HBD Angie

Happy Birthday to one of the craziest girls I know, Mrs. Angie Talbert. 

What I love about Angie is that she is always in a good mood, even when she's mad. It cracks me up how someone can always have a good day, even when they don't. Angie is a positive light to a dark day. She is super bubbly, has a heart of gold and is down for anything. I always love when Angie cooks, the girl can make me anything and I'll eat it. She is a wife and a mom to my sweet Colton. And my almost born nephew, Jace. Angie went through an awful loss of her baby girl last November but somehow was still able to keep her positive spirit going. Even on her darkest days, she never gave up hope or her love for God. I only pray I could have the same strength as her if that had happened to me. I love having Angie as my sister in law. She was the first one of the Lewis family to welcome me in. I just love her. 

Angie,

Thank you for always being there for me and loving me for me. You always have a smile on your face and I always look forward to being with you. You have a crazy side and a sweet side and Brody is so incredibly lucky to have you as an aunt. Happy Birthday and I love you sis!

Love, Dani

Loving right now

Dear Diary,

There are so many things I am loving right now so let's get started. 

When it came to knowing what baby bottles Brody would like, I had no idea. I knew I always loved Avent bottles from nanning and when I went into Babies R Us to register, that is the one I went in wanting. But once I got there, I realized there was so many more options so I decided to do some research and figure out what the consumers liked. The one I kept coming across was Joovy Boob bottles because of their closeness to the actual boob itself. And since I knew I wanted to breastfeed, finding a bottle that was closely like a breast, was important to me. Not gonna lie, at first he wasn't a fan. It took him a couple of weeks to really like them. The bottle comes in a PP (polypropylene) form and a glass form. I have the PP form. It is very durable plastic. The nipple design and their 1 piece CleanFlow vent is easy to clean. They both provide consistent venting regardless of how the bottle is held. As long as the vent ring is perfectly in place, you will never have any spillage. The nipple comes in 5 flow rates that are molded and tested for consistency. They also bake their nipples which I find interesting. They claim its because it strengths the silicone and in return prevents softness. They do cost more than the average baby bottle but the benefits are worth it. They start at $9.99 and you can find them {here}. 

I am a huge fan of Selena Gomez so when I heard she was putting out a new CD, I was so excited. It came out Friday and it is all I have been listening to. Yes I am 30 and no I don't care. Called Revival, she has a regular album and a deluxe (I prefer the deluxe). She doesn't sound like those teeny boppers. This album is more grown up and just has this nice chill vibe to it. Favorite songs on the album I have been listening to over and over are: Sober, Same Old Love, Good For You, Camouflage, Me & My Girls and Nobody (which is a great love song). The girl has come a long way from her Disney days but is still someone I would want my daughter looking up to. She is a great influence and is incredibly gorgeous, without flaunting it (minus her album cover but like I said, this is a more grown up album). And the fact that she just came out about having Lupus and letting her fans know and understand what is going with her, is just incredibly brave. 

I love coffee. It's no new news. But I am always looking for the newest coffee gadget or thing. We have all heard of the Ninja blender, the best blender in the world. But recently, they put out a coffee bar! It's one machine that allows you to enjoy any size coffee you want, all at home. From just a cup of coffee to a full carafe. There is a classic brew which is just your normal cup of coffee, rich brew which is more intense cup of coffee, an over ice brew and a speciality brew which is like an espresso. It comes in 2 different forms. You can either get it with a glass carafe or a stainless steel carafe. The glass carafe one comes with a warming plate and the stainless steel one doesn't, since it's created to keep your coffee hot. This device is on my Christmas list. It is $160. 

