Random Mama Brain

Switching

2011-05-14T16:25:00.000-04:00

So, I am in the middle of switching to Wordpress, I am still leaving this blog here, because I have a bunch of places still linking in to this blog...but I will no longer be posting to blogger. So, I ask you to bear with me as I am still working on the Wordpress blog.

Lots of Diapers

2011-05-11T08:44:00.002-04:00

This is almost the whole diaper stash, minus what we have used. I know I already posted this to Twitter, but this post if for those of you that have missed it. Yesterday I got flat diapers in the mail for the Flats & Handwashing Challenge (It is from the 23-30 there is still time to join if you would like). You can see them there next to the covers. So, now my diaper stash tis totally crazy (but I love it).

I will now tell you everything in this picture. The first cube contains 8 Kawaii Baby OS pocket diapers, 1 Applecheeks diaper, 1 DinkleDooz OS pocket diaper, 1 Mother-Ease OS fitted, 4 Dappi diaper doublers, 7 extra Kawaii Baby microfiber inserts and 2 Happy Heinys pocket trainers in the front there. I haven't been using the pockets diapers as much because they tend to be a pain in my bum come washing time. I hate unstuffing, and the AppleCheeks are the only ones that unstuff themselves. There is 1 AppleCheeks (another Raspberry Sorbet) that is missing from this part of the collection. That is 11 pockets total including the missing one.

The second cube contains: 4 Mommy's Touch OS covers, 1 Happy Heinys OS cover, 6 Kawaii Baby OS covers, 1 Lite Wrap size medium cover (they run REALLY big), 1 Dappi diaper cover, about 22 of 24 washclothes (wipes) and 23 Swaddlebees flat diapers. The only things missing from this cube are 2 of the wipes, 1 Rumparooz OS diaper cover and 1 of the Swaddlebees print flat diapers. That makes 14 covers, 24 wipes, and 24 flat diapers.

The last cube over there just contains 23 Tiny Tush prefold diapers, size large. They get their own cube because they are so thick. They take up a lot of room because of their thickness obviously. There is 1 of the prefolds missing from this picture, so 24 prefolds would normally be there.

So, this is the complete breakdown of my stash:

11 pockets
1 fitted
2 pocket trainers
7 extra inserts
4 doublers
14 covers
24 flats
24 wipes
24 prefolds

I also have 2 wetbags (Wahmies and DinkleDooz). So, the complete total of diapers at my disposal is 60. I have 60 diapers to use for one child. The two trainers are Elsa's, and she only wears them at night in case she goes. I can seriously go DAYS without washing diapers (even though I don't). Good to know if we had to go for an extended period of time without washing dipes I could. I do think I have a bit of a problem with cloth diapers though, I love them way too much (if that is even possible). What do you think of my stash? I know there are people that have more diapers than me out there, are you one of them?

The End

2011-05-09T08:45:00.004-04:00

I didn't want to post this yesterday, as my Mother's Day was already a pretty crappy day. This will be a short post, as there isn't a ton I can say (or want to get over-emotional) about the subject. Dixie hasn't nursed for the past two days. It is very bittersweet for me. Yes, I was ready to have my body back as mine, but I left that decision up to her. I loved our time of sitting together, just looking at each other. Her looking up at me and smiling with a milk face. We made it 14 months, which is awesome, but she has made her decision. It makes me sad that my baby is getting so big, and she isn't really a little baby anymore. She walks, and runs and is learning to speak. So, for now, I say goodbye to breastfeeding. We will only have to see where our road takes us from here.

Cloth Diapers Savings & Cloth On The Cheap

2011-04-29T16:40:00.002-04:00

Today, the subject had come up a few times of cloth diapers savings, so I have done a calculation based on common knowledge of diaper prices in MY AREA. Pennsylvania does not charge tax on disposable diapers, but DOES charge tax on wipes.

This is going upon the cheapest diapers I have found, which are at Family Dollar. They are $10 for a pack of the generic diapers. I know how many diapers I used on Elsa in the first year of her life, and the second year of her life, I am ballparking that the third year would have stayed about the same, because we change cloth as often as we did disposables and it was still pretty steady. So, based on these numbers, I got $50 a month for the first 6 months of her life and about $40 a month for the 2nd 6 months of her first year. After that I noticed a decline in her diaper usage, which would be about $30 a month in the Family Dollar diapers (for the next 2 years). Add on $10 worth of wipes a month (also Family Dollar), so if you add it up:

First year:

$300 + $240 = $540
$540 + $127.20 (wipes +tax) = $667.20

Second & Third years:

$30 x 12 months x 2 years = $720

$720 + $127.20 + $127.20 (wipes +tax) = $974.40

First three years:

$667.20 + $974.40 = $1641.60

$1641.60 for three years of the cheapest diapers out there. That isn't even adding in the diaper creams for rashes or anything.

Now, when I first started cloth diapering, I bought the cheap diapers, and I liked them. I just upgraded to other options because I wanted to and had the money available to do so. I did see that news report about the people blow drying and reusing disposables because they couldn't afford diapers, and it made my heart break, because I KNOW there are better ways. It is just that we have limited access to these resources now due to the popularity that disposables have.

I searched online for cloth diapers because they don't really sell them around here. They sell the Gerber diapers and Vinyl pants at Wal Mart....that is about it. So, I did see all the nice pocket diapers and everything but we didn't have the money for that right away. SO, I started off with Dappi prefolds (the non sponge ones). After finding a cheaper wrap that I liked, we were set for a while. Elsa needed 2 of these prefolds at a time because they aren't really that thick, but I was OK with that because they are so cheap. They are also great on newborns, I know because we used them on Dixie.

So, Dappi prefolds (non-sponge kind) are $7.99 a dozen. if you get 4 dozen of those (for good measure and doubling purposes if need be), it will be $31. 96 or $37.91 with the shipping. Then if you can add on the covers that I found to be good and at a cheap price. Kawaii Baby one size covers are $4.50 each, if you buy 8 covers, that is $36 or $48.75 with shipping. We do the old dunk n' swish over here, so no sprayers or any extras required, we trifold the prefolds and put them in covers. Our water bill went up $10 a month when using cloth, so $10 x 12 months is $120. If you add on a 24 pack of washclothes from Family Dollar as wipes ($5) you are good to go.

So, for three years of life, in contrast, you can spend:

$37.91 + $48.75 + ($120 x 3) + $5.30 (+tax) = $451.96

If I had started cloth diapering Elsa from birth, using the method here, I would have saved $1189.64.

Now, I do understand that there are the people as mentioned above, that cannot afford disposable diapers, let alone the start-up for cloth diapers. So, I will aslo mention that Dollar Tree sells 2 packs of sack cloth over near the kitchen things. These work great as a flat diaper, I used to have some. If a less fortunate person could come up with $6 to get 12 sack cloths, they could diaper their baby and hand wash the diapers if they do not have access to a washing machine. You can also get diaper pins at Dollar Tree, to hold the diaper on and they can upcycle old sweaters as soakers. If they don't have a computer they can go to the computer at the local library to find direction on how to do this. Or, they can go to Wal Mart, or any of the other stores that sell the Gerber vinyl pants....they are $4 for a pack here.

There is a challenge out there right now by Kim over at Dirty Diaper Laundry , called the flats and handwashing challenge, in response to the disposable diaper reusing that has been happening. I did not join the challenge, because I do not have flats or sack cloth anymore. With my husband changing jobs right now, I didn't want to go out and spend money on these things when we already have plenty of diapers so I decided to do this instead. Cottonbabies also has a wonderful piece called Almost Free Diapers. If you know someone in a bad situation, or you think there are people in your community that could use any of this information, please pass it along. The safety of lots of little ones is at stake here, and if we don't help these people, no one probably will.

Easter Eggs

2011-04-23T11:18:00.000-04:00

Yesterday, we decided to color Easter eggs. This year was Elsa's first time doing it, because I wanted her to be old enough to participate and have fun with it. So, I had her help me gather everything we needed, and she watched me mix the dye. She thought that was AMAZING. Dixie could care less right now, so she just sat there and watched. I had boiled a dozen eggs (plus 2 extra for good measure). I gave her eggs, and let her put them in the cups. She did this with her fingers I might add. I didn't care because she was wearing play clothes (smart mommy). She decided when it was time to take certain eggs out, and picked stickers to go on them. I then showed her how to make 2 toned eggs, and we took the very last egg and put it in a bowl with all the dye colors mixed together so she could have one really awesome egg. After all was said and done, I had one very happy and smiley 3 year old. Egg coloring really is magic to young children and I love the memories it created. Here are some pictures of our wonderful egg dying.

Yes, I really do have rainbow storage containers...I am that awesome.

patiently waiting (and eating a lemon creme cookie).

Here we go!

Her face says it all.

11 of our 12 eggs.

The mystery egg.

It came out striped and spotted...pretty neat.

Now, what to do with these two eggs, that met their demise had an accident (good thing I made 2 extra)?

YOU MAKE EGG SALAD FOR LUNCH OF COURSE!!!

mmmmm...yummy

Elsa is enjoying it.

NOM NOM NOM

A new cute meaning to having egg on your face hahaha!

HAPPY EASTER EVERY1!!!!!

I Found A Park

2011-04-22T08:12:00.000-04:00

As most of you that tweet with me know, I am always sad because there is no park within a reasonable distance to my house. I always want to take the kids to one, because we don't have a swing set or anything. We have a teeter totter the neighbor gave us, but that is about it. I know that the girls would LOVE going to a park and running around for a bit. The nearest one that I knew of wasn't very close though, and packing up the kids into the truck to go to the park was just not something I wanted to do regularly. Plus, that one is near a stretch of highway, so I am not exactly thrilled about that.

Well, last night we were driving on one of the back roads and drove past one of the small parks. It never had kid stuff there that I could see, so we just never went there. Last night, when I looked over at it though, there was all kinds of kid stuff there now! I am so SUPER excited about it. Now I can't wait for it to warm up so I can take the girls there and let them loose. It is close enough to reasonably walk to from our house too!

I want my kids to experience things that I never got to when I was a kid. I Scranton, at least the part that I grew up in, there were no small neighborhood parks or anything. If you wanted to go to the park, you had to go to one of the big parks. This required driving, and they were kind of scary playgrounds. You know the kind I am talking about, if you grew up in the era of early 90s or earlier. Wooden, sliver worthy climbing devices and teeter totters. BOILING HOT metal slides that cause at least a 2nd degree burn on a very sunny day. The dome of monkey bars thing (if you have ever fallen from the top you have felt my pain). Ah yes, and the horsey on the rusty spring. Yea, being a kid was awesome back in the day haha. At least the parks around here didn't use wood chips to break your fall....ours had sand. It is really horrible awesome to get a face full of sand. I would rather grass any day.

So, hurry up warmer/non-rainy weather! I want to go play!

Review: Safety Reflectors from Gloee

2011-04-15T09:51:00.004-04:00

I am very excited about this review. I love finding things to keep my kids as safe as possible, and when I ran across Gloee.com, I knew they had products I had to try. I would like to thank Kristin for agreeing to this review. Here is a little about her and how Gloee came to be.

This is her words, I couldn't state it any better so I am posting what she wrote:

Wearing safety reflectors is a tradition in the Scandinavian countries. One of the reasons is of course the very long dark hours during the winter. For me it has always been second nature to have a safety reflector hanging from my bag or my coat. Going out at dusk, without one is as unthinkable as driving without a seat belt.

Ten years ago I moved to the US. I remember I thought it was very strange that I saw so few pedestrians wearing any kind of reflectors. As a driver I found it frustrating driving after dark, because it was so hard to see people. It makes it especially hard that so many people are wearing dark clothing as the weather gets colder and the days get shorter. Where I grew up, just south of the artic circle, the “reflector season“ ends in the summer since it never gets dark. Most places in the US we should wear safety reflectors all year round.

There’s evidence that safety reflectors save lives. A driver can see someone wearing a high quality reflector at 100 yards, as opposed to 5 yards for someone not wearing one. Knowing that a driver can see my two little ones (and my husband and myself) in time to stop makes our walks outside after dark a little less stressful.

Five years ago I became a mother, and as my kids started walking (and soon runningJ ) family and friends from Norway sent them reflectors in all shapes and colors. Unlike the bland yellow or gray patches when an America thinks of reflectors, these are stylish and fun. My kids loved wearing them!

My friends kept asking about them, and I began thinking that it was time to introduce these wonderful safety accessories to US families. Last fall I started my own small business, I created www.gloee.com and began importing high quality safety reflectors from Europe. As a mother, the most important thing for me was to find a product that I could trust, so that I would let my own kids use them. I need to know that the safety reflectors are doing their job to make my children seen in the dark. The quality has to be excellent and the design needs to be fun. I want to sell safety reflectors that kids want to wearJ I think the products I have meet all of my criteria’s!

I had received a Love Life Hanger, Red Hearts Stickers, a circles slap wrap and a red/green slap wrap to review. Let me just say, that these are all FABULOUS products. Elsa was super excited about them the second I opened the package. She was practically tearing the packing off of them.

