Thursday, December 29, 2011

I can't believe the year is almost over!  Where did it go? It seems like just yesterday I was giving birth to my daughter.  She's 7months already!  And my son, he is just becoming more and more grown up everyday (he's 3).  I feel like I spent the whole year saying "I'll get to that later" and now its later and I never "got" to any of it.  But, I am hoping to change that with the new year.  And maybe if I put it in writing for everyone to see, I'll be better at sticking to it.  So, please check back for my list of New Years Resolutions so you can all help hold me accountable when I slip.

Sunday, December 25, 2011

Merry Christmas

I was so excited that I actually woke my 3 year old up this morning to see what Santa brought him! Both kids were very excited for their presents. I made homemade buttermilk pancakes and bacon for breakfast. My husband finally helped me hang pictures in the hall and my sister just started the roast for dinner. My son has been playing all morning and my daughter just finally tuckered out in my arms. It's been a pretty good day so far!

Merry Christmas to everyone. I hope you all have a wonderful day.

Thursday, December 22, 2011

I was in the bathroom putting my contacts in and my son comes running in holding his PopTart saying "I need to go pee mom."  I said ok and told him to go.  He says "I need you to hold this" and holds up his PopTart.  So I told him to just set it on the counter.  He put it down and walked toward the potty.  Then he looked back at the PopTart, then at me and says "I no want you to eat it."  I assured him I wouldn't and when he finally believed me, he went over to the potty and went pee. 

Not sure when I've ever taken his breakfast from him to make him think that hard about whether or not I was being honest when I said I wouldn't eat it. 

It's pretty bad when you have to decide between peeing in the potty or eating breakfast!!

Monday, December 19, 2011

The morons

I was driving with my kids in the backseat the other day and it seemed like nobody knew how to drive.  It started when some lady just decided that a stop sign was optional and cut me off.  I'm not much of a cusser, so I just shouted out "watch out you flippin moron" and thought nothing of it.  Later in the day, I was turning right at a light and there was another car coming towards me who wanted to turn left.  I had a green light, so I turned.  The guy coming at me never even slowed down.  He got right on my bumper and started waving his hands and yelling at me like I cut him off.  I knew I was right (I mean, a right hand turn at a light has the right of way over a left hand turn right?) so again I yelled something about a flippin moron.  A couple minutes later, my 3 year old says "Oh no mom."  I asked him what was wrong and he replied "All the morons are out."  I couldn't stop laughing for about 5 minutes!!

But, I've realized that he doesn't really know what a moron is.  I believe that he thinks a moron is a truck.  So now when we're driving, he is always asking me if the morons are out or if the morons are trying to run over me.  Or my favorite "Mom, look at that big moron over there.  What's that big moron doing?"  So as funny as it is to me, I'm dreading the day he says it when we are outside of the car and around a large group of people.  I can just see it now!

Friday, December 9, 2011

TV voices - flashback

With a 3 year old in the house, we watch a lot of cartoons. One of my go to stations is Disney Junior. Has anyone ever watched Jungle Junction? If so, do you recognize the voice of Ellyvan? It's Billy West!

The first time I saw the show, I started having flashbacks of all of the other cartoons I used to watch where Billy did voices. The first to pop in my head was Fry on Futurama. But then I started thinking back and realized he was in a few other shows I watched when I was younger. Anyone remember Ren & Stimpy? Rugrats? Doug? That's right, he did voices in all of them. And a whole lot more.

I just always think it's funny to hear a voice in a kids show (i.e. Jungle Junction) when I had gotten so used to hearing it from something not so kid friendly (i.e. Futurama). Then when I think how far back he's been doing voices on shows I know, I start to feel a little old.

Sunday, December 4, 2011

RSVP rant

One thing that really drives me nuts is when people RSVP for something and then don't show up.

I understand that things happen and sometimes you have to change plans at the last minute. But, the courteous thing to do is to let the host know once you find that you're no longer able to attend. Or if you can't beforehand, please send a message or something afterwards letting them know why you couldn't make it.

I was recently chosen to host a party in which I was given goody bags to hand out. I was provided with a set number of goodies, therefore I could only invite a certain number of guests. I made this very clear to the people I invited. I even confirmed attendance the night before the party. And I still had no shows! One week later and I still haven't received a message about why they didn't come.

