The 7th Annual Chiodo's Top Ten Favorite Things

1. Pinterest: Let's start off with my most favorite thing this year...Pinterest! I would describe Pinterest as an online pinning board where you can find everything on there: crafts, recipes, home decor, fashion, comedy, quotes, etc. People post a picture (many times with a link) on there of something, and if you like it, you can "pin" it to your own board. The result is that you create your own pin boards of things that you love or that interest you. Some of my pinboards are: Fun Food, I Heart Spray Paint, Home Sweet Home, Quotables, and Kiddo Stuff. It can really suck you in so be prepared! Why do I love it so much? I love to be creative...but my secret is that many times I copycat the creativity that I see from other people. So this website is like a dream come true for me. I've done several things that I've found on here...home decor, recipes, playroom ideas. I don't get to spend a ton of time on Pinterest, but I love to sneak on there when I can.


2. Flirty Aprons: Every woman I know spends time in the kitchen...why not look and feel a little sassy while doing your baking, cleaning, and cooking?!? I love Flirty Aprons (www.flirtyaprons.com). I bought one this year (through a Groupon discount...see #10), and it adds a little fun even when washing the dishes for the 100th time that week. It's perfect to throw on when you have guests coming over and you still have some work to do in the kitchen.


3. Zingo: My two older kiddos LOVE the game Zingo! It's fun and educational so everyone's happy. It's bingo with a twist...using picture words to play all while making a little race out of it. It's a great game to play for more than 2 players too.


4. Pottery Barn Station Clock: I got a little birthday money this year and was so excited to get something that was catching my eye in the Pottery Barn catalog. The Pottery Barn Station Clock is now proudly mounted on my wall in my kitchen/hallway area. It's a great conversation piece, and it's perfect when needing to see the time from several different areas in the house.


5. "Family Rules" Subway Art: I'm loving subway art these days, and I loved finding something that was a meaningful piece to add to our home. I bought ours on etsy.com from "mytreehousetreasures." She was fabulous to work with, and they custom make it for you with your last name. It's been a great reference point when talking with the kiddos, and it's also a good little reminder for Mom and Dad too. :)

6. Sigg Kid's Water Bottles: This year I have become a lunch-making fool. Not only does Abby bring a snack and lunch each day to first grade, I also have to have a snack for Ben on preschool days, as well as lunch for him if he is going to the babysitter (if I worked the night before). I will many times pack a Sigg kid's water bottle in their lunchbags for them to have water, milk, or OJ when they eat. The designs are cute and easy to wash, and they are also perfect for ball games and practices.

7. Melissa & Doug Magnetic Dress Up Dolls: My mom gave some of these to Abby and Ben last year, and they have been played with ever since. There is a Joey doll for boys which has costumes like a fireman, a superhero, a pirate, etc. And there are several for girls...a ballerina, a princess, and loads of outfits to change on the dolls. There are a lot of cute little accessories to go with them...a purse, a crown, shoes, a flashlight, a shield and sword. I many times find the two of them dressing them up (like the girl as a queen and the boy as a king) and creating many fun stories with them.

8. Keurig: We jumped on the Keurig wagon this year. Oh, it's heavenly! We love it, especially me who works the off shifts. I would many times work the night before, go home and sleep until early afternoon, and then suffer the rest of the day with a "I need coffee!" headache. I wouldn't make a pot because it was just me who wanted it. Now...that all has changed, and everyone is happy that momma gets a cup of hot joe when she really needs one. You can get the best bang for your buck on K-cups at Sam's or Costco. And you can have hot chocolate, hot tea, or iced coffee with it as well. Well worth the money.

9. Krylon Spray Paint: Who puts spray paint on their Top 10 list? That would be me, of course. I don't think I could live without the stuff. Spray paint has changed my whole outlook on shopping. If I like a bargain, but hate the color. No problem. Buy a can of spray paint and make it yours. Seriously...I think there is something that is spray painted in every room of our house. When we lived at Blueberry Lane, we had ugly reddish orange shutters on the outside of our home. New shutters were $75/set. I had Jason take them down; I powerwashed them; bought a couple of cans of glossy black spray paint; and presto...fancy new shutters. Instead of spending hundreds of dollars, I think I spent $16 and change. You should never spray paint inside, but grab a tarp or cardboard box and head outside on a sunny day (or the garage on a not-so-sunny day) and spray away. Krylon is my favorite brand for it's quality and their fun colors. You can find it at Walmart, Lowe's, or Home Depot. I dare you to go spray paint something today. Do it.

10. Groupon: Last but not least, is a fabulous website that I love. If you haven't ventured into the world of Groupon, you are missing out on some good deals. They offer some bargain basement prices on any and everything in your area....restaurants, services, memberships, etc. They also have Groupon Getaways for fabulous prices on vacations, big and small. It's all free! Last year they had the local Maritime Aquarium yearly family membership for half off. Instead of paying over $110 for it, we got it for $55. And we went there A LOT! Just to visit one time with our family would be over $46 so we saved a bundle. Check out your local area on there and see what you can find.

2011 Chiodo Christmas Letter

Merry Christmas from Trumbull, Connecticut! We hope you and your family have had a wonderful year and are enjoying this holiday season. I have a little downtime to share a few of our memories from our somewhat eventful year. There is one thing I will preface everything with...God is faithful. He showed His faithfulness to us time and time again this year. There were many times in 2011 where life for us could have made a wrong turn. But each time our prayers were answered, and we knew that God was with us and helping (and holding) us along the way.