First, I will talk about the Love Life Hanger. This is perfect to hand anywhere. In my example picture, I show it hanging from my necklace, but you know the typical places to hang them (zipper pulls, diaper bags, belt loops etc.). It shines extremely bright when the light hits it. and I personally absolutely love this one. There are 2 other designs of hangers on their website, and they are priced at $5.95.

Now, I would like to tell you about the red hearts stickers. I strategically placed them on the stroller, and put 2 of them on our diaper bag. They are really quite sticky, so be cautious of where you put them. I made sure it is definitely where I wanted them before I stuck them anywhere. They are totally adorable, and are quite visible in the dark. I took a picture with flash on these, and you can clearly see in the one photo how bright they are. There are 8 other designs of the stickers on Gloee.com, including a truly adorable set of bunnies. They are priced from $4.95 to $13.95.

They get really bright.

Lastly, Elsa's favorite, the slap wraps. They are priced at $9.95, and come in 5 other designs than the ones shown here. Elsa is IN LOVE with these things, and asks to wear her bracelet ALL THE TIME. That makes me more than happy. She is also a pretty rough kid, and it has been surviving her abuse quite well. It is getting a little scraped up, but still shines just as bright. These are a bit big on Dixie, but she likes wearing bracelets like her big sister. It fits around her upper arm and her chubby little leg so I have demonstrations of that shown. They day the reflectors arrived, was a nice sunny day, so we wore them while we were outside and I waited for dusk to see just how awesome they are. Just as the sun started to go down the light started hitting them perfectly to make them shine bright. I was very pleased with how they immediately started glowing. I live in a neighborhood with quite a few elderly drivers. Not that they are bad drivers, but they just can't see as well as they used to and it gave me comfort to know that my children could be seen in the alley next to our house well before the cars were near them.

She was so excited to put it on.

Around Dixie's leg, I believe the flash was on for this picture.

around Dixie's upper arm.

We have had a lot of rainy days here too, and when headlights hit them in the daytime they definitely shine quite well then too. These products will make waiting for the bus, walking through parking lots, going for walks, or any other activity you can think of that much safer. The cute designs mean kids love them too....I know Elsa does. I would recommend these to anyone, and you should definitely buy some today. Thank you Gloee for making safety fun.

You can "like" Gloee on Facebook or follow them on Twitter

Definitely, go check them out.

The Jeans

2011-04-08T10:15:00.000-04:00

These are my jeans. My favorite jeans. I have had these jeans for 10 years. These are the jeans that I wore on my first date with the Huz almost 9 years ago. The reason I bring this up, is because I had to patch them last night for about he millionth time. Some people ask me why I don't just get rid of them. Well, the are sentimental, comfy and they still fit after TEN YEARS. They are the jeans that have always been there for me. Through all of the bleach stains (thanks mom), holes and extensive wear and tear they refuse to give up.

10 years and 2 kids later....pure awesome. (note my enormous stretch marks
are down below the rise of these jeans.)

I got these jeans as a gift from my aunt when I was a sophomore in high school. They were from Express and I love them still to this day. They don't make jeans like this anymore. They aren't low rise, which I LOVE, and is something that is really hard to find nowadays. I don't think I can ever give these jeans up. I will be wearing them until there are more patches than denim I am sure. The only holes I care to patch are the ones in the butt anyway. The seat of these pants started wearing out in about year 8 of their ownership.

Since I have to re-patch them every once in a while, I do it in my own unique way. I save the bright colored and patterned baby clothes that have some stains on them, and I cut them up for patches. Of course, I also use bright colored thread to sew them on. On a side note, this also works very well on children's clothes, and Elsa thinks her patches rock.

I indeed patche them from the inside....it is more fun to make
people wonder if that is your underwear or not haha.

The Huz came home from work yesterday and saw me sewing patches. He went on with his business, and after I was wearing the jeans, he noticed it was THE jeans. He still loves them too. I can't say I blame him, there were lots of good memories made with these jeans. I hope they live forever.

*I would also like to apologize for posting picture of me AFTER I lost a crap ton of weight...I know seeing someone that weighs 122 lbs. may anger some people. Trust me, I am very thankful to have been able to lose the 43 lbs. I gained with Dixie.

If I Could Have Superpowers

2011-03-31T09:20:00.003-04:00

*Don't laugh at my pathetic attempt at art...I am a musician not an artist.
On second thought, laugh really really hard. I know I am*

Last night as I was doing another mountain of dishes, laundry, counter scrubbing, table scrubbing and vacuuming up crumbs/food, it occurred to me. If I could have superpowers, that would be awesome. Then I thought, "What powers would I want?". Would I want to be like Superman? No, that doesn't quite fit....although being faster than a speeding bullet would be pretty awesome. What about Spiderman? No, that would only work for tying my children up....which is illegal. I was running through all of the superheroes and nothing fit. Then it hit me....I wouldn't need super powers at all!!!! I need to be Samantha from Bewitched!!!!! PERFECT! Magic powers at the wiggle of my nose.

Think about it people...having 2 small children is a tornado of biblical proportions. They leave a disaster area in their wake that sometimes requires a hazmat suit. If you could have everything perfect in the wiggle of a nose, wouldn't that be pure awesome? I think it would be. I would have everything done in record time. Dishes done, check. Laundry washed, folded and put away (diapers and otherwise), check. House spotless, check. Five star dinner on the table for dinner, check. There would also be no more broken/missing toys causing extreme meltdowns and life would be PERFECT. It would also be nice to not have to actually use a straight iron on my hair.

So, I would like to know, where the hell are my magic powers already? First, I apparently need I Dream of Jeannie to give me some. *sigh* Back to my dreaming of having a perfect life. I guess I should go start picking up that tornado of destruction now....and possibly break up the fight in the middle of the living room.

WINNER WINNER!!!!!!

2011-03-30T09:43:00.000-04:00

The winners for the SafetyTat Giveaway are:

WINNER 1:

"Kristin said...

The puppy ones are adorable and my son would leave it on because he loves puppies!

March 22, 2011 1:08 PM "

She didn't leave me her e-mail, but mentioned to me on twitter that she forgot. I know who you are and will be in touch.

WINNER 2:

"Zabrina said...

I tweeted!
zcscooby@msn.com
http://twitter.com/#!/ZsSpace/status/50166441479110657

March 22, 2011 8:06 AM "

Thanks to everyone who entered!

Changes

2011-03-30T06:00:00.009-04:00

With time, everything eventually changes. Children grow, people get older, things come and go. On the subject of children growing, I know my days of diapers are waning. So, I have been putting much thought into this. I am going to change the name of my blog. It will still uphold my principals of complete randomness, and I will always have resources for breastfeeding, babywearing and cloth diapers on this blog. With watching my children grow, I know that this is just something that I want to do. I just don't feel the name fits any longer. I still love cloth diapers just as much, don't get me wrong, but I have found diapers I am happy with and I no longer scour the internet looking at diapers all the time. Thank you all for sticking around as my blog has grown, I hope it continues to grow and be awesome.

I will start the changes after I completely figure out the header designs and whatnot. Considering I do these things myself (I don't have the money to hire professionals HA!) it may take a little bit. Just wanted to warn you of the upcoming changes and all.

UPDATE: So, it didn't take me nearly as long to change things as I thought. My designers block isn't nearly as bad as my writer's block apparently. Still got nothing on the writing front. O well, maybe a stroke of genius will hit me.

Review Dandelion Earth-Friendly Goods Children's ReUsable Tableware

2011-03-29T06:00:00.001-04:00

Dandelion Earth-Friendly Goods asked if I would like to do a review for them. I said I would love to, so they sent along some products for us to use. I received a pack of 6 ReUsables infant feeding spoons,a 2 pack of divided plates and a utensil 8 pack. They are made from Corn and are Phthalate and BPA free products. I am always concerned about BPA, so this is awesome. Because they are made from corn, which is a anually renewable resourse, it reduces energy use and green house gas emissions. The packaging they come in is also earth friendly and is made from 100% recycled material and printed with vegetable inks. They are not dishwasher safe, and you cannot boil them or microwave them, but that is not a big deal to me. Dandelion contributes a portion of the proceeds from teh sales of the natural tableware feeding line to support organizations providing food to Americans living with hunger. This is definitely a product I can stand behind just on that alone.

When they came in the mail, it was just in time for lunch, so I washed them and put them to use right away. They are very sturdy, Elsa likes to bend plastic forks and spoons, but she was not able to do that with these. The handle part is wide and slightly curved so it has a good grip for both my kids. Dixie has always tried to use spoons, but this is the first time she has actually attempted to use a fork. I was surprised that she picked it up. They seem to have a pretty comfy grip along with their durability. We don't really need the infant spoons at this point in time, but we may intend to have another child at some point. Until then I will be the bad mommy that uses them to eat ice cream...yes, I totally use the baby spoons to eat ice cream. I love these products, and I will definitely get some more. Here are some picture of them compared to other children's tableware we have, and pictures of the kids using them.

The ReUsables plate only has 2 areas instead of 3, but I put the main parts of the meal in the
bigger section and the sides in the smaller section so it is still easy to proportion.

The handle is not as awkward to hold, and the tip is more blunt on
the ReUsables baby spoon.

The ReUsables spoon is deeper (great for cereal eating for children) and the handle is
not as sharply curved as the training spoon.

The ReUsables fork, is not straight handled like the middle fork, but not as sharply curved as the
learning fork. The tip is not as pointy as the middle fork,but not as rounded or spork like as the training
fork. My daughter had the easiest time using the ReUsables fork.

I couldn't get a picture of her actually using he fork.

This is Dixie's first attempt at using a fork.

They also have lots of other amazing products, that I would love to have in my house either now or in the future. Here is a list of the other fabulous products.

Bamboo Zoo *machine washable: Plush animals, soft shakers, cuddlie security blanket animals and hand puppets (Lion, Monkey, Bear and Giraffe)

Pink For Baby Girls *machine washable: Baby doll, flower book, busy block, bunny blanket and little house sorter

"Believe" Organic plush *machine washable: large & small elephant, large & small rhino and large & small polar bear

Classic Dandelion *machine washable: duck plush, bear plush and turtle plush

Organic Rattles and Teethers *machine washable: Frog rattle,duck squeaker, crinkle bear, bulls eye squeaker, bear blanket, knots rattle, crinkle book, ruffles rattle and ring rattle

Organic Developmental Toys *machine washable: activity attacher, activity ball, gyro ball, busy block, soft stacker and soft sorter

Other ReUsables items I did not receive are the 2pk of bowls and the infant bowl and spoon set. They have expanded this popular line to include teething keys and attaching links also made from corn. The divided plates, and utensils I received can also be bought in a package with a pack of 2 bowls for $24.99. They also have 6 different organic cotton canvas tote bags, certified organic onesies in 4 different sizes, certified organic bib and burper sets and certified organic receiving blankets (30" x 30"). All the certified organic baby items come in 8 colors.

You can follow Dandelion on Facebook and Twitter. You can also visit their site to see any of these wonderful items, learn more about their company, to learn more about corn based bioplastics or to purchase their fine products.

*please read review disclosure

The Girls' Birthday

2011-03-24T12:22:00.001-04:00

Sorry, I know I have been slacking and this is a little bit late. Here are the pictures from the girls' birthday party on the 12th. They really enjoyed themselves and we all had a good time.

One of the wonderful cakes from my aunt's sister's cake shop (yummo)

Getting ready to sing Happy Birthday.

She got shy when we were singing and covered her eyes.

She wouldn't eat until she got a fork, thank sweet baby jesus.

She actually wasn't messy while eating at first.

She ate the entire frosting 1 off the top of the cake.

This is where the real fun started.

Smeary good time.

Here mom!

It ended up in her eye AND her ear.

After a quick break for a Dixie scrub down we did presents. Dixie didn't really want to open them, so I opened them and showed them to her. These are the only 2 shots I was able to get on our camera of Elsa as I was opening Dixie's presents and The Huz was helping Elsa.

Note, the flooring is actually the world's ugliest carpet...I know what I want
for MY birthday ;-).

Review & Giveaway: SafetyTat CLOSED

2011-03-15T10:18:00.003-04:00

CLOSED

Now that Elsa is 3 today (Happy Birthday big girl!), I am always worried about little miss independent getting loose and away from me. She is too big for our stroller now so I have to trust her. When I was contacted by SafetyTat to see if I would like to review their product, I jumped right at the opportunity.

They have 2 different kinds of tattoos available. They have quick stick, which go on much like a sticker and you right the number on them. Then they have the original, which go on like a traditional temporary tattoo. The quick stick come in packs of 6($9.99) or 18($19.99), and come in 9 different design packs including allergy alert and in case of emergency. The Original Style come in either 2 line or 1 line and come with your information on them. It is $19.95 for a pack of 24. They have such a vast number of designs I would be writing them all day, so I will just highlight some that I find important. They have Special Needs (down syndrome, non-verbal for boys and girls, autism and autism non-verbal), allergy (nut, peanut, bee sting), medical alert (diabetic for boys and girls) and for schools (great for field trips). The also have the original style in Spanish.

