Liz 2.0

I like to do a bit of DIY in my kids rooms, and you may remember the the projects I completed in my son’s great outdoors themed room.

 

A while ago I found these ceramic elephant banks on clearance at Target in the dollar spot.  They didn’t have two in the same color and of course they were missing the stoppers.

 

I chose an elephant for my daughter’s animal so I wanted to introduce that into her room décor some place. My plan was to paint them and to string a mini pennant banner between their trunks.

 

I started by sanding the ugly paint down so the pieces could be primed.

 

At this point I still wasn’t sure what color I wanted to paint them. I really didn’t want to go out to the store to get a color and wanted to use what I had, so I could get the project done.

 

I hand painted the primer on (then later found a can of spray primer LOL).

 

I kind of liked them in the white and thought about doing that and maybe sanding them back down to get a shabby chic look. All white reminded me of the Jonathan Adler Elephant Salt Pepper Set that I had been eying for her room. I also had the pink that I painted her crib with but I thought that might be pink overload. I decided I wanted a gray but I didn’t have a gray paint but I did have an aluminum colored spray paint I was concerned that it might come off looking too much like metal and clash with my gold finishes in the room. I took a chance, thinking I could sand and repaint later if I didn’t like it.

 

 

I actually really loved how they turned out! The finish is kind of matte with a teensy bit of sheen to it. To me the elephants look more gray than like metal.

 

 

The next part of the project was to work on the pennant banner.  I used some vellum and lined the diamonds with colored tissue paper. I used my stamps to stamp her name onto the vellum. I glued the diamond shapes around a piece of embroidery floss.

 

 

In hind sight I think I should have done four different colors rather than all pink. The project is done now so no looking back, just moving onto the next project. Here is the finished project I’m super excited with how it turned out, what do you think?

 

I need some ideas for the pink flower pots on either side of the banner any suggestions??

Hey all you mommies or expectant mommies, check out this exciting event coming to Atlanta.

 

This is a one day event full of information, products and activities focused on those little bundles of joy.   

 

When:
May 14, 2011

 

Where:
the Fabulous Fox Theatre Ballrooms

 

What:
The Atlanta Baby and Child Expo is a one day extravaganza of “all things baby” for new
moms and moms-to-be, as well as their friends and family. Set for May 14th at the Fabulous
Fox Theatre Ballrooms, this is not your mass-expo event, but an elite pampering and shopping
experience, providing new and expectant moms with a true treat.

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I’m super excited about this event. Here’s what the organizers are offering to the attendees:

 

You’ll get to meet with Atlanta’s most experience professionals, check out the finest baby
products, and be able to register for premier services. The event is geared toward expectant
and new moms, from pregnancy to pre-k, and will include expectant massages, a maternity
fashion show, cravings corner, baby dream gear runway, and a mom and baby product area
where you can purchase the items you adore. There will also be thousands of dollars worth of
giveaways, from strollers to car seats and even a crib. There are even special features from
the www.BabyNameWizard.com where you can try matchmaking your interests with baby name
options and the Bump It Up Style Lounge where you can get personalized tips on how to “bump
up” your style before and after your pregnancy.

 

Since my first kiddo is turning 5 this summer it has been a while since I’ve been in tune with the latest and greatest in the baby arena.  We now have our 2 month old, I can’t wait to get to this show and see what new goodies are out there. I’m especially excited to see what the latest styles are available post pregnancy while I’ve still got these few extra pounds to work off I still want to look some what put together.

 

Speaking of what’s new have you heard of thebump.com (from the creators of theknot.com)? They’re a great new (since I was last pregnant) site all about pregnancy and mommy connections. They are also one of the sponsors for this event.

 

You can purchase tickets to this exciting event online at http://www.atlantababyandchildexpo.com/ Advanced tickets are $20 and include a swag bag!

