DIY Spring Pipe Cleaner Rings

There’s something about holidays that makes me especially crafty. I absolutely LOVE a good holiday craft, and I personally don’t think they all need to be saved for Christmas. Since Easter is coming up, I scoured the attic for supplies and decided to make these adorable rings out of pipe cleaners! They’re simple to make and pretty silly, so I think the kids would LOVE them.

I added some fun embellishments, like pom poms, felt flowers and glitter paper to create some spring characters. I kind of want to wear these all the way until Easter, since they’re so cute! Plus they really play up my lavender manicure.

They’d make a perfect prize for your Easter egg hunt as an alternative to candy too! Head on over to Giggles Galore to see the full post. It’s so easy to make your own!

We Got a Dog!

Exciting news- we got a dog! I think I’ve officially gone insane but we are now a party of 7- baby Hailey, 3 cats, the dog, John and me! I was blissfully content without a dog right now, but somehow the timing felt right and Lexie became a part of our family! 

Some backstory on me and dogs: allllll my life I wanted a dog. I would ask my parents non-stop and I even wrote it on the grocery list a few times. Even though I begged for one any chance I got, I didn’t get my first dog until I was in college! I still lived at home but I dropped out for a semester and was feeling incredibly lonely. So, I decided to browse around and found a really cute dog on Craigslist named Cody. My parents were extremely hesitant, but they fell in love with Cody and I finally had my dog. When I moved out, I had a tough break. My parents didn’t want me to take the dog with me, and my husband (boyfriend back then) didn’t want him to come with us. Cody shed a lot and barked a lot, plus was only wee wee pad trained. We were getting a small apartment which didn’t have room for that plus a litter box. I decided it was in Cody’s best interest to stay with my parents, and eventually we went from having just one cat to three cats. 

Let’s fast forward. We bought our house and I didn’t want a dog yet because we were at work all day long and I felt bad. Cats are ok alone all day and since we have 3, they have each other. I knew a dog would want attention that I couldn’t give it, so I didn’t get one. I still wished for one though, and last Christmas (2017) John almost got me a dog as my gift. I got really excited but in the end he didn’t get one. I still remember crying on Christmas Eve because it felt like the Cody fiasco all over again. I was always this-close to having a dog but couldn’t quite make it happen. 

In January of 2018 I got pregnant, so all dreams of having a dog were put on hold. I didn’t care much for anything new besides my baby, and even the blog fell to the wayside! I knew I’d get to the point where I couldn’t bend down to pick up poop, and the nausea was in full gear that first trimester and I didn’t want to tempt it. Plus, I was imagining how needy a baby would be and how big of an adjustment that would be, so I didn’t want to add to the stress.  

Now Hailey is a little bigger and actually a really good baby, sleeping through the night, happy.. all around wonderful beyond my wildest dreams. I didn’t think we needed a dog right about now since everything was so perfect, but my husband was really big on Hailey having a dog so that they could “grow up together”. John’s mom got a dog a few months before he was born and they literally grew up together. I’m also home all day erryday so it did seem like a good time to be training a puppy. Much to my surprise, I gave in and started to get excited about getting a dog. 

We went to North Shore Animal League and found little Lexie! She originally went by Tess, although I didn’t realize that until we took her collar off and saw it scribbled inside. She was the only dog that wasn’t going wild, or barking and licking people as they came by. Instead, she was quiet and sleeping at the back of her cage. Even when we took her out to play with her, she seemed shy and overwhelmed with all the hubbub. They told us that she’s a terrier mix, came from South Carolina and was only 2 months old. Poor little thing traveled a great distance and lived in a cage, so it’s no wonder she was so frightened! I fell in love with how sweet she was so we put in an adoption application and hoped for the best. The adoption process at NSAL is pretty long- you’re there for hours waiting to hear any news. We headed to a Starbucks and relaxed while we waited, and I began to think about a name. I thought about naming her Charlotte (our second choice for Hailey’s name!) but then I thought to look at names of cities in South Carolina for a cool name. I saw Lexington, which is also a popular street in Manhattan and it seemed like fate. It’s a name that shows her adventure from South Carolina to the suburbs of the Big Apple. We call her Lex or Lexie for short. 

It’s been just over a week since we got Lexie and I’m happy to say that she’s starting to find her place at home. She was really scared at first and wouldn’t move past her wee wee pad, then only up to the couch, and finally around the kitchen and dining room. She’s 50% wee wee pad trained and we plan to train her outside once it warms up and she gets her shots. She sort of knows her name, kinda responds to “no!” and is pretty good at playing fetch! But she’s also a professional toe biter, cat food thief, and scavenger hunter who finds the most random pieces of garbage on our floor that we didn’t know existed. I find myself wondering why I decided I wanted a dog in the first place sometimes, but seeing her run around with a ball in her mouth playing fetch or napping next to me as I blog at night makes it all worth it. 

I’m going to do a separate post about navigating life with a puppy along with a 4.5 month old baby (and 3 cats!), because it’s been pretty crazy! Just know that when people tell you it’s like having 2 babies, they aren’t kidding! Although it’s more like a baby and a rambunctious toddler you’re trying to potty train ;) Keep an eye out for that post and be sure to follow along on Instagram to see when it drops, plus get behind the scenes footage of Lexie via my Instagram stories! 

I’m super excited to make Lexie an official member of our family and create DIY’s for other dog mommas out there! Stay tuned for even more fun on the blog as the Cardona Circus evolves and grows.  For now, you can find the DIY pom pom collar here.