All day long I change diapers. And I have changed diapers since I was 14 when I started keeping kids. I have been through and seen every diaper out on the market. Some good and some bad. So when it came time to find the diapers I wanted for my munchkin, I knew I wanted to best for his booty. Diaper rash is a serious thing and can make them so uncomfortable and changing them is awful. When Kristen had Billie Marie, she introduced me to the Honest Company diapers. Founded by Jessica Alba, the diapers are eco-friendly, ultra absorbent, hypoallergenic and free of any fragrances. And they come in the cutest designs ever. My thing was cost. Because you go through so many diapers a day, I didn't want it to cost B and I an arm and leg on diapers alone. But Kristen informed me that they are the same price as Loves and Pampers. They start at $13.95 and go up from there depending on how many you get. They offer a monthly bundle package which is $80 a month and you get 6 thing of diapers and 4 thing of wipes (it's a great deal). I will say this about them, when you have a new born, don't buy the newborn diapers from them. They do not have a place for the umbilical cord that is still attached to the baby. Go for the swaddlers for the time being. Then once they get into size 1's, go with Honest. Brody has yet to have a diaper rash or any irratation and there are sometimes he goes hours with a heavy diaper due to sleeping or we are out and about. And since honesty is my policy, he does not wear them at night. He wears the Pampers night time diapers since I don't want to wake him at night to change his diaper. 

Fringe is IN right now for fall. Everywhere you look this season, you will see fringe. Rather in dresses or purses and even on shoes. And honestly, I love it. It is so 1920/1930's to me with the flapper era. I was trying to find something I love the most with fringe but everywhere I went, I couldn't pick so I decided on Kristen Cavallari and her shoes. I did a blog last year on her shoes and I am still so in love with them. These are my favorite by her. Her shoes are a little pricy but they are really good quality. These are $170. H&M has a lot of fringe stuff too and it's all super cute (and so much cheaper)!
  

Lady Gaga on American Horror Story: Hotel. I am so in love with her right now. She comes on and I am captivated. She really can act and totally gets into character. This year Jessica Lange isn't on so I was little hesitant on it but they have totally outdone themselves by hiring Lady. I hope she stays on for seasons to come. 

My son's smile! It's the best thing EVER! 

Love, Me

10 weeks

How old? 10 weeks (double digits from here on out)

Likes? Being talked to, snuggling, baths, his hands, being swaddled. I let him take a bath with me last night and he loved it.  I was afraid the water was too hot for him, so we put his feet in to test it and he immediately pulled them out so I knew it was. So I added some cold water and it was perfect. He likes his bath water really warm and he would have stayed in there hours if we let him. He was just laying on my legs, moving his arms and legs around in the water. I stood him up where his feet hit the bottom of the tub and he just looked at the water. He is a water baby for sure which makes me super happy!

Hates? Being alone, laying on his back, his crib

Milestones this week? SMILING! Like full on smiling at us. It's the absolute best thing in the world. I just look at him and he smiles. It melts me everytime. And he has a big smile. We have also started teething. I keep getting told that he is too young to be teething but I know I am right. Rosy cheeks, drooling, chewing on his hands, warm, moody...all the signs are there. Teething tablets are in full force. 

Sleeping? Awful during the day! Sunday he slept about an hour and half all day. He wasn't in a bad mood until night time but this kid is just an awful sleeper. He hates being on his back and I know it's because of his stomach problems right now. We put him in his crib and he just screams. And yes, we let him cry it out but he will cry for hours if we let him and I just don't see the point at 10 weeks old. I read that babies don't start producing melatonin til 9 weeks old and don't really have it full on til 12 weeks so I am giving us to 12 weeks to start really letting him cry it out. He is sleeping in his pack in play in our room at night and during the day, either on the couch or in his puppy bouncer since it is upright. Sunday night and last night he did amazing during the night. Only woke once or twice and went right back to sleep. It's just day sleeping we can't quite get. 

Eating? He is his daddy's boy when it comes to eating. 3oz every 2 hours except in the middle of the night. We give him 4oz in the middle of the night and he will go about 3 hours or so. 

HBD Hayden Timothy Smith

Happy Birthday to my awesome nephew, Hayden Timothy Smith.

Words can not describe the love I have for this kid. He is the most precious thing in the world. He's got a personality for days, is so sweet, loves my son so much (and calls him Brobee cause he can't quite say Brody). Hayden is that kind of kid you dream of having. He just goes with the flow, he's got a sensitive side but is all boy at the same time. He is for a sure a momma's boy and I love that about him. When he doesn't like something, he lets you know. I am having a hard time coming to terms that he is 2 now. Like, where did my little man go? 