I went through a lot of work setting things up and making snacks for all of the guests. A lot of food went to waste because of the no shows. Not to mention the other people that I couldn't invite (who really wanted to come) because I wouldn't have had enough gifts.

This also happened to us a couple months ago with my sons birthday party. It's so heartbreaking when your child is expecting all of his friends and then they don't show up or let you know that they can't make it. How do you explain to a 3 year old that you don't know where they are or why they aren't coming after you spent the whole week hyping it up? And many of the no shows were just complaining about how bad it felt when it happened to them. Then you know my pain! You know it sucks to be the host in that position! WHY would you turn around and do it to someone else?

Maybe I'm just old fashioned to believe in common courtesy. Maybe I'm just hopeful that there are still people who care about others. Maybe.....I don't know why I even try sometimes.

But, I'm an optimist and I'll just keep trying. Sorry for the rant. Thanks for listening. I feel a little better now!

Pregnancy 2.0 Mommy Party

WOW!  That was my first word when I came home to the awesome items on my doorstep! 


I receieved an email from MommyParties and MomSelect informing me that I had been chosen to host a Pregnancy 2.0 party.  The next day, I returned home from the park to find a Britax carseat and stroller waiting by the door.  I grabbed the kids out of the car as fast as I could and ran to the door to check them out.  I pulled them out of the boxes and started playing with them and checking them out.  My immediate response was how amazing they seemed.  Compared to my old set that I had been using since my oldest was born 3 years ago, these were incredible.  So, I decided to swap them out to give them a good test run before my party. 

After using the stroller and carseat for a couple of weeks, I noticed some really great points and some things that I just didn't care for.  Not saying they are bad things, just different than what I was used to with my old set.  The Britax B-Safe carseat and Britax B-Agile Stroller were the first items to arrive.  They are an awesome red ane black, which I fell in love with.  The stroller is really lightweight and easy to manuever.  The carseat seems to be a bit on the heavy side, but it also looks really safe.  I love that it has the side impact safety feature.  My old carseat doesn't have that, so when I put my daughter in the new one I immediately felt more comfortable.  It also has a higher weight and height limit than my old one, which is a big plus.  I have really long kids, so I had to change my son early because he no longer fit in the infant carrier.  I think I will be able to get a few more months out of this one.  The stroller also folds really easily.





A few of the things I don't quite care for are the way the carseat attaches to the stroller, the stroller buckle, and the way you remove the carseat from the stroller.  First of all, the carseat sits into two attachments on the sides of the stoller.  With my old set, the seat just sits on the stroller and catches at the back.  This set you have to really line up the attachments and make sure they connect.  It's a little cumbersome with the baby in the seat, since it's already on the heavy side.  To remove the seat from the stroller, you have to press the buttons on the attachments on the sides of the stroller.  Which means one hand on each side.  Once you get them unconnected, it's difficult to either grab the handle or pick the whole thing up by the sides and then move it.  I'm used to my old set, where you grab the handle at the back just like when you remove it from the base in the car.  You can use one hand to unconnect and one to hold onto the handle.  The other moms at the party felt the same way about using the carseat and stroller together.  It wasn't too bad at first, but with the weight of a baby, it becomes a little cumbersome.  The other thing I don't really care for is the buckle on the carseat.  It is very difficult to get it undone.  Maybe it's just because it's new. 

Also included in the party package was a Britax infant carrier and seat insert.  This is really nice.  I'm not big on using the carriers, but this one seems pretty comfortable compared to some of the other brands I have at home.  I let the moms try out both the Britax and a couple older ones that I had laying around and we were all in agreement that the Britax was much more comfortable.  One mommy has an Ergo at home and really liked the Britax seat extender.  She said it was similar to her Ergo and provided a better "ride" for her 14 month old.

Our pregnant mommies weren't able to make it to the party today, so we didn't have anyone to try out the BabyPlus Prenatal System.  The rest of us non-preggo moms gave it a test drive, but it's not the same on a non-preggo belly!  I'll be getting together with some of the pregnant mommies soon and I'll update this post with their thoughts.