 

Partners and sponsors include TheBump.com, Atlanta Parent magazine, Safe Kids of Georgia, Atlanta Kids Directory, www.MomsLikeMe.com (Atlanta), www.AtlantaMoms.com, and www.MyAtlantaMommy.com, along with many other national and local leaders in the baby industry.

 

So I know you want to go right? The Expo organizers have given me 2 tickets to attend this event and 2 to give away to 1 blog reader.  Here are the details:

 

To enter all you have to do is comment on this post. I’d love to hear what you’re looking forward to seeing and learning about at the expo.  The give away will end April 30, 2011 at 11:59 EST and the winner will be announced May 1.

So I thought when I got to stay home this year with the kids I wouldn’t have to worry about tax deadlines. Well I don’t have to worry about them every day like before but there is that one time of year…Yep time to file state and federal taxes!

 

Is it me or does April 15 come earlier and earlier each year? Thankfully in my house it isn’t my responsibility to prepare the tax returns, if it was I would probably be Filing for a Tax Extension, I can be such a procrastinator when it comes to daunting tasks like that. The hubby is the main tax preparer in this house and he does such a great job.

 

This year being at home I’m wanting to do more in helping my husband in the financial areas, as you know one area I’m focusing on is keeping the grocery bill down by couponing.  I’m also wanting to help keep good records and keep things organized so that when it comes to preparing our returns we have at hand the documentation and records we need.

 

So have you done your taxes yet?  Other than being organized what kind of tax tips do you have to share?

 

If you’re wondering about filing an extension here is the tax extension form.

Last Friday I had the opportunity to bring my son and mom to the Georgia Aquarium to preview the new AT&T Dolphin Tales Show.

 

 

The previous dolphin shows I’d seen I learned about the different training techniques, like hand signals and the tools they use to indicate different behaviors.  Honestly how many times can you learn basically the same thing. This show is completely different it is a real SHOW! The three of us were completely captivated the whole 30 minutes.

Photo Credit: The Georgia Aquarium

 

The trainers and staff sing and perform a complete musical show. The dolphins are part of the show and come in and out to perform and have roles and parts in the production. Very cool I hadn’t expected that at all.

 

Photo Credit: The Georgia Aquarium

 

The kiddo was a little apprehensive at first because he didn’t know what to expect. After the show started he really got into things. There were opportunities for audience participation and he was completely into it and took his part very seriously.

One of the highlights of the show for us was when one of the performers surfed on the dolphin it was very cool. There was a part towards the end where one trainer skied on two dolphins!

Photo Credit: The Georgia Aquarium

I definitely will want to take friends and family to see the show it really was like nothing else I’ve seen before and would definitely want to see again.

 

After the show we got to check out the Aquarium a bit more.  There is a gallery where you can view the dolphins without purchasing tickets to see the show.  It’s a nice big viewing window of the dolphins, I especially liked this because in other areas I’ve found it difficult for the kiddo to see into the windows because there are usually too many people and only one window.

 

Photo Credit: The Georgia Aquarium

 

 

I told the kiddo all about the moving side walk in the aquarium and that’s what he wanted to do the most. We did it twice. I was able to snap a few pictures.

 

We had an opportunity to meet with a representative from AT&T and he shared how they’re developing and implementing barcode scanning throughout the aquarium. You download the barcode scanner and throughout the whole aquarium in each exhibit you can scan the barcode and it will pull up different websites and information facts. I thought was really cool! There are lots of plans to make the exhibits even more interactive.

 

We made it to a couple other areas but the kiddo was getting tired and it was a Friday in Atlanta which meant lots of traffic so we headed home.

 

Over all a really great time at the Georgia Aquarium.  Let me know if you go see the dolphin show!!

We're excited to watch the new AT&T Dolphin Tales Show at the Georgia Aquarium.

I've got the baby in the carrier and the kiddo holding grandma's hand.

It has been too long since we've visited the aquarium. The kiddo doesn't remember the last time, so he is super excited to see what it is all about.
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