Hayden, 

I love you so much. You are such a blessing to me and I can not imagine my life without you. You always make me laugh with your silly ways and you always have a smile on your face. You are a great example for Brody to look up to. Thank you for allowing me to be your aunt! It is such a privilege. And just know, no matter how big you get, you will always be my little man!

Love, Ninny

30 in 30: 4: Garth Brooks

Is there someone you have always wanted to meet? Or see live? Or have loved your whole life and just the thought of being in the same room with them gives you chills? 

Well that is me and Garth Brooks. 

Garth has been a big part of life. He is my all time favorite singer. I know everyone of his songs by heart and when they come on, they get turned up. I never get tired of them. When I think of my childhood, I think of him. When I found out he was going on tour, I just knew he would come to Dallas. Dallas is a big part of his life so I knew if I was just patient enough, he would come. My fear was he was going to come in the beginning of August when Brody was due and wouldn't be able to go. 

The morning I got the email from Garth Brooks' people, telling me that Dallas was his next city and he would be here in September, I immediately told my family. Because like me, the love him too. My sister and Tim had traveled to Houston to see him in June for my sister's birthday so I was afraid they wouldn't want to go again but I was totally wrong! I asked Bobby if he wanted to go but he said he would opt out and let me have the night with my family while he stayed with Brody. 

So come time for the tickets to go on sale. I was on my computer at 8am, refreshing Ticketmaster so come 10am, I could click 5 tickets and be done. Little did I realize that I wasn't the only one who loved Garth. Because come 10:00am, there was a 15 minute wait to see if you could even get them. I tried for 2 hours to get tickets for each night. He kept adding nights and as soon as I would find out, Ticketmaster would claim they were sold out. My heart sank. The man I have dreamed about seeing live was almost out of my reach. 

A few weeks later, I was at my parents house in the pool and was complaining to my sister about not getting tickets. Tim knew of a different website where he could look for me. It's the place he got his and Kara's for Houston. The next day (which was Labor Day) I got a text from Kara asking me how much I was willing to pay and what was available. That Tim was able to find some for the Sunday night concert. About 5 minutes later, she text me back saying "Well Dani....you are going to see Garth!" I cried. Seriously I did. 

A few fun facts about Garth before we get started:

*1988 is when his first CD dropped.

*His first big hit was Much Too Young (Too Feel This Damn Old) in 1989 which peaked at #8.

*He had almost no voice at the concert yet somehow found a way to sing for us.

*He claims he keeps his guitar on him to hide his gut.

*21 years- that is the person who has been with him for the shortest amount of time, and the fact he's been doing this for 27 years, that is saying a lot about this man!

*He likes to sing Happy Birthday to his crew with the help of the crowd. 

*Gets the most emails about The Thunder Rolls

*Trisha Yearwood use to be his backup singer before she made it big herself. Many years later they fell in love and are now married. 

*His first name is really Troyal, Garth is his middle name. 

So here we are: 30 in 30: number 4: Garth Brooks 

The day has finally come and I was told to be at Kara's at 4:45pm. We would go get dinner and then head out to the concert. I went through about 8 different outfits before I found the one I wanted to wear. The people who ended up going was me, Kara, Tim and my Dad. My mom said she would stay with Landry and Hayden, that she didn't really want to go to the concert! (Can you believe that?). 

So we go to dinner and make our way to the AA center. Can I say how glad I am he picked the AA center over Jerry World. Everything about the AA center is better for a concert. And even when you are in the nosebleed section like we were, you can still see and hear really well. 

He had an opening act and her name is Karyn Rochelle. I wasn't the biggest fan of her. She was just ok to me but I wasn't there for her. At 8:24pm, the 60 second countdown begin and you could hear the excitement in the crowd. Everyone screamed for the whole 60 seconds. And then there he was. Like I've always imagined. 

I decided to write down each song in order of what he sang. 

1) Man Against The Machine- The newest Garth song. After he sang this song, he made a small speech in which he told us that when he goes to concerts, he likes to hear the old stuff and the crowd goes wild! And off we go....I swear I felt like I was 10 again singing at the top of my lungs in my daddy's truck! 