Everyone was really excited to come and try out all of the great products.  And they were even more excited when I handed them their amazing goody bags to take home.  Every left with some samples of Spry Gum, Kid's Xclear saline nasal spray, Kid's Spry tooth gel, and some great coupons and product brochures. 

I also received 2 Rashti & Rashti Snuggle Buddies prior to the party.  One was a pink ballerina and the other was a pink owl.  The only two girls at the party were my 6 month old and a 14 month old, so they got the toys!  And my daughter hasn't put hers down!!  I did receive 2 more Snuggle Buddies after the party.  They are both in boy colors.  So, they will be going to the 2 week old and the 3 month old boys that were at the party.

 We all had a great time trying out these awesome items.  Thank you so much to MommyParties and MomSelect for allowing me to host this great Pregnancy 2.0 party.  All of the moms were very excited to be able to try out the products.

Disclosure:  I was provided with products from Britax and MommyParties to review and use with my guests.  No monetary compensation was received.  Any and all opinions are my own.  To learn more about MommyParties, please visit their website at http://www.mommyparties.com/ or click the link in the above post.

Thursday, December 1, 2011

Oral-B Mommy Party

I was recently given the opportunity to host an Oral-B Mommy Party.  MommyParties and MomSelect sent me a wonderful package full of goodies to share with our guests.  Included were Oral-B stages toothbrushes, toothpaste, Disney bodywash, the new Winnie the Pooh DVD, balloons, popcorn, coupons and more!  This hosting opportunity came at a wonderful time.  My son recently went in for his first dentist checkup, so coming home to a brand new toothbrush and toothpaste was really exciting for him.






When we received the box, I opened it up and told my 3 year old about the party we were going to have with his friends.  He was so excited that he asked me about it every day for a week.

On the day of the party, we got up and got the house straightened up.  We put a bunch of blankets out for the kids to lay on while watching the movie.  Then we put together the goody bags and made the snacks. 



The kids had a great time watching the movie and playing together.  The moms had fun talking and comparing our coupon strategies!


Each kid got to leave with a bag full of goodies to try out.  And my son was more than happy to pose for me while trying out his new items!



Disclosure:  I was provided with products from Oral-B and MommyParties to review and use with my guests.  No monetary compensation was received.  Any and all opinions are my own.  To learn more about MommyParties, please visit their website at http://www.mommyparties.com/ or click the link in the above post.

Tuesday, November 29, 2011

Oral-B Mommy Party - getting ready

Today is the day!  Our guests are scheduled to be here from 2-4.  We are going to have some yummy snacks, watch an awesome movie (Winnie the Pooh), and try out some great tooth care products.  Please check back later this week for photos and details of how this amazing party goes.

30 days of thanks - Where are my posts?

Wow!  Looks like my posts haven't been showing up.  I assure you, I have been thankful for things every day this month, not just the first 8 days!  I will be figuring out what happened to the posts & getting them reposted as soon as I can.  Thanks for bearing with me!!  (Ooh, I can use that for today!)

Friday, November 11, 2011

Oral-B Mommy Party - preview

I was chosen to host another Mommy Party from Mom Select and Mommy Parties!  I'm so excited!  This one is an Oral-B party.  I was sent a box full of goodies including the new Winnie the Pooh dvd, popcorn and toothbrushes, toothpaste and body wash to hand out in goodie bags to our guests.  As soon as I opened the box my 3 year old got so excited to see everything.  I told him we were going to have a party and he immediately started naming off all of his friends that he wanted to come over.  I am getting ready to send the invites out now.  Can't wait until our party. 

Check back to see pictures and read all about how our awesome party goes.

Wednesday, November 9, 2011

30 days of thanks - day 8

Today I am thankful that my son's dental issue isn't as bad as it could be.  If you check my post from a few days ago where I am thankful for insurance, you'll see what happened. 

He got in to see the dentist today and they prescribed him antibiotics and a follow up appt for next week to have his tooth pulled.  It really sucks that my 3 year old is going to be missing his front tooth for a while, but at least they aren't going to put him through a root canal to try to save a baby tooth.

Monday, November 7, 2011

30 days of thanks - day 7

I am thankful I have the patience to put up with rude people.

And that's all I'm going to say about this crappy day.