Another great site feature, is the tat builder. You can made your own 2 line original tat. They have several color choices, many different icons (including medical alert) and several different messages that you can interchange to make the perfec

t tat for your needs. It is the same cost to you to make a tattoo as purchasing a regular pack as well. No extra charges.

Next I am going to mention the tat kisses. I love this idea. They have a general kiss, kisses from mommy and kisses from daddy. Each set has 3 messages and come in packs of 18($9.99). These are simply designed to be placed on your child's had as a reminder hat you are always with them. Great for the first day of school or their first time away from mom and dad. You can also buy extra pens for the quick stick tats and bumper stickers (as pictured above) on the site. I love this company because it is created by a real mom, out of necessity.

I had recieved a sample pack of the quick stick and a pack of the original single line tattoos. Elsa LOVES putting these on. She wants to wear them all the time. It is kind of comforting that she likes it because I know she won't try to get them off. The quick stick don't come off that easily, so good luck to any child that tries to get them off. It didn't hurt her when I peeled it off though so no worries there moms and dads. The original tat went on super easy, and the longest one has stayed on (even though it was quite dirty) was 2 weeks. I recommend changing it before that point, I was just testing to see how long it would stay. I finally had to take an alcohol wipe to it to get it off. At that point it was almost not able to be read anymore.

Original Style (edited of course, no creepy phone calls)

Quick Stick

You can find safety tat on Facebook and Twitter, and shop for their products on SafetyTat.com.

Now on to the giveaway. SaefetyTat, has generously offered up prizes for TWO of my readers. Each winner will receive one sample pack of the Quick Stick Write-On! Multi Designs. Please leave me a way to contact you in your comment (e-mail address or twitter handle is fine). I will choose the winner via random.org. This contest will end March 29.

To enter, please tell me what safety tat product you think you would like.

extra entry: once a day you may tweet about this giveaway.

GOOD LUCK!

Quick Update

2011-03-10T08:09:00.000-05:00

So, I took down the banner giveaway because no one was entering it. I will have another review and giveaway in a few days. Hopefully people will at least enter that one. It has been kind of busy around here getting ready for the girls' birthday party. I'll probably just end up using the banner myself. No biggie. I was just trying to be nice. Anyway, this was just a quick update of things.

Simply Chic Headbands by Carolyn LeBarron

2011-03-02T08:35:00.001-05:00

Well, as promised, here is the first gift for all you lovelies in celebration of my girls' birthdays. Today is Dixie's Birthday, and I am releasing a discount code kindly offered by Carolyn LeBarron. Her headbands are wonderful. I special ordered 2 headbands for the girls, for their birthday party. These headbands are also now available in her etsy shop. They are well made, my girls pull on them pretty good and they have held up nicely. Dixie doesn't scream when I put hers on so it must be pretty comfy. Elsa insists on hers being put on as well whenever she sees it. I had to put it out of reach so she doesn't get it dirty before her birthday LOL.

forgive the faces being made, this is first thing in the morning.

Ok, so here it is. You will get 25% off of you entire purchase, all you have to do is enter code "MamaBennie" at checkout. Enjoy, and go treat yourself (she does have women's) or a little lady in your life to a headband. Visit her Etsy shop by clicking here. She also has a Facebook and a Twitter account, so go follow to keep updated on the latest.

*I did not receive anything for my opinions, I paid for these headbands and am stating my honest opinion.

Yay For Sleep

2011-02-22T11:53:00.001-05:00

I haven't been getting much sleep. Since Dixie was like 3 months old she has woken up twice a night if not more. I am pretty burned out. I know you are all thinking, "well, why doesn't your husband get up?". Let me explain that part. My husband has a very energy involved job. He is on call 24/7. They can call him at 2 in the morning and he goes to work. Especially during snow season. He needs his sleep, so I let him sleep. I am home all day every day, so me missing sleep isn't nearly as bad as it is for him.

Nevertheless, I have been burned out with the lack of sleep. It isn't like I can nap during the day because demon child Elsa no longer takes naps. Even if she did, the kids wouldn't nap at the same time because my children are out to torture me that is just the way my life works. I just couldn't take it anymore the other day, so I switched up the way we do bedtime. I just laid Dixie down, gave her a kiss and whispered my I-love-you's and walked away for once. She stood up and cried a little, so I laid her back down and repeated. She actually fell asleep by herself for the first time. It was liberating. The process was much harder with Elsa, she wouldn't go to sleep without me being in the room until about 2 months before Dixie was born.

With this new development, Dixie was waking up once a night. Last night though, she slept through the night for the first time since she was 3 months old. She even cut 2 teeth and slept through the night. It was a miracle, and I swear I heard angels singing when I woke up this morning. I hope that this is a regular occurrence now. I would like to have my sleep back. O how I have missed it and longed for it. Dixie only nurses like 3 time a day now if she starts sleeping through the night. But, she is very attached to it, so I can live with that. Yay for sleep!

Guest Post: Primrose Schools Family Dance-Off

2011-02-16T08:33:00.001-05:00

I had posted an article for Primrose Schools before, and I was contacted again by Emily. She asked me if I would like to share about their dance-off to help fight childhood obesity. I told her I would love to, so here she is with the details.

Get Healthy as a Family, Dance!
Submitted by Emily Patterson on behalf of Primrose Preschools

Dance can be a fun, easy way to introduce physical activity into your family's daily routine. Primrose Schools has recognized and is actively fighting against the childhood obesity epidemic, with its many educational child care locations. Your family can join in the fight- all you have to do is dance!

The Family Dance-off supports Children's Miracle Network Hospitals, a non-profit organization that raises funds for more than 170 children's hospitals, which collectively treat 17 million children annually for every illness and injury imaginable.

So grab your video camera and submit a 30 second video of your family dancing to promote fitness and strengthen family ties.

Participating in the Family Dance-off is easy:
1.       Record a 30-second video of your family's best dance moves. Don't be afraid to let loose and be silly!

2.       Visit The Family Dance-off site and upload your best take by March 19th.

3.       Share your video with your friends via email, Facebook, Twitter, etc.

4.       View and vote daily (you can place five votes per day) for your favorite family dance video!

What would a competition be without prizes? Primrose Schools is providing prizes that aren't only great for your family but for your whole community, with $65,000 in donations to local Children's Miracle Network Hospitals:

·         Grand Prize: $5,000 and Primrose will make a $30,000 donation to a local Children's Miracle Network Hospital

·         2nd Prize: $3,000 and Primrose will make a $20,000 donation to a local Children's Miracle Network Hospital

·         3rd Prize: $1,500 and Primrose will make a $15,000 donation to a local Children's Miracle Network Hospital

·         All 14 Finalists will also receive a FLIP camcorder

Visit for the link above for details on how to take part in the fight against childhood obesity, participate in the competition, and view past competitors.

Valentine's Day-The Day After

2011-02-15T12:45:00.001-05:00

Well, anyone who follows my Twitter feed, knows that I got a Zune for Valentine's Day. I don't expect or ask for extravagant gifts....EVER. I was in complete and utter amazement. The only thing I ever expect my husband to get for me (because he does every year) is a dozen roses and a mushy card. I got the roses, the mushy card AND a Zune this year. I had mentioned that I wanted one after my iPod died, but I never expected to actually get one. They are expensive, and he knows how I feel about expensive. Nevertheless, I am extremely happy with it. I indeed have the best husband in the world. Not just because he buys me stuff, because he is a loving wonderful man that would do anything for us. He is an amazing father to our babies, and I can't picture my life without him. We didn't have a fancy dinner or anything like that, we just had each other and our kids. Spending time with each other every day is what matters.

So to the Huz, I ♥ you with every fiber of my being every day. Your card may have said that marrying me was the smartest and best thing you ever did, but I have to say that saying yes to you was the best thing I ever did. Here is to forever with you. It may be tough at times, but that is what marriage is. It is never just easy, but love and the ability to talk to each other openly is how we roll.

♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥

Upcoming Birthday Event

2011-02-13T10:01:00.000-05:00

Well, as you all know, this upcoming month will be the 1st and 3rd birthdays of my 2 little lovelies. As a bit of a celebration of their birthdays, I am going to have some bloggy love for you. I will have 2 giveaways and a discount code for you so far. If there are any companies reading this that would like to be involved, feel free to contact me and we will set something up.

I myself will be giving something away. This is in no way sponsored by any company. I am doing his out of the kindness of my snarky heart. What will I be giving away you ask? I will be giving away a giant 1st birthday party banner, that you can personalize with your child's name. I will also have a review and giveaway sponsored by Safetytat. Elsa turning 3 has brought a whole new level of safety issues to my mind, so this one fits in nicely. HeadbandsBoutique will also be offering a discount code, that I will reveal at the beginning of the month, for all of you lovely blog followers.

Just wanted to give you a heads up about some of the things that will be happening this coming month. Hope you enjoy it. I will update the blog with add ons if there are any changes.

Random Fluffy Talk

2011-02-08T09:15:00.000-05:00

Last night, after the kids were in bed, The Huz and I were sitting around talking. In our true random fashion, in the middle of our conversation he asked me to put some uniforms in the wash for him. He had forgotten to take his in to work for the service to pick them up. I of course said, "Sure, I have diapers to put in the dryer anyway." So I went and did what I had to do. Since our washer and dryer are in the kitchen we continues our conversation where we had left off while I was switching the loads around.

Suddenly, in my true random style, a question popped in my head. So of course I changed the subject we were on. I asked him, "Are you happy we started using cloth, how do you feel about it?". I had never asked him before how he felt about it. It was just a decision that was made. He responded a little something like this, "Hell yes I'm happy, it is saving me a ton of money!". Well, at least he is happy about it. Now only if I could get him to change those diapers a little more often that would be AWESOME.

He is so cool about the cloth diapers when we are around other people actually. He tells people how easy they are and how much money we save with it. I actually like to listen to him telling other dads about it. I know money is a main motivating factor for men so that is always the main point, but still. I am glad I have a husband that will spread the fluffy word. In my opinion cloth should be on every baby bum, but I know that isn't always feasible. In other discussions we have had, my husband has even mentioned how much happier our kids are in the cloth diapers. Well DUH....their butts have nice comfy cotton or bamboo against their bum. It is better than being wrapped in a plastic baggie filled with chlorine and SAP gel (just to name 2 ingredients). He admits the allergic reaction to disposables they had should be something that NEVER occurs. It was painful just to look at.

So, here is to you HUZ. You rock, and are the best. You support my insane diaper obsession on a million levels. I love you.

Hell in a Hand Basket

2011-02-03T12:55:00.000-05:00

Is it just me, or is the world going to hell in a hand basket? The state of things is just really a mess right now. It really is becoming sad times in the world today. I barely even look at the news anymore, because it is always the same. People are killing one another, corruption, scandals, wars, riots, disasters and so many other negatives are plastered all over our screens every day. Then you read some of the comments on articles, and that is even more ridiculous. People try to blame Obama, communism, fascism, nazis and about a million other crazy things for what is going on. Truth be told, we are all at fault. From the highest politicians all the way down to Joe BlueCollar, we all play a part in everything that goes on in our country.

Our country has been at war for almost a decade. We all point the blame at everyone else. But, we are all responsible, because we elect the people who start the wars. The US does not have good voter turnout. If you don't vote you can't complain about things. We as people have given up on our government apparently. The government also doesn't function the way our forefathers intended for it to be either. Our country needs to change the way we act and function because we are out of control.

Next we have the natural disasters and crazy storm systems. Across the globe their is extreme amounts of damage being done by super-storms, earthquakes and pretty much any natural disaster you can think of. We have been destroying our planet for generations, and she is pissed. The world is being vengeful and trying to hit the reset button on us, because we didn't care enough for the place we live. We kind of deserve it.

Lastly, the events in Egypt and Tunisia got me thinking about other places in the world. I feel bad for these people because they are so unhappy and they want to change their countries. All of the riots and craziness aren't really the best way to get things done, but the government really isn't receptive to the ideas of their people in most other countries either. So, the riots and insanity continue to go on. All of the other countries in the world will probably have the same response to this....war. Which really doesn't help anything either. Killing people because they are unhappy with their quality of life. There has got to be better ways to try to help these countries out. Pretty soon the whole entire world is going to be one giant government overthrowing riot, and we begin out decent of going to hell in a hand basket.

Random Stuff

2011-02-02T13:04:00.000-05:00

Well, since we are iced in rather than snowed in I figured I would just to a random post. I know today I would typically do a wordless wednesday post, but I don't have any pictures that I really want to post so writing works instead. I have been slacking on the posting lately because I haven't had any inspiration to write. When I do actually get inspiration I am busy at the time and then I completely lose my thought process by the time I am ready to write. Yea, my brain barely function apparently. So, anyway, here is a whole load of random.

We are iced in, as I mentioned above. We got about 5 or 6 inches of snow, but then last night it sleeted on top of that. Now the roads are as slick as a bowling alley and I am NOT going anywhere. Good thing our tax refund money hasn't cleared the bank yet, or I would be irritated because there is stuff that we need. ANYWHO....Dixie started walking short distances independently. Like, if she is standing at the kiddie table, she will walk the 2 feet to grab a toy she wants. That is about how far she can make it before her little legs give out. Today she is 11 months old. I can't even believe she is 11 months old. That means next month is my babies' birthdays. I can't even stand the fact that they are just getting so big.