2) Rodeo

3) Two Of A Kind Working On a Full House

4) The Beaches Of Cheyenne- Fun fact about this song for me: When I was in the 5th grade, we had a fair like day at my Elementary school. The cop there was a singer and he loved Garth Brooks as much as me. We had planned on singing this song as a duet there. It never happened but I always remember rehearsing it. Oh and it has the word Damn in it and I was NOT allowed to say it. 

5) The River- In my top 5 favorite Garth songs. "But with the good Lord as my captain, I can make it through them all". 

6) Two Pina Coladas 

7) Papa Loves Mama- So this song isn't a song a 10 year old should be singing about but Garth has a way of making his songs so catchy.

8) Ain't Goin Down Till The Sun Comes Up- So this song is the hardest song of Garth's to sing. It is so fast and took me years to master. I still get tongue tied on it if I think to hard about it. 

9) Unanswered Prayers- So as this song is starting, my sister leans over to me and says that everytime she hears this song, she thinks of the babies she miscarried and how grateful she is for Landry and Hayden. And then the tears started rolling down my face. This is in my top 5 favorite song he sings. It always makes me think of things I never asked for and was given by God. "Sometimes I thank God for unanswered prayers. Remember when you're talkin' to the man upstairs. That just because he doesn't answer, doesn't mean he don't care. Some of God's greatest gifts, are unanswered prayers." 

10) That Summer- Again, another song a child should not be singing. About a young boy and his older mistress who teaches him "lessons" in life. I had no idea what Garth was singing about till later and by then it didn't matter. 

11) The Thunder Rolls- OK....another song a child shouldn't be singing about. About a man who cheats on his wife and she catches him and in the 3rd verse (if you are true Garth fan, you know he's notorious for his 3rd verses), shoots him. During this song I went and peed and got another drink. 

12) Much Too Young (To Feel This Damn Old)- "God bless Chris LeDoux" (only a true Garth fan will understand this)

13) In Another's Eyes- Trisha Yearwood comes out then and sings this duet with Garth. After this song is done, Garth takes a break and she sings a few of her most famous. 

14) X's and O's

15) How Do I Live Without You- every time I think of Con Air and I love that movie!

16) Prizefighter

17) She's In Love With A Boy- My favorite Trisha song. Kara and I sing this song at the top of our lungs! "Momma breaks in, says don't lose your temper. Wasn't very long ago. When you yourself was a hay-seed plow boy, who didn't have a row to hoe. My daddy says you was not worth a lick. When it came to brains you got the short end of the stick. But he was wrong hunny and you are too. Katie looks at Tommy, like I still look at you. She's in love with the boy..." 

Trisha goes off stage and Garth comes back out now. And he is in full force.

18) Callin Baton Rouge 

19) Friends In Low Places- My 2nd favorite Garth song. And it would not be complete without the 3rd verse. At first he teased that he wasn't going to do it and got booed really bad and then laughed and said "Alright then....help me out!" and at the top of my lung I helped him out "I guess I was wrong. I just don't belong. But then, I've been there before. And everything is alright. I'll just say goodnight and I'll show myself to the door. I didn't mean to cause a big scene, just wait til I finish this glass. Then sweet little lady, I'll head back to the bar. And you can kiss my ass. 'Cause I've got friends in low places.....

20) The Dance- This is my favorite Garth song of all time. And I cried. My daddy reached over and held my hand and I lost it. This is my dad's all time favorite song and every since Kara and I were little girls, he has asked us to play this at his funeral. As morbid as that is, we always understood it. This song has a double meaning: first is about a love that has ended and how they don't regret it. The second is about someone dying because of something they believe in, after a moment of glory. How they could have missed the pain of it all but they would have had to miss the dance, the actual experience of it all. I could do a whole blog on this one song and maybe someday I will. 

Encore

21) Fever

Encore #2

22) If Tomorrow Never Comes- In my top 5 favorite songs by Garth. It is a constant reminder to tell my husband and my baby I love them every night. 