Sunday, November 6, 2011

30 days of thanks - day 6

Today I was going to say that I was thankful for the time change.  I was really looking forward to sleeping for an extra hour.  BUT, that didn't happen.  I was up at 6:00!  And my kids weren't too far behind me.

So instead, I am thankful to be spending the day with my family!

Saturday, November 5, 2011

30 days of thanks - day 5

I put in my last pair of contacts yesterday and headed out of the house.  My left eye soon started to hurt, so I was rubbing it and just assumed I had scratched it a little.  When I got home I took my contacts out to let my eye heal.  I put them back in this morning, only to find that my left eye started hurting again.  So I took the left contact out and examined it.  And it has a rip in it!  GREAT!!  Did I mention this was my LAST pair?  And I don't have vision insurance?

I started calling around to make an appointment and everybody in my area is booked until NEXT Saturday.  I finally called the place I went to for my last exam and told them what happened.  The girl said that if I came in she would give me a pair of trial contacts to hold me over until I could get an appointment.  So I flew out the door and got there as quick as I could.  And I can see again!

So, today I am thankful for the nice girl at the eye center.

Friday, November 4, 2011

30 days of thanks - day 4

Today I am thankful for my sister.  She decided to move to Florida and will be staying with us until she gets settled in.  She made it in today and we are so happy to have her here with us.  My 3 year old has been asking me when she was going to be here for days now!

Thursday, November 3, 2011

30 days of thanks - day 3

Today I am thankful for my kids.  They definitely keep me entertained!!

Wednesday, November 2, 2011

30 days of thanks - day 2

Today I am thankful that we have insurance.

My son fell on his face over a year ago and bent his teeth up pretty good.  When it happened, I rushed him to the ER and to a dentist.  They both said he was fine and that we would just have to wait and see if there was any damage. 

This morning while brushing his teeth, I found that one of the teeth he hurt before was a little loose and he had an abscess. I called the dentist who said that it was most likely caused by his accident.  Now he has to go in to get antibiotics and find out what needs to be done to it (root canal, extraction, etc).  Poor guy is only 3!

Thankfully, his dental coverage just went into effect yesterday!!  Talk about some awesome timing!

Tuesday, November 1, 2011

30 days of thanks - day 1

This morning we went to the park so that my son could play with his friend. So, today I am thankful that my son has a friend to play with.

30 days of thanks

In honor Thanksgiving this month, I've decided to be thankful for something every day.  I plan to do a new post for each day throughout month of November.  Please feel free to post comments along with me every day.

Monday, October 31, 2011

Pregnancy 2.0 MommyParty - sneak peak

I am so excited!!  I was just chosen to be the host of a MommyParty!! 

If you haven't heard of them yet, MommyParties are a part of Mom Select.  Once you sign up as either a mom or a mom blogger, you start receiving opportunity emails.  You get to choose which ones you apply to and which ones you don't.  If you are interested in one, you take a short survey and then Mom Select decides if you qualify or not.  I have signed up for a few (less than 10) so far, and I was just chosen for one.  So, 1 in 10 is not bad odds if you ask me!  I've signed up with other sites, applied to A LOT, and still haven't been chosen!!

Anyway....I got the "Congratulations" email last week letting my know that I have been chosen to host a MommyParty sponsored by Pregnancy 2.0.  And I've already started getting some great items delivered to my door!  So far I have received a Britax B-Agile stroller, Britax B-Safe car seat, Britax baby carrier and seat extender insert.  I also just found out that I will be getting a BabyPlus prenatal education system.  WOW!!!

I am still waiting for all of the details, but from what I've read I am supposed to have a party with at least 10 new or expecting moms to show off all of these goodies.  We all get to "play" with the items, see how they work, and then provide feedback on them. 

I'm not gonna lie....I started opening boxes last night!!  I'm just so excited to try everything out!  And my mommy friends are getting pretty excited too!!  We can't wait until my party. 

This post is just to try to help me contain my excitement as I wait for my party.  Stay tuned for another post with pictures and feedback from the actual party.

Disclosure:  I was provided with products from Britax and MommyParties to review and use with my guests.  No monetary compensation was received.  Any and all opinions are my own.  To learn more about MommyParties, please visit their website at http://www.mommyparties.com/ or click the link in the above post.