Speaking of getting big, Elsa is potty trained during the day now. Still a bed wetter, but I didn't expect her to be overnight trained yet. She is quite the little dancer, and sings along with songs on movies and the radio now. She is quite the little verbalizer, even though she still has trouble with a few words. I am proud of how smart she is, but it also breaks my heart because both of my babies aren't really babies anymore....Dixie is just about a toddler and Elsa isn't really a toddler anymore at this point. I wish I could just freeze time.

To continue on this stream of random, back to Dixie now. She has become quite the little climber in the past week. She is going to give me about a billion heart attacks just like her big sister. Gray hair here I come! These kids are going to be double teaming against me in no time. My sister always told me I will need to prioritize which kid needs to be ran after and be punished first....we'll see how that one works out.

O yea, about 2 weeks ago we got to have a date night. It was the best night I have had in 15 months a really long time. My mom was kind enough to come sit at the house while the kids slept. We went to see a band (one of the guys we went to school with). It was at a bar, and I was the designated driver, as I do not drink while breastfeeding. After the bar closed we went to one of the 24 hour diners and had something to eat. We got home around 4am. I hope I get to have some fun like that again soon, because I felt like a whole new person. Well, that is about all of the jibber jabber I have for you today. Later Gators.

The One Where I Rant About The Pediatricians Office

2011-01-20T14:43:00.001-05:00

Well, today didn't start off very well. My day started off with me pulling something in my back...yet again. I never knew holding a child that is not even 20 lbs. could be so painful. Anyway, then we had our WIC appointment followed by the grocery store. We are getting snow tonight so the grocery store WAS INSANE!!!!!!!!!!!! After being rammed by about a dozen carts and loading my children and all of the stuff we bought into my truck, we headed home. When we arrived home I got all of the stuff and my kids in the house as quickly as possible. I then proceeded to check the mail. This is where the pediatricians office comes in.

There was a bill in the mail from them for $62. It was listed as "Developmental Screening". Well, I called the Huz and he was NOT happy. He asked for their number. I knew exactly what was going to go down. He just called me back and I became EVEN MORE enraged. Now, I love our pediatrician, I just hate the group he is in. He is not the head pediatrician there. Apparently, the survey form that THEY GIVE US to fill out about our children, is a $65 charge because it is "Developmental Screening". This is not a required service in Pennsylvania, therefore our insurance will only allow $3 and we are responsible for the rest of this charge, because it doesn't fall under the well visit. I SHOULD NOT HAVE TO PAY $62 FOR FILLING OUT A QUESTIONNAIRE ABOUT MY CHILD. So then the Huz proceeded to tell the woman on the other end that we will be opting out of these forms from now on because that is ridiculous and we will not continue to be charged such an insane amount of money for doing their job for them. This is where it gets even better.

SO, now the lady on the other end proceeds to tell my husband that we HAVE to do it because it is their office's policy. Well, this is where the Huz looses it. You see, he works at a health care facility and will not be bullied by these people. He said, "It is not a state required test, right?". Of course she said no, because it isn't. He then went on to tell her that it isn't a requirement and they can't make us. He said if the doctor wants to ask us questions while we are there that is fine, but this charge is ridiculous. Regardless we are still responsible for paying for this first incident of insanity. The best part about that is if it isn't paid within a 30 day period they charge us $5 a month for the bill sitting in their computer system. Yea awesome. I would like to know where this extra $60 is coming from in our already tight budget. I am done being railroaded into these phony baloney "screening" charges. I am in such a mood right now I could spit fire. I would also like to know how someone can charge $65 for writing on a sheet of paper. I feel remotely better now that I got it out....rant over....peace out.

The Unveiling of My New Hair

2011-01-14T10:43:00.000-05:00

First, I would like to say sorry I didn't do this last night. We didn't get home until 9pm, and I fell asleep after putting Dixie to bed. So, anyway, first I will put up a picture of the before so you have a refresher of what I did look like.

and

this

the

new

look

these next 2 pictures were taken this morning so you could see the color better. Sorry for the bed head.

Wordless Wednesday: My Snowbabies

2011-01-12T11:25:00.000-05:00

Prayers and Support for a Fellow Blogger

2011-01-09T08:15:00.001-05:00

I know all of us mommy bloggers care deeply for children. That is why I care so much about this. I received an e-mail from Karen over at Mommy Times. Shannon from Coupon Mommy of 3 is having a true family crisis right now. Her 2nd daughter, 3 year old Emily, was diagnosed with stage IV Ganglioneuroblastoma. They have quite the journey ahead of them. They also have to travel from VA to NY for her chemotherapy treatments. You can keep track of her story here on Caring Bridge. I am also putting a widget for ChipIn on the bottom of this post, and will continue to keep one on my side bar for anyone who would like to donate to their family. Here is some info about ChipIn:

ChipIn is a Web-based service that simplifies the process of collecting money from groups of people. We make this process quick, easy, and secure, and we provide organizers with numerous ways to get the word out about their ChipIn event.

Karen is still soliciting gas cards, food cards, Wal-mart cards, and gifts for Emily. She loves Mickey Mouse, Tinkerbell and Justin Beiber. You can contact her at southcarolinamommy@gmail.com if you would like to send her something. If you would like to share the widget or Emily's story on your blog, please feel free to add to the support. This little girl is in the fight of her life, and can use all the prayers and support possible. I know if it was your son or daughter you would want all of the support possible too. I have this post tagged as family, because Shannon is part of the blogging family. So lets lift her up and show her how much love we have for each other.

The Hubbub of Breastfeeding

2011-01-08T06:00:00.003-05:00

I will just say this now, I am NOT a lactivist. I usually don't get my panties in a twist about breastfeeding controversy or get outspoken with whatever is going on. There are a few occasions though, when I do. When a mom is told that she cannot breastfeed in a public area, even though in most states it is protected by law, that makes my blood boil. When women are made to feel like they should be ashamed for breastfeeding, that makes my blood boil. Recently, the Leaky B@@b Facebook page was deleted. That REALLY made my blood boil. There are vulgar, disgusting half-naked (if not fully naked) content ALL over Facebook....or the internet for that matter. Breastfeeding shows less skin than most teenage girls show on a daily basis. I don't see how it is seen as vulgar, or why us breastfeeding mothers should be ashamed.

Up until the time formula was invented, breastfeeding was the norm. No one thought twice about mothers breastfeeding in public. If you had a baby it was just what you did. Nowadays, I have actually had someone say to me, "That is not what my boobs are meant for!". Well, again, I of course went off and stated that is EXACTLY what they are meant for. Because, biologically, it is an open and shut case in that department. That is what we are designed to do. It is what all other species from giraffes to mice do. If you think about it, when you are enjoying that glass of milk (which I think cow milk is gross BTW), you are drinking another animal's breast milk. If you use formula, and it is milk based, you are giving your baby something based off of another animal's breast milk. Just food for thought there. I have nothing against formula feeding, to each their own. But, if you belittle a breastfeeding mother, and treat her like a leper because she is breastfeeding her child, THAT I have a problem with.

If a formula feeding mother can feed her child anywhere, a nursing mother can too. Their baby has a bottle, and my baby has a boob. If you have a problem with it, look the other way and keep your mouth shut. It is what is natural. The problem with nursing in public, which I have mentioned before, is that modern society is over-sexualized. Everyone only views breasts as something sexual instead of the wonderful milk machines they are intended to be. I am not saying that they shouldn't be seen as sexual at all, but there is a time and a place for everything. I know I am beating a dead horse on the sexuality subject, but it needs repeating obviously. Because of people not separating sexuality from breastfeeding, mothers that are doing what they see best for their child get asked to feed their children elsewhere....usually the subject of bathrooms is brought up. Here is my opinion on that. I won't take a dump on your dinner table, so don't ask my child to eat in the bathroom. That is just nasty. A bathroom is teeming with fecal bacteria. It spreads every time someone flushes. Do you really want to eat near that? I think not. Everyone has to eat, and breastfeeding is how my child eats. Period.

Now on to the subject of the internet and breastfeeding groups. These groups are here for moms to support each other. Posting a picture of a child breastfeeding is not in the least bit vulgar...and again, shows less skin than most teenagers. We post these pictures because we are proud of what we are doing, and we love breastfeeding. We are passionate about what our bodies are doing for our children. It is an amazing feeling to know that your tiny little baby's life is being sustained solely by you. It is a proud moment for me to realize that this is the second child that I have successfully breastfed despite all of the formula company booby traps that exist today. I see far worse images pop up on my screen DAILY. Just a few days ago a Victoria's Secret ad was on the same screen as I was reading my Yahoo Mail. A woman in nothing but a lace bra, thong and high heeled shoes. I find that to be far more offensive honestly.

It is sad to me how backwards our society has become. It says something about us as a society when breastfeeding is frowned upon so publicly and mothers, with intentions to nurse, are booby trapped into formula feeding their babies by companies that violate the WHO code on about a million different levels. Other countries don't allow formula advertising and booby trapping the way the US does. I am sad for our country. Mothers aren't treated with the respect they deserve. My advice to expectant mothers is get educated. Do your research. If breastfeeding is what you really want to do, stick with it. Formula companies are tricky and will try to weasel their way into your home. Find support groups. Find a lactation consultant (certified of course). Research the laws where you live. Nursing freedom has cards on their site with your state's law on it, that you can carry around with you. Fight for your right to breastfeed and don't back down. If you are a person who disagrees with how I feel, I am sorry you feel that way, but don't leave me nasty comments either. If you are a regular reader you know how I feel about breastfeeding. If you are new, well I have a breastfeeding resources tab, so that should have been a tip off. My rant is over now, so I hope you all got something from it. Have a great rest of your day.

Dixie breastfeeding at 5 months of age.

A Bittersweet Farewell

2011-01-07T09:33:00.000-05:00

It is a very bittersweet farewell around here these days. Bittersweet because my first baby is, well, no longer a baby. She wears big girl undies. She no longer requires her cloth diapers. She barely even needs them when she is sleeping at night now. Don't get me wrong, only having one child in diapers full time is pretty sweet. It is just that Elsa being almost completely day and night time potty trained means she is growing up that much faster. She doesn't need me as much. It hurts. Soon enough she will be off to school, and will be distanced that much more from me.

The princess undies she got for Christmas started it all. She had the training undies, but she didn't like them. We got her big girl undies and that was what it took. I even went out with her the other day to do some shopping, and he used a public potty. That is like he potty equivalent to walking on the moon. We still have our occasional accidents, but she is barely even turning 3. I expect these things to happen. It is still bittersweet to see her say goodbye to diapers. Folding the little undies makes my heart hurt a little. Soon enough I will be folding LOTS of little undies though so I guess I should just suck it up.

It also dawned upon me that, as my children evolve, so must I. Eventually I am going to have to rename this blog. I should probably start thinking about that now. I know Dixie will probably potty train faster because she wants to be like her big sister. I know it is inevitable that these girls are going to grow up. Bring it on father time. So I guess it is hello potty, goodbye diapers for the first of my littles. I love you my big girl.

Wordless Wednesday: Where Has My Baby Gone?

2011-01-05T08:25:00.000-05:00

Dixie with the Huz, 2 days old

Dixie, 10 months and 3 days old. So close to walking.

R.I.P. iPod

2011-01-04T09:00:00.003-05:00

Well, yesterday my beloved iPod died. It's screen was glitchy lines and it won't take a charge anymore. It was a birthday present from the Huz about 5 years ago. I am really sad about it actually. It may be old and ghetto, but it was my old and ghetto iPod. It has been everywhere with me the past five years. It was even there when my children were born. Now, I guess, I will have to move on. I already told iTunes I would like a divorce though, so maybe a Zune is in my future. I saw a Zune HD I really liked. Our 5 year anniversary is in July, so maybe, just maybe I will get a surprise. I know this post isn't terribly long or anything, I just wanted to have a public memorial service for my poor, old, ghetto, Nano Gen1. It had a good run. Now, I guess, I should dig out my CDs *shudders*.

So, here is to you iPod, you had a long life. <3

Barbie's Flashy Hooters

2011-01-01T18:53:00.003-05:00

I know you are probably reading the title in disbelief. Let me start this off by saying, my last post contained a summary of the presents my children had received from my aunt. Elsa's presents were a girl's Barbie heaven.....but, kind of odd.

First, Barbie is wearing stripper shoes. A little odd, and NOT the Barbie I remember. (They also went kind of buck wild with the AquaNet.)

Second, apparently Ken is now her gay best friend complete with pink sparkle tie. I knew they "broke up", but this is just weird. He used to be like the beach goer in "man clothes". Note, I find nothing wrong with being gay, just an observation that he looks much more effeminate than old Ken.

