifier, toy, or anything else that you can think of...

Giveaway Tuesday!! Boudoir session from AE Photography!

2011-03-01T08:38:00.000-08:00

This ones for the ladies! Every mama/lady deserves the chance to really just FEEL beautiful... and AE Photography is giving you that chance and capturing it forever :)

Ashley is offering one FREE Boudoir Session to one special lady! You must be a fan of ae and leave a comment on our fanpage to qualify. Entering requires a message to me (either through the blog,website, email – aephotography.info@yahoo.com, or facebook) explaining why you would like a Boudoir Session by ae and why the discount would mean so much. You must also include a photo. The main requirement is that you are fully open to giving Ashley the create freedom she needs to produce the shots she is looking to create. We are also doing a promo video for ae, so short video clips may be taken (modest ones, of course) throughout the session to be included in our 5 minute promo. We will also be using them to feature on our site, fanpage & during meetings. A contract/model release will be signed before the session stating these details. You will be notified of our favorite shots and when/where we plan to showcase them.

The style of ae | boudoir has always been described as “natural sexy.” We are not Hustler or anything even remotely close to it. We keep our photos tasteful and showcase your beauty in a very natural, expressive, sexy way. We will have a phone, email, or online chat discussing everything so we are fully comfortable and excited for our session together! I will also have you do an online search to find images you really love, because this session is for you, too! Poses, styling, coloring, etc. are all things that make each session different from the next. While I have many things I plan to do, I definitely want you to be able to select some of your favorite poses and looks!

The session will be done in your home to create the most organic feel. This is definitely good if you are having this session done for you man. It makes it much more personal! If for some reason you home will not work out, we can discuss other options. Upscale hotels (or anything unique & modern) make great options, however the client will be in charge of arrangements & payment. Travel within 40 miles of 61049 is included free of charge unless otherwise approved by ae. Standard travel fees apply after that! A stylist is also an option as an add-on for an additional charge. Let me know if you are interested in that! Albums, products, prints, full photo discs, etc. are available at an additional charge. This free session will include a private Online Gallery to view an order prints & products. I will also send you websize, watermarked versions of the photos we use for promotional purposes for you to keep and share. I will email you our full pricing guide,which gives you more insight into what our boudoir sessions are like. I can also email those who enter a password to our private boudoir gallery featuring sample photos from many boudoir sessions.

This is going to be great fun! Think feeling laid back, dressing up, playing model for the day and, most of all, feeling extra beautiful and having some great shots to hold onto forever! Don’t worry if you’re shy or think you would feel uncomfortable–we will make you comfortable, and you will have FUN! These sessions are “no boys allowed” in the shooting space, so don’t worry about Eric! The session will take place within the next 2 months–possibly fairly soon. I will keep this giveaway option for a little while–no specifics as of now. A post will go up when it is closed. I look forward to your submissions! Contact us any questions!

By the way, our Self Portrait Contest will be up and running very soon now! This will be like no other contest that we have done before. We will be offereing gift cards as a fun gift for the winner, and that’s not all! The gift card amounts will go up with every set of entires in the specific amount! Check back for that! I really can’t wait to get it started and see all of your self portraits.

***Thanks to our wonderful client for these sample photos she took of her custom boudoir album we created for her man!

Swinger Sunday: TO DO - Werk :)

2011-02-27T09:12:00.000-08:00

Meet Ashely - The mama behind AE Photography... Shes Super Mom in my eyes... but like the rest of us WAHM's, sometimes we start to jumble out priorities and get overwhelmed. So I figured, what a perfect Swinger Sunday post with all the supportive and understanding mama's we have here :) Leave her some love!

The other day when Ella was getting her hair cut, it got me thinking. I watched the stylists clean their stations, call over a client, give them a cut, get paid, clean up their station again and move onto the next client. They show up to work on time, do their job, make a living and be done with it. They can head home and leave work behind them. I sometimes wonder what that feels like.

When you have three children and work out of your home doing a job that is both yours and your husband's full time deal, things can become jumbled together. It's safe to say work is never far from my thoughts--even when on vacation, during the holidays or while sleeping. There is always stuff to ponder, stress over and get excited about. I assume this might be much easier for husband and wife photography teams that do not have children, but there isn't much we can't do about that! It takes a lot of dedication and determination to say "I am done with work for the day and will focus only on the kiddos & the husband."