23) Amarillo By Morning- This is a George Strait song so I was really excited when I heard him cover this. It was so good! 

24) Shameless- Fun fact about this song and me: When this song first came out, I swore up and down to my dad that Garth was saying "Shaving", not "Shameless" even to the point where I would sing shaving instead of shameless. It wasn't till years later I finally told myself I was wrong and dad was right. So it was only right that during this song I turn to my dad and at the top of my lungs sing "Oh I'm SHAVING..."

25) Standing Outside The Fire- I can't hear this song and not think of the video. One of the best videos ever. If you have never seen it, go to YouTube and look it up. It will change your life! 

What a night! What an experience! I love this man and he may never know what he means to me and my family or ever know my name but it doesn't matter. I will get to meet him one day in heaven and I will have plenty of time to let him know then! And I can't imagine a better night than seated between theses two. Only thing better would have been my mom and my husband right there along side me. 

And to the old couple sitting in front of me who plugged their ears every time Kara and I would scream, you should have known coming to a Garth Brooks concert was going to be loud. I do not apologize. 

And to the lady who was 2 rows behind me who kept yelling at Garth that it was her birthday every 5 minutes, sweetheart I promise you he didn't hear you but everyone else around you did. I do hope you had a great birthday, despite how annoying you were! 

2 months old/ 9 weeks

How old? 2 months and 2 days or 9 weeks

Weight? 14..5 pounds (95 percentile)

Length? 24 inches (90 percentile)

Likes? To eat, kisses, standing, baths, his puppy bouncer, being talked to, snuggling with me on the couch, going for a walk as long as I don't go too long, then he screams to get out of it.

Dislikes? Being cold, when he's hungry, being left alone for too long

Eating? 3 oz every 2 hours. He is on soy formula strictly now. 

Sleeping? Ugh...he isn't a very good sleeper. It is something we are struggling with. He wakes really easily. He loves music played or the TV on when he sleeps, he just has a hard time getting comfortable on his back. I think he struggles with acid reflux and we haven't gone to doctor yet so I don't have any medicine for it just yet. I am hoping once we do he will sleep better. Below is his favorite place to sleep. The boy could sleep on me for days. It's an awful habit to get into but he's so much happier when he wakes because he has slept so sound. 

He also loves to sleep in our bed, propped up on a pillow. Which again I know is a bad habit to get into but he doesn't do this often. Just when I am exhausted and he's out. Haven't you ever heard about not waking a sleeping baby? That goes big time in my household, especially when the child isn't the best sleeper to begin with. 

Awake? A lot during the day. During the night we go through one stretch where he is awake almost 2 hours. He will cat nap during that 2 hours. And then he has a bottle and goes right back to sleep. And because of his stomach, he just can't get comfy. And this kid loves being comfy! 

Milestones? He is holding his head up about 80% of the time on his own. He can sit in a bumbo chair for about 5 mins. He loves reaching for things. You can look at him and smile and he will smile back (this is my favorite). He will follow me around the room with his eyes. Him and Dash snuggle together, even though Dash is acting out because of Brody but that's a whole other story. 

Anything new? I have gone back to work and he is staying with my sister during the day. He loves being in the Baby Bjorn facing me, where he can put his head on my chest and fall asleep. It's how we get around the grocery store now. Because he hates his car seat, this makes it so much easier on us. I took him for a quick walk around the block facing out so he could see. But he likes facing me better. :-) I can really tell his looks are changing. It amazes me to look back to a few weeks ago and see how different he already looks. Sometimes he is my mini-me and sometimes he looks just like Bobby. I love that he got both of our features. 

How's mom and dad? We are good. Hanging in there. Tired and we feel worn down but we look at him and it doesn't matter. I have about 1/2 a pound till I am at pre-pregnancy weight so I am super proud of myself for that. I still have a while to go to look like I use to look but that will come with time and exercise. We had our first date night for our anniversary so that was nice. We tried our best to not talk about Brody the entire time and managed to do that a little. But when your child is just as cute as mine is, it tends to be the topic of conversation for us.  

Hi Ho, Hi Ho, It's Back To Work I Go!