Third, well, she has flashy boobs and plays club music. Elsa likes it, but it disturbs me a little. The Huz actually said, "Hey can we make your boobs do that!' to which I replied, "You're an idiot." Here is a little video Example for you. Sorry it is kind of dark, and it is shaky because I had kids clinging to my legs at the time. Yes, I made a YouTube account just for this too. The audio is pretty loud and obnoxious, so if you have a napping/sleeping child, don't say I didn't warn you.

Update: Fourth, I just thought of this when I woke up. A true stroke of slutty genius on Mattel's part. You press Barbie's belt buckle to make her hooters flash....yea. I have also discovered that if you undo the velcro on the back of her skirt there is an option to reverse it into an actual fully covering, light pink princess dress.....but it is almost impossible to do so with the way they have the stupid thing attached to her at the waist. So it isn't happening.

So apparently Barbie is going clubbing in her princess carriage with her Gay BFF. Awesome. Legendary even. Not, to mention I get to listen to that obnoxious music....at least until her battery dies and she is "broken".

Dora Has Landed

2011-01-01T10:08:00.004-05:00

Well, it is a brand new year, so HAPPY NEW YEAR everyone!!!! We spent our new year at a party my aunt had. We got the presents she bought our kids for Christmas while we were there. Now, first, let me just say my aunt and uncle have no children. They spoil everyone else's kids instead. I still think she is nuts for spending as much as she does, but I digress.

Elsa opened her presents, like the professional that she is. She got the softest fleece Disney Princess PJs on the planet. She also got The Barbie princess carriage. Since she got the carriage, my aunt also obviously decided she needed the Barbie that lights up and has music.....and the Ken doll that goes with it. She is happy as a clam though. We helped Dixie open her presents, and this is where I get shocked and dumbfounded.

The Huz helped her open her first present. It was the Leap Frog play table. So now she has the Fisher Price one and the Leap Frog one. I am cool with that though, because they are very different. Then I opened the second box....and the husband looked at it with bug eyes like I have never, ever seen. I had eventually suspected that this would happen.....Dora has landed. She crept her way into our lives last night. Dixie now has Dora PJs. I am thankful we don't have cable so I don't have to experience the wretched annoyance of that show, but she has infiltrated our ranks. I knew that someday, maybe when Elsa starts preschool, that Dora would be discovered in her unstoppable force. But apparently that time is now.

While, absorbing the impact that Dora is inevitably going to eventually have on our lives, I opened the rest of Dixie's presents. My aunt also got her 2 Calvin Klein baby outfits and a little coat. I honestly didn't even know Calvin Klein HAD a baby line...because I could never afford designer baby clothes for one. So, I am going to have the most spiffy 10 month old in the area apparently. My very own little Dora wearing fashionista....fabulous.

I of course do not own the copyright to the image above, Dora is the copyright of Nickelodeon and I found this image on this website: Books-Coloring.Com

Dixie's First Boo Boo

2010-12-30T10:38:00.005-05:00

It's official, Dixie has gotten her first "boo boo". She is so close to walking she can taste it....almost literally. She completely ate drawer handle today attempting to walk in other words. She was walking around using the activity walker she got for Christmas, and decided to be daring. On her attempt to go solo it was a HUGE face plant. Right into the drawer on the TV stand of course. I saw it in slow motion, but was too far away to catch her of course. She split her upper lip open pretty good, but her teeth are miraculously not chipped. I was completely cool naturally. Her big sister has smashed her face open so many times I barely even blinked. I just scooper her up, and took her to the bathroom. After a cool washcloth, some kisses and cuddles she was right back at it. At least her mouth now matches the rest of her face, covered in bruises from her sister whacking her with the Little People Bull Dozer yesterday. She is a real trooper. She is going to have to be to survive in this house. For now though, I suggest she sticks with this:

I am sure she will have far worse accidents than this, if she is anything like her sister. At least now I am a seasoned vet at the aftermath.

Wordless Wednesday: Tent City

2010-12-29T10:49:00.001-05:00

Elsa got 2 princess Playhuts for Christmas.

Now

living room

looks

this:

Christmas: The Aftermath

2010-12-28T09:13:00.001-05:00

Well, sorry it has been so long since I have posted. It has just been nuts around here lately. We all had a nice Christmas over here. Sorry I will not be posting pictures. I am WAY too ~~lazy~~ busy to download the pictures lately. That being said, my kids ~~are spoiled rotten little brats~~ got lots of nice things for Christmas. I have a tent city in my living room right now because Elsa got 2 Disney Princess Playhuts for Christmas. She has been sitting inside her "house" playing with the Cinderella learning computer my mom got her pretty much every day. I also spent an hour putting her play kitchen together that came in 392 pieces. Yea, that was ~~a pain in the butt~~ awesome.

Dixie got the Fisher Price play table thing from my mom. She is IN LOVE with this thing. We also got her the activity walker. They are both getting some good use. They both got TONS of stuff, but this is just the highlight reel. I also got spoiled a bit this Christmas. The Huz actually went out shopping with 1 of the girls from work (because he has NO clue how to shop apparently) to get my presents. I was very happy with the result. I got new Chucks (Converse Chuck Taylors for those of you without a clue), 2 shirts from Old Navy and 2 pairs of Old Navy Flip Flops. Now, the Chucks, he knew were one of the pairs of shoes that I like. That was a no brainer. Other than that he had no clue, so that is where the girl from work came in. She suggested Old Navy. Now, he should really know better, I used to work there. Every single one of my t-shirts is from there. I do give him a lot of credit though. He loathes the existence of flip flops, and he bought me 2 pairs for my stocking.

I Got him 3 movies and candy. He has a massive sweet tooth. My mother bought both of us a electric griggle (BOOYA!). Our secret Santas on his mom's side bought us both ~~stuff we actually like~~ nice things ~~for once~~. There are a few things I have learned this Christmas season though.

I can let my husband fend for himself, and he can buy my Christmas presents without a detailed list.
Elsa is going to end up in the emergency room. (She got a Razor scooter from Grampa and training skates from Santa.)
The Huz's mom and grandmother are INCAPABLE of buying more than 1 age appropriate gift for a child.
A Christmas decoration is not a good gift for 2 children (Thanks gram)
Spin art is not a good gift for a child that is not quite 3 yet. (Thanks MIL)
A princess game set is not a good gift for a child that isn't even 1. (Thanks again MIL)
We have incredibly nice neighbors that decided to buy us Christmas presents.
A single batch of sugar cookies is not enough...hence the "New Year's Cookies" I made last night.
Elsa thinks Santa comes on fire trucks now.

Hope you all had a wonderful Christmas (those of you that celebrate) and came to some realizations of your own. I also hope at least some of those realizations are at least funny or remotely amusing. May you all have a Happy New Year. Start 2011 with a bang, and travel safely for all of you that go places during the holidays.

Wordless Wednesday: Christmas Past Take 2: 2008

2010-12-22T12:43:00.001-05:00

I can't believe this was once my Elsa.

The Shopping is Done

2010-12-18T11:59:00.001-05:00

So, the Christmas shopping is done. I spend 2 hours last night wrapping the presents after the kids were in bed. Holy tired. I am very excited for the kids to open their presents on Christmas morning. I bought them each a pair of pajamas to open on Christmas eve, as is my family tradition, so we get some cute pictures for Christmas morning.

Elsa is getting her play kitchen and skates that she really liked. I got her play food to go with the kichen, a princess hideaway tent, a little castle playset, a pack of 3 Littlest pet shop animals and a pack of 3 My Little Pony horses. I also got her a doll that comes with a sling.....and a bottle *sigh*. She won't use the bottle and will probably throw it away, as she usually does. I don't understand why EVERY doll has to come with a bottle. Anyway, she is also getting a little 6 in one crayon thing in her stocking as well as undies with the princesses on them. I thought they would be good potty training motivation. There are TONS of stocking stuffers, but I also got each of the girls little play phones so they both will LEAVE MINE ALONE. Elsa's is princesses and Dixie's is fairies.

I am REALLY stoked about Dixie's first Christmas. She is getting spoiled in her own right. I decided to get her the Fisher-Price Brilliant Basics Activity Walker. The husband and I had a little discussion about this particular gift as I was wrapping it last night. He thinks it is going to hinder her wanting to walk instead of helping her. I told him she walks using her sister's ride-on anyway so what's the dang difference. Anyway, she is also getting Playskool cube and barrel stacker sets, I wanter her to have different shapes...ya know, for learning purposes. She will also be getting a Little People bull dozer, and a yellow bull dozer with lights and sounds. She likes playing with cars and such just like her sister. I am sure she will also be excited about the race ramp thing she is getting as well as the rattle and roll car things and the tube of little people that she loves to chew on.

best picture I could get of her...she moves too fast.

Love her ornament :)

While we were out yesterday, we also got Dixie's 1st Christmas ornament. This was after we got her ears pierced. I know that is a very controversial subject with some people, and if you are part of the camp that likes to make nasty comments about things like that don't bring your business here. I have no patience for your kind. Anyway, she looks adorable, and doesn't even care or acknowledge their existence. The only present I didn't get was one for the hubby.....because he was with us. So I will have to run out for that one. That should be ~~a nightmare~~ fun so close to Christmas. I know you are all saying, "Well, then your Christmas shopping isn't done!" Well, yes it is. I am just getting him something because I want to. He doesn't want anything for Christmas.

So, my kids may not be getting a ton for Christmas, but, they are getting more than a lot of other kids out there. I am thankful to be able to get anything for them, in light of the fact that times aren't easy for everyone right now. I may have only spent about $150 on them total, but it is well spent money to see them smile opening presents. I know Christmas isn't about the presents, but it is the one time of year when I can actually justify spoiling the hell out of my kids and I intend to enjoy it. I hope all of you celebrating enjoy spoiling the hell out of your kids and seeing the smiles on their faces too.

Just one last thought, your welcome Family Dollar. After all was said and done, and I bought presents for just about everyone we needed to, you are $184.37 richer. I hope everyone has a happy and safe Christmas. Eat lots and enjoy being in the presence of your loved ones. I will probably say this about 900 more times in the short period of time before Christmas arrives, but ya know.

Wordless Wednesday: Christmas Past- 4 years ago

2010-12-15T14:47:00.001-05:00

(Elsa in the belly)

Christmas Photo

2010-12-11T15:50:00.001-05:00

Happy Holidays from my family to yours. Our Christmas miracle is getting daddy into a picture...and he is actually smiling which is impressive. The crazy lady was not able to get Dixie to smile though....maybe next year.

Just Checking In

2010-12-07T10:13:00.000-05:00

Just checking in, sorry it has been a while since I wrote anything. The kids and I have been sick. First the kids had the puking diarrhea nastiness, then I got some kind of chest cold. Now, Elsa, has what the general consensus believes is croup so I will have to add her on to Dixie's doctor appointment in 2 days. Dixie only has a runny nose now thankfully. I on the other hand still have the worst clogged sinuses and a chest rattling cough that sounds quite frightening. The husband got out of this one unscathed thus far. I am jealous. I hope we are all a little better before our picture session on Friday.

In other news, it is cold. Most people know my hatred of the cold. Living in Pennsylvania does not help this situation. Having two young children to take places in the cold....makes me loathe the cold even more. It takes at least 30 minutes to get ready to go anywhere, and then another 15 minutes to get everyone strapped into their seats and happy. I heat up the truck before we go out there, but the process of putting the jackets, hats and gloves on, and then taking the jackets off when they are in there seats is just an arduous task I do not take pleasure in. O yea, just as a reminder for winter car safety, take your children's jackets off when they are in their seats. The straps are supposed to be against them, not the puffy coat.

Lastly, hot chocolate is my secret lover. I don't think I can live without it this winter. It's hot chocolaty goodness is a must in my day to day. Complete with mini marshmallows and whipped cream on top....yea, that is what I'm talkin' 'bout. Well, hope everyone is well and having a happy holiday season. Be safe and I am going to have a mondo cup of hot chocolate right now. ♥

Thanksgiving Wrap Up

2010-11-26T12:03:00.002-05:00

Elsa wanted me to get a picture (yes the bottom of her right eye is also partially light brown)

Well, Thanksgiving is now here and gone. It was awesome though. I got to spend quality time with my family. My house was noisy, busy and I wouldn't have had it any other way. Elsa was chasing her cousin Gabriel around and wrestling him. It was hysterical considering she was winning and he is almost 5. Jacob is doing really well, and it was good to see him acting like his normal self. Elizabeth my niece was quietly playing with all of the girl toys the entire night like a precious little angel, and Dixie was sitting and playing with her toys the same way. We all ate, felt fat and had a grand ol' time. Here are some pictures from yesterday.

MMMM....This was at the half way point.

Had to get a picture of my girls while they were still nice.

I don't know if you can really see it, but this is when it started snowing a bit.

Me and my Dixie girl.

Elsa being a goof and pretending she was a dog. (Yes she also has a chipped tooth)

Dixie really enjoyed dinner.

The husband (yes he has a mohawk thing going), my mom, Jacob, My BIL, My sister, and Gabriel

Jacob gets the pins out of his hand on the 1st, but he has so many stitches that he will still have a cast.

Elsa was beating up Gabriel all night, and that is Elizabeth in my sister's lap. (Dixie was grabbing the camera)

And this is how our night ended after everyone left.