Sunday, October 30, 2011

I have to admit, I'm pretty proud of myself!

We did our weekend shopping yesterday and I saved a lot of money. How you ask? Coupons!

I'm definitely not an extreme couponer. I wanted to be (still kind of do), but I just don't have the time or patience for it. With 2 small kids at home, it's a wonder I get any shopping done. Let alone shopping with coupons. But Saturday morning, my husband and I sat down at the kitchen table and went through the several months’ worth of Sunday coupon inserts that had been collecting. We haphazardly sorted and organized them and headed out. I had a list of what we needed, but I didn't check any ads for who had what on sale. We just headed to Kohl's, Target and Publix (our stores of choice).

I had a 30% off coupon and $10 in Kohl's cash that happened to overlap on Saturday, so we headed there first. I ended up getting Christmas outfits for both kids. I spent about $32 out of pocket and saved over $60.

We then went to Target. I love Target, but I also hate it. I always seem to find too many things to buy when I'm in there. I had some pretty good coupons that were close to expiring, so even though items weren't on sale I bought them anyway to use the coupons. I got everything on the list plus a lot more. Paid around $78 out of pocket and saved $68+.

And finally, Publix for groceries. We got a bunch of items that we didn't plan on buying. But, they were on sale and I had coupons to match so we stocked up. We ended up filling the cupboard and deep freeze! Our total there was about $120 out of pocket with $90+ in savings.

So even though we spent more than we planned, we got a ton of items and saved a bunch! And the best part.....I don't have to drag 2 little kids shopping for a while!

Monday, October 24, 2011

Upcycled t-shirt dress - practice round

We had a little chilly weather here the other day and when I went to dress my kids I realized that they didn't have any warm clothes that fit them.  So we went shopping.  NOT fun!  The price of kids clothes is just ridiculous.  Especially for items that they are only going to wear a handful of times.  So I started wondering how I could get them clothes without spending a fortune.  Then I walked into my garage and saw the many boxes of old clothes waiting patiently for a yard sale.  hmmm....could I?  dare I?  yes!  yes I will!

I pulled out one of my old t-shirts (you know, one that nobody would think twice about if it ended up a shredded disaster) and started cutting.  I had no pattern, just an idea in my head.  And in the end, I think it turned out pretty good for my first go at it.  There are definitely things that I will change on the next one (the neck is too loose), but overall I'm pretty proud of myself!

I forgot to take a picture of the shirt before I started cutting, so here it is in a different color (yeah, I actually bought the same horrible t-shirt in several colors).
And here is the finished product (needs ironed, but just ignore that!)
And my beautiful model!
 

Wednesday, August 10, 2011

Potty Training....bribes???

My son will be 3 soon and I am soooo tired of changing his pants!!  He seemed to be interested in the potty at a very early age, so we went with it.  He did really good for a while, then we hit the wall!  He has been in training pants for over a year now, which may or may not be part of the problem.  He has just had absolutely no interest in using the potty.  I've tried potty chairs, stickers, candy, even bribes!  And still nothing.  And the big problem is that he won't tell us when he's wet or dirty.  He pees so much that it soaks his pants but he won't ask to be changed.  I don't know how he can stand it sometimes!

I've heard from those who are for and against using bribes, but at this point I am desperate for anything that works.  TMI alert....he has some poo's that can (and do) put a grown man to shame! 

He's really been wanting to go to school to play with the kids, so I've been trying to use that.  I tell him that as soon as he starts peeing and pooing in the potty, he can go to school.  And no, it's not an empty promise....once he's potty trained we do plan on getting him into a part-time daycare program so that he can have more interaction with kids.  He's seems to be excited about the idea, but he's still not really cooperating.  My latest "bribe" is Chuck E Cheese's.  Every time he sees the commercial on TV he asks to go there.  So, I told him that we would have a big celebration party as soon as he stops going in his underwear.  That one seems to be working...at least for the past 2 hours since it started!!

I know that "he'll do it when he's ready", but what's wrong with a little encouragement?  Even if it is in the form of a bribe? :)

Friday, July 15, 2011

Between keeping up with a new baby and a 2 year old and moving to a new house, I haven't had much time to keep up with anything else.  On top of that, I have been without Internet service for almost 2 weeks now.  But, the Internet is hooked up and I am ready to get back to business!  So stay tuned for more posts and hopefully some great product reviews coming soon.