Today I have officially started back to work. Before I had Brody, I never saw coming back to work a big deal. I have worked since I was 14 and I like working. It's good for the brain and I feel like it keeps me going. 

Last July, I talked with Bobby about going part-time when we had children. I knew I couldn't stop working all together but I knew I didn't want to work full time and feel like I was missing out. (nothing against you full time moms.....I have all the respect in the world for you and hold you all on a pedestal for it). At the time we couldn't afford it and I wasn't even pregnant. April of this year, Bobby told me if I wanted to go part-time I could. He understood where I was coming from and since we were moving to Mansfield, it would just be easier. I still thought coming back to work would be easy enough. 

I worked up till my due date. I actually worked a 12 hour day the day before I had Brody. Then I had Brody and my world changed. It's funny how that happens. You think one way but God takes your brain down another path. And because I had a c-section, I knew I would get 8 weeks paid maternity leave. The government allows you to legally take 12 weeks as in your company can not fire you for 12 weeks after having your baby. 

Before Brody, I told my job 6 weeks. 

After Brody, I told them 8 weeks. I contemplated 12 weeks but I thought if I went that long, I wouldn't go back. Brody is 9 weeks tomorrow so I guess you could say I took 9 weeks. 

Another issue I had coming back to work was who was going to keep Brody while I worked? Bobby thought he could do it. But Brody isn't the best sleeper and really likes to be involved in what we are doing and Bobby works way to hard for Brody to be interrupting his day. My mom doesn't start keeping him till January so we were kind of stuck. What do we do? We knew of a friend of a friend who kept children and thought about taking him there. 

Which brings us to Saturday, as in 2 days ago Saturday. 

Kara had Hayden's 2nd birthday party and Bobby, Kara, Kristen and I were sitting around a small table talking. My phone rings and it is that friend of a friend on the other line. My sister asked Bobby what was going on and he explained to her that we were needing someone to keep him while I worked the 2 days. Kara had originally told Bobby (when Bobby was going to keep him) that if he needed any help, to drop Brody off with her. She is a stay at home mom and would love to spend time with him. Back to Saturday....the look on her face when he told her that was priceless. You could see the wheels turning. I had actually stepped outside to talk with the lady about her place. On the drive home, Bobby told me that Kara had said that she wanted to keep him. But wasn't sure if we would want her to. 

So I texted Kara and asked her if she was for real with this. If this was something she wanted to do. That I didn't want to get in the way of her and Hayden and all that. She was more than thrilled we wanted her and just like that, my Brody man is going to stay with his Aunt Kara and Hayden on Monday's and Tuesday's. 

When Landry was Brody's age, I use to keep her on Thursday's. It was our day together. And it created this ever lasting bond. And now Brody will have this with Kara. And her with him. 

PEOPLE.....I could not be more pleased or happy about this. I just knew I was going to be in tears all weekend, dreading coming back to work, knowing my little man is out there somewhere with someone who doesn't love him like I do. (OK, no one loves him like I do but you know what I mean). And I didn't cry once this weekend. Nor on the drive into work. I was totally fine. Which is what I have been praying about. 

Points to be made:

1) Yes I know I am only part time and that makes it easier on me. I don't need to keep getting reminded of it. Rather I leave him for an hour or 9 hours, it is still hard.  

2) I know I need to step away from him for a few hours and him with me. He's already a momma's boy and these hours away will make our bond that much greater. 

3) I forgot how much I hated traffic! 

4) When did it get so dark out at 7am? I left the house at 6:15 and drove in the dark the whole way here. And since I've been up since 2:30am, it made the drive so much harder.

5) Coffee taste so good when you are running on 3 hours of sleep. Coffee just taste good period and the fact that I can drink it again, makes me so happy. 

6) My husband is thrilled to have a quiet house to work in. No wife talking baby talk in the living room or a baby screaming while he's on the phone with a client. Enjoy your quiet time boo because come Wednesday, we are back in the house!

7) Did I mention how excited I am my sister is keeping my munchkin? 

8) I really do have a gorgeous view to look at. And I love how God gave me a pink sunrise this morning to remind me of how much he loves me and is always with me. 