What I Am Thankful For

2010-11-24T08:38:00.005-05:00

Well, I am going to jump on the blogging bandwagon and blog about what I am thankful for. So, here we go.

This year, I am thankful for:

Two happy healthy little girls.
A wonderful husband.
My husband has a job, and can support us enough so I can stay home with my children.
My nephew is alive.
My mom is still with us and in good health this year.
A roof over our heads, food in our bellies and clothes on our backs.
Family
Friends, real life and virtual
Clean water (hot & cold), heat (oil), and electricity
Toys for my children to play with.
Freedom
The ability to hug and kiss my children and family.

A lot of these are all things that we take for granted on a daily basis. Not everyone gets to experience these wonderful simple things. This holiday season, try to remember those who no longer have a home to be in, those in other countries that don't have the same freedoms or quality of life that we have, the people that don't have families to be with, and the soldiers all over the world that can't be with their families.

My family truly is lucky and blessed to have the things we have. I am very grateful for everything. May all of you celebrating Thanksgiving have a very happy holiday. Stay safe.

P.S. Try to donate to a charity this holiday season. Even $1 is appreciated. That $1 can do amazing things for a less fortunate family. Drop of a toy in a Toys for Tots bin, or give some extra food to a food bank. It may not be a huge donation, but the people receiving it are grateful for your kindness.

Pancake Bake

2010-11-18T08:50:00.002-05:00

This morning as I was preparing one of my typical fall/winter breakfasts, it dawned on me that it would be a marvelous blog post. So, I like to bake EVERYTHING when it is cold out. It heats up the house so our poor furnace doesn't have to work so hard. I even bake breakfast when it gets cold. 2 of my most typical cold weather breakfasts are a pancake bake, and a baked omelet/scrambled eggs. Today I am going to share with you my love of baked pancakes. Yes, I know you really can't call it pancakes, because they aren't made in a pan. Maybe I should call them ovencakes....but then people might be confused as to what the heck I am eating. Anyway, that isn't the point.

First, I mixed up my batter with my handy dandy hand mixer naturally. I then added cinnamon to my batter and mixed it some more. You can also fold in some fruit, nuts or whatever blows your skirt up. I just didn't have anything that I felt like adding in today. Then you throw it in a preheated 350 degree oven for about 20-25 minutes. I use my silicone bread pan for baked breakfast because I don't have to grease it, and it is easy clean-up. I am not giving specific measurements, because you need to make as much as what is right for your family. I did the measurements on the package naturally. If you are making a larger amount you should naturally also use a larger pan. When it is done, let it cool for about 5-10 minutes before serving it. You can serve it with fruit, preserves, syrup...again, whatever blows your skirt up.

When it came out of the oven.

After it cooled I flipped it out of the pan to cut (my mini cutting board cracked in half don't judge).

This would be my breakfast....because I'm a pig. I admit it.

Even Dixie enjoys a little pancake (ovencake).

Elsa really likes it too, and she also doesn't believe in pajamas. (She is chewing in this picture)

So, there you go, a breakfast the whole family can enjoy and a toasty warm house to boot. Tomorrow I will post my omelet bake in it's tasty glory.

Disgraceful Acts

2010-11-16T20:00:00.001-05:00

There is a soldier that died in Afghanistan last week from around my area. My heart hurts for his family. He did die for his country, but that is not the point of this post. The point of this post is the buzz in our local media today. Members of the Westboro Baptist Church are coming to my area to protest his funeral. Here is the post from our newspaper about it. I find these protests to be tasteless, and they have no respect for the families of these soldiers in the least bit. They don't even realize that the "global disgrace" he was part of, gives them the freedom to have these disrespectful protests. They would not have such freedoms if it weren't for the soldiers fighting all over the world.

This group claims that every time a soldier dies, it is God punishing America for supporting same sex marriages. First, that is blasphemy, because according to the bible God is loving and forgiving and we are supposed to follow his example. He would not punish, but accept and love his children regardless of their "sins". Second, he died for the country that he loves. He died to ensure you, Miss Phelps, the freedom to spew your hate at the funerals of true heroes. He died protecting all of us from all of the horrors that we do not even have knowledge of on a daily basis.

The citizens from all around this area, are going to do everything in our power to block them out. and all I have to say is bring it, Miss Phelps, because we are ready for you. You, Miss Phelps, are a disgraceful waste of freedom. My heart hurts for Cpl. Kridlo's family, because they should not even have to deal with this insanity. You should be letting them grieve the loss of their loved one. Protesting a funeral is the biggest load of garbage one can bring themselves into. The Westboro Baptist Church, are a bunch of bullies who obviously hate America. Their acts are thoughtless, tasteless and outright wrong on every moral level. It is easy to judge from afar, but I challenge all of the members of the Westboro Baptist Church to have have of the courage that our soldiers have to keep our country the free and wonderful place that it is. There is no place in this country for people who disrespect the soldiers that protect their very lives.

Rest in peace Cpl. Dale Kridlo, and may your family have the strength they need to get through this difficult time, and the entire area is behind you.

The Holiday Touch

2010-11-16T10:16:00.001-05:00

Well, I am really in the holiday spirit this year (yea, weird). Since I am so chipper about the season I decided to add a holiday touch to my blog a little bit early this year. Tis' the season, and may all of you have a wonderful holiday season this year. Happy or Merry whatever it is you celebrate this season!

P.S. Don't kill each other shopping for presents, let's all play nice and not trample Wal Mart employees this year.

P.P.S. Zhu Zhu Pets are just about as creepy as Furby was, it is a fad that will probably die quickly so don't spend a fortune on it. They already have them at Family Dollar for the holiday shopping season.

P.P.P.S. Yes, I remember having a Furby. It lived in my closet because it started talking all by itself and I swear it was possessed by demons.

Review: Hevea 100% natural rubber latex pacifier

2010-11-11T09:00:00.003-05:00

The Natural Baby Company, who also makes the line of GroVia cloth diapers, sent me one of their newest products. The Hevea 100% natural rubber latex pacifier. Here are some facts from the Heavea Baby website:

The Hevea pacifier is made of 100% pure natural rubber from the rubber tree Hevea brasiliensis, hence the name Hevea.

· 100% natural rubber latex

· Hygienic one piece design – no joints, cracks or edges

· Soft material and ergonomic shape – soft and gentle against baby’s face

· Doesn’t leave marks, prevents vacuum around the mouth

· Sustainably produced

· Recycled and biodegradable packaging materials

· Meets EU standard EN1400, US regulations CPSIA & AUS regulation AS 2432-1991

No PVC, no BPA, no phthalates, no artificial colours
… just 100% natural rubber from the Hevea tree

They carry this pacifier with a few different designs on it. I was sent the one with crowns on it. They pacifiers come in either anatomical or round bulb styles. The one I received is anatomical.

I gave the "binky" to Dixie after it was all prepped. Now, she usually has a binky with a silicone bulb and a plastic body, so this was WAY different for her. She really liked it though. I gave it to her for her afternoon nap and she dozed right off. Usually you have to give her a little bounce or pat her butt to get her to sleep, so this was pretty impressive in the soothing department. I did give it to her before bed, but half way through the night I ended up using her silicone one, because this one blended in with her sheets and I couldn't find it. The light is very minimal in their room, otherwise Elsa will wake up 92 times a night. I am going to try to find a way to make it more visible so I can use it through the whole night, but other than that it is fantastic.

right after she passed out

This is later in the day (sorry for the clevage shot, she just ate and threw up on me)

Hevea also has a few other products on their website. They have a panda teether, that is also made of the same rubber as the pacifier. This one I am super excited about, and it is SUPER adorable, the Hevea organic pacifier/soother holder. I am totally want to get one of these for Dixie for Christmas, so it matches her new pacifier love. Who knows maybe my SIL, expecting her first baby, will get a pacifier and clip for the baby too ;). The last product they have listed, is the Hevea organic pacifier/soother storage bag. You can put a name on it and it is also super cute.

Their whole entire line is super cute, and completely natural (LOVE). Their pacifier has definitely passed the Dixie test. Dixie tested and mother approved. You can locate places to buy these products at their website (linked to above), or if you are a retailer you can request this fantastic product there as well. You can also like them on Facebook or Follow them on Twitter for the latest updates.

*Please read review disclosure in the tabs.*

Amazon and the Pedophiles

2010-11-10T13:01:00.002-05:00

Well, I am sure most people have been following the whole Amazon.com/pedophile book thing that has been happening. I wrote them an e-mail telling them of my feelings, and that I will not be shopping with them until they remove it. Apparently I won't be shopping with them again....EVER.

Through a web search, I found an article from 2002 about other pedophile books and how Amazon DEFENDED them. They obviously do not care what we, the consumers, have to say about such books even being in existence. I then went to check Amazon, and found that they STILL carry those other books. Understanding Loved Boys and Boylovers, Loving Boys: Das Padosexuelle Abenteur and a newer version of that book Loving Boys: Vol. 2. The fact that they have never removed these titles, only leads me to believe that they will not remove this one. There are other books that Amazon carries also condoning this sort of behavior that are mentioned in the article I linked to.

I am so sickened by Amazon who says they don't endorse these kinds of books, but they still sell them anyway. They don't realize that selling them is just as bad as endorsing them....they are condoning people to buy these books by carrying them. I have lost all respect for Amazon, and I just can't bring myself to buy things from them ever again after this latest discovery. It is up to them to fix what they have done wrong. There is a difference between free speech and outright criminal behavior. Amazon, this is me, calling on you to stop promoting pedophiles and their guides on your site.

REVIEW: CARE USB Medical History Bracelet from elegantmedicalalert.com

2010-11-06T15:51:00.002-04:00

I received the CARE USB Medical History bracelet from elegantmedicalalert.com for review. I had run across their site looking for a affordable medical alert bracelet for me because I have allergies. I saw this bracelet and decided I HAD to try one of these. I contacted the company and they gladly agreed to let me try one to give my honest opinion of it. Well, it arrived today. I ripped open the package like a kid on Christmas. It comes with instructions in both English and Spanish. I of course read the instructions thoroughly before plugging the bracelet in.

After I plugged it in, the information window popped up promptly with my options. I clicked to download the program for the bracelet on to my computer (it is all conveniently in the bracelet). It was super quick and self explanatory. It can only be programmed from a PC, but it can be read on both PC and MAC. After the programming was all loaded on to my computer, I pulled up the screen to add in all my information. This thing holds a TON of information. It has everything you would need if something should happen and you are incapacitated. The sections are all separated, and are easy to access. After they are all filled out it is a read only file when read off of other computers. It can also hold the information of other family members (i.e. your children or spouse), or you can print out a paper copy for a caregiver or to give to your doctor's office. It is easily accessible from your desktop to edit or print out the information, it adds a shortcut to your desktop.

Quick Reference Guide Section

The first section that is there to edit is personal information. This page has 4 tabs. The first tab is name, address, DOB, blood type kind of stuff. The second tab is living arrangements and lets you list the information of who you live with. The third tab is assistive devices (i.e. glasses, dentures, pacemaker etc.). The fourth tab on this page is where you list your allergies.

The next section is medical references. It has the following tabs: Primary Care Physician, Primary Specialist, Secondary Specialist, Dental, Hospital and Pharmacy. Each tab holds the name, address and phone number of 2 doctors except for the hopital and pharmacy tabs which only hold one space worth of information.

The next part of this section is insurance references. This part also has several tabs for Primary Health Insurance, Secondary Health Insurance, Other Insurance and Dental Insurance.

The fourth part of this section is emergency references, which is again tabbed. It has Emergency contacts with 2 entry spaces. There is also a primary caregiver tab and a clergy & other tab if you so choose to use that section.

The fifth part to this section is Family & Social History. It gives you the option for father, mother, sister, brother and not applicable. It also gives you the option to add things that aren't on their list.

The last part of this section is Health History, which is quite detailed. It has all of the general areas sectioned off and symptoms and things that are within those sections that you can click on if applicable.

quick shot of the first page and how it is set up.

Medications

This has three sections: Rx Medications, OTC Prescribed and OTC other. It asks you to list how long you have been taking it and other details of each medication.

Ongoing Diagnostic Data

This section has the ability to list the results of EVERY diagnostic test you have EVER had done. It also has a base line and goal area. It also has a reminder on the bottom to ask for copies of all lab results for your records.

Test & Immunizations

The first section, health tests, has sections for pretty much everything under the sun. It does have the ability to add others if need be though. It has spaces for mammograms, pap smears and breast self exam just to name a few. Each little section you click on gives you an information bubble as well that tells you at what ages you should be having these tests and other important details about risk factors.

The immunization section gives the basic immunizations, but you can add more if you like. If you click on an immunizatioin, it gives you the add date option and the due again option. They also each have a information bubble about ages and risk factors.

after all of the information is saved into the bracelet, you can see what it will look like to people who insert your bracelet into their computer. This page does have a disclamer on the top.