When I see something like this photo, it breaks my heart a little. I know that every child has working parents, and ours actually get to see us more than most children get to see their parents... but I know it can be rough for them, because we are always together, and yet we are focused on work a majority of the time. We have decided to make annual summer vacations a top priority in this household, as well as mini spring getaways. Babies grow up so fast, and as important as it is to be dedicated to your job and work as hard as you possibly can--don't forget to stop, free your mind and focus on your little ones. Work issues may see oh-so-important now, but the only thing you will ever truly regret is not being the parent you always meant to be. You only get one shot.

I have decided to add a little ice skating, monster trucks and bowling to my to-do list. I'll have to have Ella modify the one she made for me on our calendar for this month!

Love this post? Stop by and become a "fan" of the AE Facebook page to get all the updates on new blog posts and to see their amazing photography skills in action :)

Note to Self-Saturday: A Full house...

2011-02-26T18:19:00.000-08:00

Two toddler boys (3&4) a hubby, a mommy, a Dixie (20 year old live in friend/nanny/helper/awesomeness) & two puppies... wow. FULL HOUSE! Oh, and of course one on the way!! Good thing we bought a nice, big house this year or there wouldn't be room for us all!

Today has been a non stop day of laundry... I think I have done about 6 loads in the last couple days, and folded them allllll today. I swear, just as Im getting finished - the monster pile comes out of nowhere and I start all over. Its never ending. And today - to top it all off my lovely home destroying puppies pee'd all over my fresh out of the dryer sheets... RIGHT in front of me. Ugh. These puppies are gunna be the end of me. They are more destructive and messy than my kids. They are the only puppies in the world that I've ever head of to chew through rubber toys made for big dogs... I bet in the last 6 months we have spend well over $200 on pacifiers, why? Because in a BLINK, they pups will take off with one and disappear. Later we find it chewed to pieces... Zaq bought this one last night. Its outrageous. They have chewed trim off my walls and around some of the door frames, they have ruined expensive toys and countless puzzle pieces. They've been being potty trained outside for months and still poop & pee inside at least once a day. And the thing that makes me the most crazy... is that we have brand new shag carpet (which they scratched a huge hole into in one spot) but I can see if they have accidents on the carpet, so just have to get it cleaned. I don't even know what to do anymore. I love my puppies - but any more I can't even enjoy them. Every time they are out, something gets ruined. Every room in the house has to have the door shut completely or something disappears! We are talking 9 month old Chihuahuas here!! Not giant great danes or St. Barnards! Im running out of ideas... out of patience... if any of you have any idea what i can do to make this chaos stop, let me know. Ive tried loads of toys... rubber chew toys, rope toys, congs, and they ruin it all... and the pacifiers, they will chew it right to the nub. HELP ME!! If i dont get this figured out before the baby comes, they're gunna have to go... I just can't take it anymore...

Belated Favorites Friday: We're Pregnant!!

2011-02-26T17:23:00.000-08:00

So - as some of you may have heard from our Facebook Fan Page - were expecting! I am 6 weeks along as of yesterday, and feeling pretty great... aside from the sleepiness & bloating - so far so good. So of course, this calls for some major maternity shopping on etsy :) Which brings us to, Favorites Friday :)
(if any of you awesome sellers would like us to host a review & giveaway for you, please email us! rockerbyebaby@gmail.com WE LOVE GIVEAWAYS! 500+ blog follower & 3,500+ fans on facebook)

(click photo to enlarge)

#1: Mamasanmaternity - D-Rebel d-ring maternity dress
#2: JellyBeanApparel - Jeart Hands long sleeve shirt
#3: KSSMaternity - Cut the Cord tshirt (Bamboo)
#4: RunSystem63 - Striped Belly Band
#5: XYFactory - Double Sparrow Maternity Tunic
#6: Angeldamico - Magenta Day of the Dead Tunic (CODE: Winter15) for 15% off!
#7: WrenWillow - Mom Tattoo Heart Babydoll
#8: RainbowSwirlz - Floral Skull American Apparel Drapey Tank
#9: AsianApparel - LeSac Dress in Charcoal Gray (can be worn loads of different ways)

Wordless Wednesday: Stockings were hung by the chimney with care

2011-01-05T08:09:00.000-08:00

Stocking I made for us :) Pink tattoo for Dixie & I, black tattoo for daddy & natural tattoo for Izzaq & Zavery. I LOVE Them.