Kara, 

I can not begin to thank you for doing this for us. Knowing he is with you makes me so happy. You are such a good mom and such a great sister. Brody is so lucky to have you as an aunt. Have lots of fun with him! Love you sis. 

Let's tailgate with Man Crates

Football. 

There's nothing like it. Seriously....to me....it's the best sport in the world. The men. The uniforms. The ability to play. Last year I played Fantasy Football where I won. I beat out a group of guys and won. This year I opted out of playing due to having a baby. I wasn't going to be able to make the draft and I refuse to let auto-draft pick for me. So I was a little upset that I wasn't able to win again this year :-). 

About a week ago I found out about a tailgating draft challenge from a company called Man Crates. I received a list of options and told me I had $25 to spend. 

First off: what is Man Crates? I asked the same thing when I first heard about the challenge. So what did I do? I googled it. 

Do you have a man in your life that is impossible to shop for? Or a man that buys himself what he wants when he wants it so when it comes to his birthday or Christmas, you are stuck? All of the above is me! Well Man Crates helps you with that. They are awesome gifts for men that get delivered in wooden crates. Here is their moto:

"We say 'no' to ugly neckties, cologne samplers and executive trinkets. We don't save wrapping paper, we don't do ribbons.

We ship bragworthy gifts for guys. Gifts that you can't wait to arrive because you know the recipient will love opening them.

Gifts that people gather round at the office, people following the sounds of wood being torn from wood by the included, laser-engraved crowbar.

We are Man Crates, and we deliver awesome gifts for men."

Enough said for me. But seriously, they are amazing gifts. You guys know I don't promote things I don't like. I don't get paid to do this. I only brag about stuff I can back. 

Ok so back to the draft.....below is the list she sent me so let's get to it!

1) Beer- $4- You can not have a tailgating party without beer. If you don't drink, sorry. But football and beer go together like peanut butter and jelly. Because I am gluten free, my beer is Cider, preferably Angry Orchard Cider. Plus it's easy to transport and when it's ice cold, there's nothing like it. So you're not a beer fan? Fine. Bring your flask or bring your wine, whatever floats that boat of yours, just bring it! 

2) Corn Hole- $2- So if you have ever been to a party at my house, the corn hole is always out. It's our go to game. Whether you are sober or drunk, the game is fun. It's all about eye and hand coordination. 4 people get to play at once and you can play it one handed. Beer in one hand, bean bag in the other. 

3) Dogs/Burgers- $3- Who doesn't have food at a tailgate party? They make grills so easy to transport now and with all that beer you're drinking, you need something to soak it up. Grilling is such a man thing to me (no offense to women who can grill). A man on the grill is so sexy to me. The food, the heat, knowing (or pretending) to know what he is doing, it's just manly to me. And burgers and hot dogs are easy enough to eat while tailgating. 

4) Football- $1- Who goes to a tailgating party at a football game without a football to throw around? A pigskin is super important to have. It gets people socializing, it gets the kids involved, it brings those grown up boys who never really left high school back to their glory days. 

5) Option play- $8- So here I can pick something not on the list that I think is important to have. And to me, chips and dip are super important to have. They are easy to make, cheap to buy and feed a lot of people. Rather it be my dad's guacamole or my sister's queso or my friend Josh's 7 layer dip (without onions, so 6 layers)....I need and want it at my tailgating party. 

6) NFL Barware Man Crate- $5- Guys! I love this Man Crate so much. First off, on the website they have the Cowboys as the glasses to show off what they can do. But not only does this Man Crate come with 4 NFL pint glasses, it also comes with: 4 numbered wooden coasters with bottle openers, pistachios, flavored sunflower seeds, corn nuts and peanuts in the shell. It all comes in a wooden crate with a laser etched crowbar. No bows, no frills, this is football, not the ballet! 

So I am challenging you all to tell me how you would spend your $25 for your most perfect tailgating party. And head on over to Man Crates to see what they are all about. And just because it is geared toward men doesn't mean they aren't for women either. I am as girly as they come but stand in the way of my TV and my Cowboys and this girly girl is gone!