Squarespace Blog / product review

And We Danced EP on Vinyl Giveaway

I know vinyl is all the rage again... its great and all but I think Im too young to get it. Until of course RockerByeDaddy came home with their copies of the And We Danced EP on this super sexy half and half vinyl! I love it - so - so - much. 

The colors just coordinate so well together. It I love how it ties in with the cover & insert... I think its fair to say it looks as awesome as it sounds. The record was put out by Paper + Plastick records. It is available for digital download here. They have also recently done a video that you can see here on youTube. If you want your chance to get your hands on the record, you can enter below! Come back every day to share and tweet for bonus entries.

a Rafflecopter giveaway
Read more →

Rainbow Sorbet and Unicorns for the win.

I am so in love with this print. I wish someone would order bedding out of it! Until then I will just have to enjoy the many MANY blanket orders that come in with this very popular print. Its fun to see how people decide to pair it together with the minky :) Get your own here.

il_570xN.511692839_iuvh.jpg
10530747_10152279683422572_4084864426130832276_n.jpg
il_570xN.435561360_77pl.jpg
il_570xN.609352175_a11e.jpg


Read more →

RockerByeButtons, need anything?

Just wanting to post a quick update for RockerByeButtons. The button shop is still going strong and if you need anything - don't hesitate to ask! We have so many options available and have been having a blast making custom orders. We recently did a set for Paper & Plastick! That was pretty rad. If you like them, you can get your own pack here.

Need to make an order for your own custom button pack? No problem. You can do that at www.rockerbyebaby.com/buttons or www.rockerbyebuttons.etsy.com

Read more →

Guest Blogger: WHY I AM AGAINST CELEBRATING NORMAL

Guest post by the wonderful NikkiCupcake. This post - while potentially controversial hits close to home with me. I have one super smart though very "normal" child... and one very high needs, sensory processing issues, emotional issues, behavioral issues child... Yes, one probably gets more special attention than the other. Why? Because he needs it. Maybe not even MORE attention, but a different type of attention. Maybe that makes me a bad mom... but the idea that I can teach, treat, and reward them the same is unrealistic - and I truly believe that unless you're in the position of having a high needs child, its hard to understand. Anyways - I'm rambling and you haven't even read the post yet... Carry on ;)

"Lately I’ve been seeing blog posts/comments/articles that say we need to celebrate “regular” or “normal” children. This gets me going in ways I couldn’t explain. I mean at first I totally got it. I thought “Oh that’s cool” considering media is filled with stories about mirco preemies, Autism, and a slew of other issues children may face. Coming from a mother with not 1 but 2 special needs kids (and no they are not on the spectrum (yet another story for another time)) I thought it was cool….. at first.

See as a mother of a special needs child I’ve entered a world of what ifs. Between the special needs sports programs we are involved with and school I see how important it is to celebrate those baby steps forward. I am lucky that Aiden will have a bright, “mainstreamed” future, and Cami we’re still figuring out. Many families are not as lucky. The high fives Cami got for peeing in the potty this morning, some kids will never get. That praise though is going to make Cami want to use the potty. As with ANY child positive reinforcement will go a long way. So I totally get celebrating “regular” or “normal” children.
But that’s not the issue here. The issue is a bunch of jealous parents got together and said “Why do we hear about kids with x, y or z problem?” “My child deserves praise too!” You are right you do deserve praise! But have you put your life and career on hold so your child could get early intervention sessions 5 days a week? Have your child’s issues ripped your family apart? Have you cried yourself to sleep because someone couldn’t give you an answer on what’s wrong with your child? Have you had to fight for every service your child gets? No offence or anything, but I think special needs children (and parents) need a little bit more praise. (Oh and I also have a “normal” child too!)
Maybe the nation and media isn’t giving your “normal” child the attention you think they deserve, which they do deserve because each child is a bright star in a universe of darkness. But that doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t be making up for it. You shouldn’t need someone else to celebrate your child, you as a parent need to celebrate your child. See us, special needs parents understand how hard those baby steps really are. That’s why we get together to celebrate our special children, and celebrate other special needs children. So seriously stop the “let’s celebrate normal kids too” bs. Celebrating normalness has gotten us nowhere as a society."

Now, while I don't necessarily agree with the entire post, or the last couple sentences, I do understand her point here. Yes, in my opinion "normal" kids deserve special attention, too... of course... and don't worry - my "normal" kid gets plenty of it... but it's different. Yesterday my son with major sensory issues ran out with a group of kids and played in a firehose. Freezing water and lots of it. He hates 2 things (he hates a lot of things but these two especially) When his clothes don't feel perfect on him (like soaking wet or even a twisted seam) and hates being cold. HATES being cold. On an 85 degree day he will be in jeans and a long sleeve shirt.  For my "normal" kid running to a fire hose spraying water isn't a big deal... he's messing around and having fun with his friends. When my "sensory needs" kid came running back I gave him a wet hug and told him how proud of him I was. It doesn't seem like a big deal, but it was. I know how hard that was for him and I was so proud of him for doing something that I know made him totally uncomfortable and going outside the box to try to have some fun. So, again... I realize that this may be a controversial post so I am asking that you please be kind in your responses. Rude comments will be deleted.

Read more →

My first championship game.

Ok - so I guess that title is a bit conflicting. It wasn't my first championship game - I grew up playing sports... I played in (and won) plenty of championship games... but this was my first playing the role of mom. Wow, is it ever a different experience. I was stressed, I was excited, I was laughing, I was cheering & I was crying. I was a hot mess. They started off behind and really had to play hard to catch up... but they did it. The fought their way back to the top and they won. Everyone stepped up and played their best, and even some of the kids that don't hit well were getting on base. One of the boys (nicknamed clutch today for his great hit) put tears in my eyes. He struggles at bat and bases were loaded... 2 outs... coming up on his third strike. He got a hit! I screamed RUNNNN RUNNNN!!!!! And he made it to first. Got an RBI and kept the inning going. Because of that we got back into the "meat" of the batting order and the next coming hitters scored 4 more runs.  Not even my kid and I was fighting tears. He was SO PROUD and that kid didn't stop smiling the rest of the game. (the smiling crowd shot was after he hit, everyone was up smiling and cheering. It was the cutest thing EVER) In the last inning Izzaq made an AMAZING catch and the crowd went wild... and for the third out to finish the game, Izzaq made a great play, tagged first and the game was over. When he stepped on that bag all those kids jumped up and down, squealing for joy... high fives, hugging, cheering... It was amazing. I was crying, papa had tears in his eyes, other moms were hugging and crying. It was just so cool. They played so great, and fairly (even when the other team was trying to be a bit of a bully) and kept their cool under pressure... the coaches led their team to victory and we all couldn't have been more proud of our boys. To see the looks on their faces when they won was priceless... Izzaq was a little sad I didn't get it on video, but really... I am so happy to have that moment locked into my mind forever instead of distracted behind a screen. 

IMG_1607.JPG
IMG_1624.jpg
IMG_1640.jpg
IMG_1664.JPG
IMG_1707.JPG
10517552_10203666765981972_4688186371510167266_n.jpg
IMG_1764.JPG
IMG_1769.JPG
IMG_1771.jpg
Read more →