DISCLAIMER

THE INFORMATION PROVIDED HERE IS CONFIDENTIAL AND SHOULD ONLY BE SHARED WITH THE OWNER'S EXPRESSED PERMISSION. IT IS IMPORTANT THAT THE USER SEEK THE ADVICE AND COUNSEL OF MEDICAL PROFESSIONALS.

This bracelet is waterproof and comes in 5 colors. The colors available are gray, green, pink, black and blue. It is available in sizes xs-xl. The one that I received was size medium. When putting it on the USB port has a very snug fit inside the cover sleeve, so I can imagine the waterproof part is true.

So you can see how the USB goes together.

It is a REALLY tight fit and the strap goes around the end just in case.


Side shot of it on my wrist.

Top shot of it on my wrist...the medium is a little big, but that is the way I wear my bracelets anyway.

You can buy these and other medical alert, medical professional and awareness jewelry at elegantmedicalalert.com.

You can also follow them on Twitter or Facebook.

*Please read review disclosure in the tabs.*

Breastfeeding: "And so it begins..."

2010-11-05T16:02:00.002-04:00

When I was breastfeeding Elsa as a baby, the only person who really understood was my sister. She had breastfed her first son. Unfortunately she did not have the ability to do so with her second and third children, although she wishes that she did. Everyone else in both my husband's and my family were formula feeders, and just don't understand breastfeeding. I am not knocking formula feeding, to each their own, but if you don't understand what I am doing then back off. When I was breastfeeding Elsa, my mother-in-law thought that I should stop breastfeeding her when she was 6 months old. She didn't think that it was necessary past that point. I let her know of my intentions, and she left it alone after that point. Elsa weaned when she was 12 months old, all on her own, and I was OK with that.

Today, while my father-in-law was here, I had to say to myself, "and so it begins...". We were all sitting around having lunch, and Dixie was biting his hand. I told him, "Yea I'm sure you can imagine how I feel". Now, it isn't like she bites me all the time...because she doesn't, it just happens occasionally. He then said, "Don't you think you should stop breastfeeding her then?" I was preparing to say no, but my husband jumped in and replied for me. He told his father that Dixie will decide when she is done. That stirred up a whole new mess. He began the conversation about how women shouldn't breastfeed past one year, and that women breastfeeding toddlers is just weird. *hand/forehead* He then continued to state that after they are one year old they have everything that they need from you anyway so there is no need to continue (this is when I started zoning out). Boy would he be shocked to look up the WHO code where it states that two is the recommended age.

He has had a heart attack and bypass surgery, I don't go around telling him how to eat and to quit smoking. He is a grown man and can make those decisions on his own. Just like I am a grown woman and can make the decision about what is best for MY child. I wasn't expecting to be blackballed by my own family for my decisions with breastfeeding, but again the monster has risen it's ugly head in my life. I don't see why it is necessary for one person to make another feel like they are doing something wrong or unacceptable in this kind of situation. It is something that women have been doing for thousands of years. If it weren't for the money driven efforts of Formula companies, breastfeeding would still be the norm and I wouldn't be dealing with this to begin with.

I know I still have my husband for support, but it still hurts that other people in my life aren't more supportive of my decisions as well. I guess I will get to be the cloth diapering cook that is breastfeeding my toddler then. It isn't like if I breastfeed her past a year she is going to be breastfeeding until she goes to college or something. She is just a baby, it is not my decision to decide when she is done. That would be selfish of me. I am just looking to do what is best for her in my eyes. I just want to say I am sorry to all of you other moms out there that have to deal with families that are not supportive of the direction you choose for your family and your life. It really is the pits.

Review: 4 products from Aunt Nellies

2010-11-03T08:45:00.002-04:00

I received Aunt Nellie's corn relish, sliced pickled beets, whole pickled beets and sweet & sour red cabbage to review. Let me just say I have always been a eater of beets, and have tried almost every brand in existence. I had never before tried Aunt Nellie's though, because they do not sell them in stores where I live. I was really excited about this opportunity, because I had heard good things about them.

The first product I tried was the sliced pickled beets. We had them with our pork chops that night. My husband refuses to eat anything pickled, except for pickles so he was not part of this experiment. My first bite and I was hooked. They were tangy and had a great flavor. They were a good size, and I had to stop myself from eating the entire jar in one sitting. Elsa even really enjoyed them. She asked for a second helping, which is something she typically does not do at the age of 2 1/2.

The next day at lunch I decided to try the corn relish. I had never had corn relish before, so I wasn't quite sure how this was going to turn out. I am known for making up my own crazy dishes, so I decided this was an awesome opportunity to play the "what's in the cabinet?" game. I made chick peas and rice, and mixed the corn relish into it. It was actually really tasty. The corn relish made the dish very sweet and delicious. The corn still has a crunch to it, which is refreshing because a lot of times it is soggy in products. Elsa was not as big a fan of this, but that is just because it had chick peas in it, I am sure. She hates beans.

The next day I decided we would have the whole pickled beets with dinner, chicken parm. They had the same great flavor as the sliced, and were definitely larger than other brands of whole beets I have tried. Truly a quality product. Elsa also asked for a second helping of these, she stuck them on the end of her fork and ate them like apples. She would not let me take a picture of her though.

Due to the craziness of Halloween and everything, it was a few more days until I had tried the last product. Last night we had hot dogs (actually they were cheese dogs) for dinner, and hubby didn't buy me sauerkraut....big surprise he thinks it smells bad. Well, I saw my opportunity, and subbed the sweet & sour red cabbage for the sauerkraut. It was a very delicious and sweet change from what I normally have. I really enjoyed it. Elsa did not participate in this experiment though, because she wasn't feeling well yesterday and slept through dinner.

Each of the products had a recipe on the jar, and they also sent me 3 recipes in the package they sent me.

FESTIVE BEET & CITRUS SALSA
Preparation Time: 15 minutes
1 1 jar (16 ounces) Aunt Nellie's Sliced or Whole Pickled Beets,
drained and chopped
medium orange, peeled, seeded and diced or 1/2 cup diced,
drained ma.ndarin oranges
2 tablespoons chopped green onion
2 tablespoons minced cilantro
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
2 teaspoons minced fresh ginger
1/4 teaspoon salt

1. Place all ingredients in medium bowl; stir gently to combine. Cover and refrigerate about
30 minutes to let flavors blend. Serve with crackers, flatbread or chips, as desired.
Makes about 2 cups (serving size: 1 tablespoon).

Nutrition information per tablespoon: 12 calories; <1 g protein; 3 g carbohydrate; <1 g fat;
60 mg sodium; 0 mg cholesterol; <1 g dietary fiber; <1 mg iron; 10 mg potassium;
21 IU Vitamin A; 2 mg calcium.

SAVORY BEET & GOAT CHEESE TART
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 large yellow onion, very thinly sliced (about 2 cups)
1 refrigerated pie crust (half of 15-ounce package)
1 jar (16 ounces) Aunt Nellie's Sliced Pickled Beets, well
drained*
package (8 ounces) herb and garlic-flavored goat
cheese
2 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme
Grated or shredded lemon peel (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 450"F. In large nonstick skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add onions; cook
and stir until golden brown about 15 minutes. Remove from heat.
2. Unroll crust and place on ungreased baking sheet. Spread onions evenly over crust, leaving a 1-inch
border. Arrange beets over onions and dot with goat cheese. Sprinkle with thyme.
3. Fold pastry edge over beets crimping edges, leaving center uncovered. Bake until crust is golden,
about 20 minutes.
4. To serve, slice into wedges and garnish with thyme and lemon peel, if desired.
Makes 10 to 12 appetizer servings.

Nutritional Information per serving (1/10 of recipe): 213 calories, 6 g protein,
14 g carbohydrate, 14 g fat, 286 mg sodium, 18 mg cholesterol, less than 1 g dietary fiber,
1 mg iron, less than 1 mg thiamin, 355 IU Vitamin A, 2 mg Vitamin C.
*To use drained beet juice: Reserve 1/2 cup drained beet juice and combine with 1 clove minced garlic, 2
tablespoons Dijon-style mustard and 2 teaspoons honey in blender container. Blend on high 10 seconds.
Pour 1/3 cup olive oil into mixture with machine running and blend well. Serve as salad dressing.
Cook's Notes:
Substitute 1 teaspoon dried thyme for fresh, if desired.

MOROCCAN ORANGE-BEET SALAD
Preparation Time: 30 minutes
1 jar (16 ounces) Aunt Nellie's Whole Pickled Beets,
drained and quartered
1 can (15 ounces) chickpeas, drained
1 tablespoon grated orange peel
1/4 cup orange juice
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 cups mixed baby salad greens
1/3 cup crumbled feta cheese
1/4 cup pistachios, chopped

1. Place beets and chickpeas in medium bowl. Whisk together orange peel, juice, olive oil, cumin, salt
and pepper in small bowl; pour over beet mixture and toss gently to coat.
2. Arrange greens on 4 individual plates. Spoon beet mixture over greens; sprinkle with cheese and
pistachios.
Makes 4 servings.

Nutrition information per serving (1/4 of recipe): 341 calories; 11 g protein;
39 g carbohydrate; 16 g fat; 776 mg sodium; 17 mg cholesterol; 8 g dietary fiber; 3 mg iron;
less than 1 mg thiamin; 788 IU vitamin A; 15 mg vitamin C.

Aunt Nellie's also has a few other products available that I did not get to try, but I would definitely purchase if given the opportunity. Their other products include: Harvard Beets, Sliced Beets, Pickled Beets & Onions, 3 Bean Salad and Whole Onions. For nutrition information or to purchase products by the case, you can visit the Aunt Nellie's web store. You can also find a link there for their customer affair department. You can contact them here to see if their products are available in your area.

You can follow them on Twitter, "like" them on Facebook or they even have a You Tube Channel.

These products are MamaBennie tested and approved, and Elsa thinks they are pretty dandy too.

*Please read review disclosure in the tabs.*

Since people keep finding this post by searching breastfeeding and beets, I figured I would do a little add on. Beets are super nutritious, and are great to eat while breastfeeding. I eat them almost every day, and unlike what some people have said on message boards I have read, they do not turn my breast milk pink. I am not a nutritionist, but when I asked my daughter's pediatrician he said eating beets was a wonderful and nutritious thing to do while breastfeeding. Here is a link of a website that I found with all the nutrition information you need to know about beets. http://www.nutrition-and-you.com/beets.html

♥ Happy Halloween from the Bennie Family ♥

2010-10-31T15:21:00.001-04:00

Have a safe and happy night everyone.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN from my family to yours!

My Heart Has Officially Broken

2010-10-30T09:36:00.001-04:00

Dixie turns 8 months old on the 2nd of November. As if that wasn't hard enough for me, because I have no idea where the last 8 months went, she decided to really break my heart today.

I went into the kitchen to get Elsa a drink, and I came back into the living room to this image.

She was taking steps using her sister's fire truck ride on. Yea, that breaking glass sound you hear....that is my heart falling to the floor in a million pieces. She is too young for this. I want to pause time right now, because she is my baby...I wish I could keep her a perfect little baby. Alas, I realize that time is now ending. I wish it wasn't though.

She is also getting her 5th and 6th teeth. I can't believe how big my baby is getting. Totally not prepared for her to get as big as her sister. She is taller than Elsa was at this age too. Last night she was wearing 18 month PJs to bed. They were a little big, but not by much. Elsa didn't fit into those until well after her 1st Christmas. This is the price we pay for our hearts walking outside of our bodies in little pieces. There is unconditional love, but with every little milestone they reach, it makes your heart hurt that much more. It is not the act of reaching the milestone, but the realization that they are growing up that much faster. It is the fact that they are getting that much more independent, and less dependent on you. It is the realization that their tiny little hands will eventually become big hands at a distance from your own.

I love being a mommy, and having my girls, but I also wish I could freeze them in time. I just wish I could savor every moment with them just a little bit longer.

Baby Food

2010-10-27T09:08:00.001-04:00

Well, it is no secret that we receive WIC. When we had Elsa they did not provide baby food, but we bought the Gerber stuff for her anyway (I had not known of all the making your own baby food/natural parenting stuff at the time). She didn't like it very much, but the hubby and I survived eating it so that is what she ate. While I was pregnant with Dixie, they changed the WIC allowable items to include baby food. They give you two options, Gerber or Beech Nut.

At first we started giving Dixie the Gerber, just like her big sister, but she was MISERABLE. I don't really blame her, because the vegetables were bitter and the meats are a gelatinous, stinky and flavorless mess. Yes I know this, because I tasted them just to see what kind of torture I was putting her through. If that is what Chicken in gravy is supposed to taste like, that is pretty sad. The beef also has a very strange color....not appetizing. So, when I was at the store getting the next round of baby food, I decided to try the Beech Nut instead. HOLY COW what a difference! The quality was fantastic. The fruits and veggies smell/taste better than Gerber, and they have a better selection. They actually have a large selection of mixed fruits and veggies that Dixie really enjoys. She actually smiles and giggles while eating them, and it isn't a fight of her spitting it at me. The meats are also a very welcome change from the nasty Gerber mess. They are meats in broth instead of the nasty "gravy". For example, the Gerber turkey has a ingredient list of: turkey, water and cornstarch (gross). The ingredients on the Beech Nut jar are: finely ground turkey and turkey broth.