The biggest event of this year was welcoming our beautiful baby girl, Hannah Josephine. She was born on March 4th, and she is a perfect fit for our family. She is our third redhead (I think she's the reddest of all three) and has the feisty personality to boot. Hannah is 9 1/2 months old now, getting into everything, standing up everywhere, growing her third tooth, and eating like a champ. Probably at least 10 times a day, I look at her and thank God for this sweet and fun little girl that I can't stop kissing.

The next biggest thing this year is finishing our new house and moving in on July 30th. I am going to blog a little series of the whole process (with pictures) of it in January so check back then to hear more of the start-to-finish details. It was definitely not a walk in the park, and there were days where we thought we just might not make it. We had some issues with our contractor towards the end, and we had quite an unfinished home about 3 weeks before we needed to move in. To say there was a lot of blood, sweat, and tears (and worn out knees from praying) up until moving day would be an understatement. We have some fabulous friends and family who pitched in and helped us wrap up some of the final details. We are still working on a few projects that still need to be finished, but our family is settling in and enjoying our new home.

Another big event for us was Jason getting a new job in September. He was really ready for a change, but we weren't quite sure with the economy how that change would happen. (Again, cue the worn out knees from praying.) A door opened for him at the beginning of September, and we have been thanking God ever since. He is now the Director of Community & Provider Relations with the Stratford VNA (Visiting Nurse Association). He is the sales and marketing guy for all the local doctors, nursing homes, rehab facilities, hospitals, etc. that need a variety of services for their home healthcare patients. It's an excellent job for Jason...he gets to work independently and have a flexible schedule.

Abigail is 6 1/2, in the first grade, and growing up before our eyes. Besides losing four teeth this year, she also loves to draw (she's quite an artist) and is reading more and more every day. She continues to be a Girl Scout Daisy, and also enjoyed playing basketball and soccer this fall. She takes her role as big sister very seriously, which means bossing Ben around, and entertaining Hannah with her songs and dances. One thing I will say about Abby...she is very observant (she doesn't miss a beat!), and we get a kick out of some of her thoughts and opinions about life around her.

Benjamin is 3 1/2 and going to preschool two mornings a week. He's our little stinker...all boy and then some. Others say that he's an angel when we aren't around, so I'll take that over the opposite any day. His big excitements this year were graduating to big boy undies and getting his first stitches after a run-in with the barstool. Ben is our little helper...he loves to help me cook, put away the groceries, and empty the dishwasher; and his toolbox is never far behind his daddy's. He gives Abigail a run for her money, and doesn't seem too keen on Hannah wanting to play with "his" toys (we're working on it).

I continue to work the night shift part-time at Yale in the PACU. It works great for our family's schedule, and I seem to bounce between day and night fairly well. When I have a little free time, I squeeze in some reading for book club and coupon clipping for some savings. Life is busy with three kiddos, and I've got us mostly unpacked and organized in the new home. That seems easy to type, but it sums up a lot of my life!

This year was pretty stressful, working day and night around jobs and kids and activities to finish our home. Now that we've reached the end of the year, we both are looking back, taking a few deep breaths, and starting to relax. We didn't do much for vacationing this year...the one weekend we enjoyed at Hershey Park in Pennsylvania was cut short with a hurricane! Next year is our 10 year anniversary, and we have big plans to escape for a few kid-free days to a remote island with lots of beaches and fruity drinks. :)

We have much to be thankful for, including our wonderful friends and family. We are truly blessed with people in our lives who motivate us, encourage us, pray for us, laugh with us, and accept us. We miss our loved ones who are far away...if any of you have plans to pass through New England, we would love to see you! Stay tuned for our Top 10 List!

Here, There, Everywhere

Hello out there! It's me...I know you thought I jumped ship on this blog, but I haven't. I've been wrestling with my thoughts about this blog behind the scenes. Part of me wants to throw in the towel and say, "I'm too darn busy to keep up with this the way I want to." And another part of me yearns to sit down with a cup of coffee (lukewarm, of course, cause there is always something to do between brewing it and drinking it) and type away all my thoughts and ideas and funny happenings in the Chiodo home.

But I must admit, that I have some insecurities about it all. For one, I read other blogs which are so fun and creative (and updated), and I feel so far out of the loop with the blog world. Secondly, I wrestle with how much I really want to put myself out there. My husband thinks I'm an open book and will tell anyone anything. Yes, that is mostly true. But part of me doesn't want to open up and share the ups and downs, the good and bad, the weird and dorky side of me. What it all comes down to is this...I just got a lot to say sometimes. I like to be creative. I like to share my projects, ideas, and roll-your-eyes moments. And I really like to keep it real. I get so tired of the fakey-fakey stuff. I will be the first in line to admit that I don't have it all together most of the time. Also, being a nurse doesn't really let me express myself creatively most of the time. And being home the other part of the time with three kiddos...I need an outlet. This year really kicked my butt on several levels, and blogging took a backseat to it all. I would blog away in my mind and write some really fun posts, but it was usually while I was making dinner/holding a baby/breaking up a sibling argument/emptying the dishwasher/packing (or unpacking) a box all at the same time. So Chiodo Chuckles will not be cancelled. It is my utmost goal to keep it updated on a very regular basis after the holidays. Next year, there will be no moving and no babies so get ready to read. :)

The Chiodo Christmas letter, Top 10 list, and Christmas card are in the works. You will get it before Christmas, that I can promise.