Mentoring Monday: As the Kids say... "Epic Fail"

2011-01-03T08:13:00.000-08:00

Welcome back, Aymee - to yet another Mentoring Monday post... we love having you :)

As the Kids say: “Epic Fail.”

Dear Maddie,
Let's just start with--it's okay to make a mistake. It's okay to really mess up. And it's okay to fail miserably. The important thing is that you get back up, shake it off, and try again a little wiser. No one likes to lose, and it takes courage to admit they did. It's okay to regret something you've done. As much as feeling regret sucks, it motivates us to keep from making the same mistakes over and over again. It's an important process in growing up and, well…surviving. And isn't that what growing up is: surviving?
I failed miserably last week, quite literally. For the first time in my 26 years, I failed a class. For a life-long hard working student whose never had a GPA below 3.6, this was like getting sucker punched in my nerdy, squishy, post-partum stomach. It would have been expected if I hadn't tried; then I would have deserved it. But all semester-long, I constantly struggled with the class. I worked and worked in hopes of at least passing. But that wasn't in the cards. Instead, I became part of the lower fifty percent of students who take this class: those that fail (that's right, this class has a fifty percent fail-rate).
The weight of disappointment, frustration, sadness, and the desire to lose myself in an alcoholic stupor, all bare down on my back like a boulder. I am now fearful of the coming semester. Not to mention: I have no motivation to work like have in the past, which is a problem because now more than ever do I need to pull up my bootstraps and get to work.
Sure, feeling the shame and guilt from failure suck. Knowing you let someone down because you didn't succeed sucks. The fact that your best wasn't good enough f&*%ing sucks. But that's not the worst of it; do you know what the hardest part of failing is? Not becoming a whiny, sore loser.
Everyone is entitled one pity party--maybe a few more depending on the circumstances. But eventually, you have to dry your tears, stand up and try again. Try again, no matter how much you just want to stay buried under the covers and hide from the sun. You have to do this terribly difficult task because if you don't, nothing will ever get better.
So I will press on next semester, and the one after that, and so on--because I have to set an example for you; because I refuse to just lie down and quit; because it's the only way I'll get to where I'm going.
Love, Mom.

Note to Self Saturday: Happy "Friggen" New Year.

2011-01-01T11:17:00.000-08:00

Is there just something in the air? I mean really... what is going on... maybe its just me but its doesn't seem like a good month for relationships... I have seen/heard from more of my friends that its non stop arguing, bickering, drama.... and I have watched more facebook status' change from "In a Relationship" to "Single" this month than the other way...

Hubby and I have spent more time either bickering/arguing or being cordial, than being our typical lovey selves, and even that seems forced... and I gotta say - im reaching the end of my tolerance level. We can't have a conversation without drama... every other sentence is taken personally... its getting old. Everyone I ask says theyre doing the same thing... and its just the holidays... but I just don't get it! THE HOLIDAYS!! Its supposed to be the "most wonderful time of the year"... why has it become a nightmare? Im 6 hours away from my family this year... so yes - i was a little homesick... but I did my best to hide it and put on a big smiley face. Help cook a nice dinner, bake pies, and throw a party for his family... I get that we both have stressful jobs for X-mas time... ZaQ was working 10-12 hour days... 6 days a week... I was working non stop in the store... shipping up to 20 packages 5 days in a row that last week... it was chaos and I wanted to pull my hair out... we were sleeping terrible, etc. But I was always under the impression that when things get stressful... your partner is there to support you... and you help each other get through it. Right? Or not? I dont know. Like I said, maybe its just this time of year... we have been in worse ruts thats for sure... and through worse arguments, etc. etc. etc. But for some reason this round is really pulling at the heart strings. Any of you going through this sort of holiday rut? Any tips to pull out of it? Im thinking I could use a few.