Tuesday, June 21, 2011

My Cloth Diapering Adventure ~ The Beginning

So, I have decided to give the whole cloth diapering thing a try.  I had always wanted to try it with my now 2 1/2 year old, but never did.  Now that I have a 5 week old at home I'm going to try.  Between trying to save a little money (ok, a LOT of money) and contribute less to the landfill, I'm really excited to try this. 

I have purchased some Gerber prefolds and some flatfold diapers to start with.  (Actually, I already had the flatfolds for craft projects.  I started making my own burp cloths and changing pads from flatfolds a few months ago and absolutely love them.  But more about those later!!)  I've been practicing folding them and letting her "try them out".  I like the origami fold for the flatfolds and think I've finally gotten the hang of it.  I tried a prefold on her, but it seemed WAY too big for right now.  Maybe to go in a cover or soaker it would be better, but not for folding and pinning just yet.  I don't have any covers yet, so I haven't been able to really start using them.  But, I think I'm going to like them!!

I am going to try to make my own covers.  I found a couple of free patterns online for wrap style covers that I'm going to make out of PUL.  And I've also found some patterns for knit & crochet soakers.  As soon as I pick the ones I am actually going to use, I will post links to the patterns. 

So, I guess it's time to get busy!!!  Keep checking back to see how my Cloth Diapering Adventure turns out!!


Thursday, June 16, 2011

I'm back

Ok.  I'm back!  Sorry about being MIA for a while.  I just went and had a baby!  My new little bundle of joy decided to come a few weeks early.  So, I've been spending time with her and my son.  But, things are starting to settle down a little finally so I'll try to start updating and posting more regularly.  Stay tuned....

Saturday, April 30, 2011

Sleep

Once you become a mother, sleep becomes a fond memory.  Something that you used to enjoy, but can no longer seem to find.  And the more time you put in as a mom, the more distant that memory becomes.  You begin to lose sight of it during pregnancy.  Having to get up all night to pee or rolling over to find that watermelon under your shirt is stopping you from getting comfortable.  Then once the baby is here, you're up all night for feedings and diaper changes.  Once he's able to sleep through the night, you have a glimmer of hope that you'll also be able to sleep all night.  But no!  You find yourself up all night checking on him to make sure he's still breathing or that the blankets are still on him.  Or, if you're like me, you are awakened every night by him climbing into your bed with you.  Then it's on to a night filled with feet in your back and hands in your face.

I'm still fairly new to motherhood, so sleep is still something that I remember and miss.  I miss going to bed, closing my eyes, and not waking until the sun was shining in through the window.  It's become a lovely daydream that I often think of in between cleaning up spills and yelling "Don't touch that!”  I know that it's going to be a long time (if ever) before I truly find it again.  But, until then, I will keep dreaming of what it was like and how wonderful it will be!

Wednesday, April 13, 2011

My name is Mommy

Well not really, but it sure does feel like it.  I remember when I used to have a real name.  People used to use it and I liked it.  But now, all I hear is mommy, mom, momma, ma....  It's gotten so bad that when someone uses my actual name, I don't always respond.  I hear it and think hmm...I used to know someone with that name.  And then I realize that it's my name and someone is actually using it to acknowledge me!  Don't get me wrong, I love being a mother.  But, sometimes it feels like that's all I am.  I am no longer ME...or, the me I used to be??  See, I don't even know anymore. 

I'm fairly new to motherhood (my oldest is 2 1/2), so I guess I'm just still trying to adjust to being a mother while still retaining some part of my non-mommy self.  It's a delicate balance that I'm not entirely sure I'll ever master.  I spend my days at home with my kids wishing that I could have more adult time without them.  Then, when I get a night out kid-free, I spend it thinking about and missing my kids.  I guess it's one of those "catch 22" problems!  Oh well!  I love my kids and my life, and I would never want to change any of it.  Someday I'll figure out how to find "me" without losing my mommy-self.  Until then, I'm just going to sit back and enjoy the ride. 

Just don't get frustrated if you call me by my real name and I don't answer!