Hailey's 4 Month Update

I need to get better about posting these updates on time, but on January 28th Hailey turned 4 months old! Time flies and we’re about to do her 5 month update in just over a week and I’m wondering where the time went. Let’s see what this cute little cabbage patch has been up to!

At four months old, Hailey is 13 lbs and 23.5 inches tall. She’s wearing size 3-6 months clothes. She’s outgrowing her second set of clothes, the 0-3 month ones and getting better and smarter each day!

Crawling/swimming

Hailey’s fun party trick is swimming on her belly from dad to mom. She’ll be on Johns lap and decide she wants me. So she tips herself forward, goes onto her belly and wildly kicks and flails around to get over to me (I’m usually right next to John). He’s put his hand behind her feet to give her something to push off of and she ventures over to me, slobbering on John’s arm the entire way. 

Found her foot

Hailey found her foot! I had her on my lap and she looked down and saw a fox foot on her pjs. She was interested in it (step 1 of finding her foot) and then was wiggling it around and seemed shocked she made it move! (Step 2 of finding her foot). It was actually the cutest thing to witness as she pieced it all together. 

Throw up monster

Ugh this month Hailey’s been spitting up like crazyyyy and it’s been super fun. We’re going through burp cloths like crazy. One day, she burped and kinda threw up but it was literally across the entire back of the couch cushion, all over the burp cloth and all down my back too! That was fun to clean up but lucky I had spot and stain upholstery cleaner so it didn’t even leave a stain!

Great sleeper

This month was a shocker since Hailey has been sleeping at night more than most babies her age- 10, 12 sometimes even 14 hours! It was hugely helpful since I got to do work at night (hallelujah!) but also still get a full night’s rest. She also started going to sleep more easily since she’s found her thumb, and instead of 2+ hours nighttime routine, it only takes about 30 minutes. 

Bouncer/Jumper

I think part of the reason she’s going to bed so easily is that we set up her bouncer and she jumps all day long! She’s pretty much sitting in there if she’s not eating or napping and she loves it. At first she just hung there but after teaching her to bounce and putting a book under her feet so she could reach the ground, she go the hang of it and hasn’t stopped bouncing since. We have the Finding Nemo jumper because I figured if it had to be technicolor, it may as well be something I liked. But, my friend has this one from Skip Hop which also turns into a table and chalkboard when they get bigger and I loveeeee how simple and clean it looks! I wish I had found it first because I definitely would have picked that one.

Laughing

Ugh be still my heart. Hailey finally started laughing and it’s the cutest thing everrrr. She really doesn’t laugh that often but I spend all my time trying to get her to giggle. I think she takes after her father- he doesn’t laugh all that much, while I laugh at everything. While it can be frustrating to try and make her laugh but only having her stare at me in return, it makes those few giggles I do get extra-precious. 

Crying at strangers

I used to be able to hand Hailey off to anyone and everyone, but not anymore! Now when people come over and try to hold her, she freaks out. She’s always looking to me for comfort and to assess if the person is a friend or foe. I still can’t believe that she’s my baby and I’m her mom. I feel like theres got be someone else who’s really in charge of her! I’ll take all the extra snuggles though, and I’m trying to slowly re-introduce people in a way she’s comfortable with so she doesn’t cry as much around them (like grandmas, aunties… not true “strangers”). It usually involves putting her in her bouncer (safe zone) while they play with her and she gets comfortable with them.

Brown eyes

It seems like Hailey’s eye color is finally starting to come through and it’s a greyish brown! They seem dark so she may have my eye shape but Johns eye color. Only time will tell!

One extra long curly hair

Hailey has one single extra long, curly strand of hair! It sits straight up on the middle of the crown of her head. We were fairly certain she’d have curly hair since both of us do, and this confirmed it! We’re still unsure about hair color, since the back of her head is super dark but the top is sorta light and blond-ish in the sun. 

Nicknames

Cheese Foot is still hanging in there from her stinky Owlet foot, along with Love Dove, Love Bug, and of course still calling her my best friend! She’s stopped making her bird sounds which makes me sad, so I don’t call her Little Bird anymore. But I foresee many new nicknames coming about!

Well, thats all about Hailey at 4 months old! She’s the cutest baby I ever laid eyes on and I love her sooooo much. I’m so appreciative of the fact that I get to stay home with her daily.

Valentine’s Day Cupid’s Arrow Pins

It’s almost Valentine’s Day, so that means you have to wear your heart on your sleeve! Or, well… your lapel! With these super easy to make cupid’s arrow pins, you’ll be adorably decked out for work, shopping or even a Galentine’s day brunch! Best of all they’re fun to make for all your gal-pals with the tutorial I created for Giggles Galore.

There’s instructions for the 3 simple designs and you only need a few supplies to create a whole bunch of them. You can also make them for your coworkers, kids at school, or your family members to wear.

So, head on over to Giggles Galore blog so you can make your own!

DIY Polaroid Valentine

Ever since Hailey came along, it’s like people can’t get enough of her. I get it- she’s the cutest! So, instead of getting the grandmas and aunties chocolates that end up with a bite taken out (is it just me that taste tests each one?!) get them something they can keep forever- these magnets! I partnered up with Pinhole Press to create this adorable camera valentine for your family. This post was sponsored by Pinhole Press, but just know I LOVE their products- I ended up ordering an extra set of these magnets because everyone wanted one for themselves once they saw them!

I did a quick photoshoot for Hailey with v-day outfits to make these magnets extra special. Most of the pics can be seen in her 3 month update and you can easily do your own by popping a red or pink shirt onto the kiddos!

So, head on over to the Pinhole Press blog to see the post and order your own set!