When I opened the jar of Beech Nut turkey, it was such a welcome change. It actually smelled like turkey, and after a small taste test (yea, I am weird), it actually tasted like turkey too. Then actually have a consistency of finely ground meat, instead of gross jelly. Normally Dixie wouldn't eat more than a few bites of the Gerber meats...screaming her head of and spitting them at me the entire time. When I fed her these, she really enjoyed them. She was actually trying to grab she spoon from me, and she was happy to eat it. She actually ate all of the meat. I paired it with a jar of their mixed Sweet Potatoes and corn, and she was happy as a clam to eat dinner with the family. I wish I had never even bothered with that Gerber mess to begin with. I actually don't dread getting food spit in my face anymore, because it doesn't get launched out of a baby mouth anymore. With Dixie being the judge, Beech Nut is the clear winner. Now if only WIC would give us Beech Nut cereal instead of Gerber, because I like their containers better (we used the Beech Nut oatmeal w/ Elsa).

I was not compensated for writing this blog post. These are just products that I have used, and I am writing to tell people what I like best. (Or my daughter in this instance)

The Holidays Are Creeping In

2010-10-26T10:10:00.001-04:00

The holidays are creeping in yet again. This means lots of shopping, visiting family, telling your kids to behave or they won't get any presents (even though you know they will anyway), TONS of food, the agitating sound of bell ringers (I have no problem with collecting money, just the crazy bells) and everything else that comes with holiday cheer. Once again I will be hosting the holidays for my family at my house, so I get to do all the cooking as well. Unfortunately my sister will only be able to make it in with her family for Thanksgiving, so I will have to get all the loving in on my oldest nephew, and his little brother and sister then.

Well, as you all know, I did a post about how I am the most frugal Christmas shopper on the planet. This is not a view the husband shares apparently. He was out shopping without me the one day, and of course he had to go into the toys (it figures). He decided that we are getting some extras that aren't on my list for he girls for Christmas. So, for the first time in my life, I have decided to ditch the list. We are going to go to the store and buy things for the girls. This should be an experience, because it is something I have never really done buying gifts. I still don't intend to spend more that $200 though and I will put my foot down on that.

My husband has never budgeted for gifts...EVER. He just goes and finds stuff, and then he buys it. It kind of drives me crazy that he spends so much money at Christmas. We have 100s of dollars worth of lights and decorations also. He is obsessed with Christmas. He does not give a hoot about any other holiday. He is obviously all about the commercialism, but I let him have his fun. He is already counting down to Thanksgiving. Not because of the turkey, but because that signals his time to put up the Christmas tree. I wonder what kind of decorations he will be purchasing this year? At least both the girls aren't old enough to play the pickle game this year. Otherwise we would be buying a "special" present too.

Even though hubby is a careless spender at the holidays, I still love them just as much, and I am looking forward to my first Christmas with both of my girls. I know the years with them as young children are fleeting, so I guess I shouldn't feel so bad about spoiling them once in a while. I am looking forward to all of the holiday and birthday memories, and I hope that they will both look back on them fondly as well. Here is to yet another crazy holiday season.

I did pick up a few small items the one day when I was out though, so it has officially started. It may only be a tiny start, but at least it is something.

Here is what I got for Elsa:

I got her a plush Snow White plush bracelet, a new plate (I have done this for each Christmas thus far), Shrek bracelets (she really likes bracelets) and Strawberry Shortcake frisbees (she is really quite good at throwing them).

Here is what I got Dixie:

She is getting a Little Mermaid bath book, a Snow White plush bracelet (because I know they will fight over just one), her first plate and a little dog that vibrates when you pull his tail (she got a kick out of it at the store).

REVIEW: Jia girl's best friend jewelry on Etsy

2010-10-22T12:05:00.000-04:00

I had met @jiagirl on Twitter, and she makes some of the most wonderful jewelry I have ever seen. I was originally holding off buying any, because my girls are the ultimate jewelry ruiners. She had found me on Facebook, and we had become friendly with one another. Well, she asked me for my address, and about a week before my 25th birthday I got a package in the mail. She sent me a beautiful bracelet and a fantastic necklace. I of course immediately put them on. Elsa has basically left them alone, but Dixie had really put them to the test. Dixie literally hangs off of this necklace without it breaking. It is fantastic and I must have more. The bracelet is made with the same metal strand so I am sure it would hold up just as well.

Then, I was talking to her on Facebook the other day, and she told me to watch the mail because she made me something. I was excited, but also called her crazy. Today, my mail lady came to my door with a package...I of course excitedly ripped it open to see. It was a beautiful custom stamped bracelet with the girls' names on it. So here are all of her wonderful items that I have so far (I intend to get more).

She also makes charm bracelets, memory wire bracelets, earrings, watches and custom stamped pendant necklaces. She is always coming up with new and wonderful ideas. If you want to find a perfect holiday gift, here it is.

You can find all of her wonderful listings at her Etsy shop and you can follow her shop on Facebook. If you are in the Sandy, UT area, she will also be at the Fall Boutique Friday, October 22nd from 6-8pm & Saturday, October 23rd from 10am-2pm. Check her out.

Thank you my friend...you are amazing.

I was not asked to write this post, I am writing this all on my own and received no form of compensation for writing it. I did receive the jewelry as gifts.

Please pray for my nephew UPDATED 10/18

2010-10-15T16:35:00.005-04:00

My nephew Jacob is 6 years old, and he had a really bad accident today. Please pray for him. My sister and her family just moved into a new place, and the last people that lived there left a lot of stuff behind. My nephew got out of her sight for a few minutes and found a firecracker. He lit it on the stove and it exploded in his hand. The children's hospital is sure he is losing 3 of his fingers on his left hand, and they think they can save his pinky and ring finger. He is left handed, so they already have him working with a Occupational Therapist to learn to use his right hand. I would just like for everyone to pray that they can actually save his other two fingers, and that his transition to using his right hand is smooth.

UPDATE 10/16

My mother called me to update me today. She got to speak on the phone with my nephew today, and she said he sounded like he was doing a lot better today. He asked her for a time machine (He LOVES Back to the Future). As of right now he is definitely keeping his ring finger from what my mom told me. The pinky is kind of on the fence right now. He is being re-evaluated on Monday, and he will remain in the hospital until at least then. He does have a scratch on his face from the debris of the explosive, but it is minor and of no concern at least. They believe it was a M-80 rather than a firecracker because of the extent of the damage, but my sister still does not know where it came from because he won't open up about that.

UPDATE 10/17

Just talked to my sister again, and she said that he will definitely be keeping his pinky and ring finger. He does have his re-evaluation tomorrow, but he won't be going home tomorrow because he will be going to the OR to get his bandages changed. She expects to be there until at least Tuesday or Wednesday if everything goes well. His school is already preparing the other children, and they are setting things up to aid his therapy. Child services did their investigation and deemed it was an accident. They also offered to buy my sister a different stove with controls he cannot operate. He has sensory problems from his autism and never understood the differences between hot and cold to begin with so this will be a good option. He is still on a ton of antibiotics and T3 (Tylenol), but they have taken him off of the morphine and the oxycodone that he was on. They are trying to get him to feel some pain so they can tell how much nerve damage there actually is. He will probably also be discharged with a hard cast, because he has pins throughout his hand to hold the broken bones together. He will have to go back in about 2 weeks for skin grafting, because they did not have enough skin to close the wounds.

UPDATE 10/18

Awesome news! My nephew gets to go home today! He also only lost 2 fingers after all. My sister found out he got to keep his thumb! He will have to go back again this Friday to get another bandage change, and still has to get a skin graft in about 2 weeks. They will be using his skin so he doesn't reject it, so he will have to have a little more pain before the real healing begins. They are going to take it from either his thigh or buttocks. This is amazing though that he is doing so well. My sister is simply overjoyed. My other nephew and my niece are at their grandma's house (not my mom) here in PA though so they won't be seeing him right away. It is kind of good that they aren't there though, so he can transition to being at home peacefully. He is afraid of going in the kitchen as of right now....which isn't such a bad thing. He can go back to school as soon as he feels up to it. Praise the lord that this story is having a somewhat happy ending.

25 years

2010-10-09T10:57:00.002-04:00

25 years ago today, my parents completely lost their sanity and brought a second child into the world. My mother is surprised I survived my childhood (I was a bit of a daredevil). So here are some things about Oct. 9th that I like sharing.

(My exact birthday) 1985 Central Park's Strawberry Fields is dedicated.

Famous Oct.9 Birthdays
(I am the proudest of sharing a birthday with him!) John Lennon born on October 9, 1940

Jackson Browne born on October 9, 1948

(YAY!!! I share a Birthday with Monk!) Tony Shalhoub born on October 9, 1953

Scott Bakula born on October 9, 1954

John O'Hurley born on October 9, 1956

(Makes awesome movies and shares a birthday with me!) Guillermo del Toro born on October 9, 1964

Zachery Ty Bryan born on October 9, 1981

Other Birthdays today are:

@Blacktating, Blacktating
and
@therealcyn who can also be found at @BeNicePrenatal

Happy Birthday Ladies!

Can't We All Just Get Along?

2010-10-07T12:58:00.001-04:00

Over the past few weeks, I have seen some extremely nasty comments on blogs that I read, and over Twitter and Facebook fan pages. It is just getting to a point where I cannot stand it anymore and I have to blog about it. I usually don't do posts like this or get so serious, but I just have to get this out.

I don't see why parents have to be so outright nasty to each other. We are all different people, and we all have different opinions. There is no exact right or wrong way to be a parent. Every family and situation is different. All of the nasty comments have been really getting to me, because none of these people know each other, and there is a real person on the other end of what you are saying. When you say hurtful things your are just making yourself look like an asshole. Sorry, I usually don't use words like that on my blog either, but there isn't really any other way to put it. Whatever your cause or agenda, get off of your soapboxes, and think about what you are saying. Would you say such things to someone in real life? Or is it just because you are protected by the anonymity that the internet offers? If you are speaking out for your cause, or would like to educate, there is a time and a place for it. There is also a way in which you should do it, because scare tactics and terrorism with words is not getting the point across. If anything it is making people close their ears to what you have to say.

Another thing that really peeves me is people bringing religion into things. Calling people bad Christians and spouting bible verses is not called for. If the person you are referring to is a Christian, I am sure they have read the bible. As I recall, from all the years of CCD and such that I attended, as Christians we are supposed to be loving and forgiving. It is not up to us to judge others, that is for God to do. There is one line that I can think of that applies to this situation very well actually. "Let he who is without sin cast the first stone" Well, I have been seeing a lot of stone throwing, but I doubt all these people are without their own sin. People need to check themselves before speaking harshly, because there are skeletons in most people's closets. Even though the people I am speaking of today are being hateful, I do not have any poor wishes for them. If fact, I wish that whatever skeletons they may be hiding never make it to the public eye to be criticized. It is awful to have people speak poorly of you and criticize you. Before speaking ill of others, there needs to be a good look at yourself first.

I tend to agree with my wonderful late grandmother on this one, and her opinion of, "If you don't have anything nice to say, than you shouldn't say anything at all". Because it is the truth, we are all just trying to do the best we can, and what is right for our families. We don't need the criticism of others, we need the support of others. If you don't like what a blog says, there is no need to leave nasty comments. There is a red X in the corner of the screen, and you can click it. If there is a comment on Facebook or Twitter you don't agree with, don't start a fight. These are all things that none of us need. Life has enough drama on its own. I don't care if you are Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgendered, pro-circ, anti-circ, breastfeeding, formula feeding, babywearing, anti-babywearing, co-sleeping, anti co-sleeping, delayed vaccinating or any other issue that could possibly come up...we may agree, we may disagree. That is the beauty of being individuals, and we need to respect one another for our differences. We are all just parents that love our families and are trying to survive this crazy parenting game in one piece.

The same applies to this blog, if you are going to be nasty don't bother commenting. If you decide to leave nasty comments anyway, I know where the delete button is and I am not afraid to use it. If you don't like what I have to say, then hit the red X in the corner and don't let the door hit you in the ass on your way out.

Wordless Wednesday: Growing too fast

2010-10-06T15:24:00.002-04:00

7 Months

2010-10-02T10:24:00.004-04:00

Happy 7 Month Birthday my little lovie!

This past month, Dixie has been moving in leaps and bounds. Here is a list of her progress this month.

She learned how to crawl (Mama gets plenty of exercise now).
Now that she crawls she has learned to chase big sissy and attack her when she is laying on the floor.
She learned that she LOVES squash (I'm cool with that...I like it too).
She and her sister started actively playing with each other.
She uses the bath seat in the tubby now.
She learned how to smack her lips when she is hungry.
She learned how to pull herself into the standing position.
She learned how to laugh when you tickle her.
She has active "conversations" with all of us.
She knows what toys she wants to play with, and she looks for them.
Her 3rd tooth is coming in.
We packed up all the 3-6 month clothes...on to bigger things.

She is getting to be such a big girl, and it breaks my heart a little bit that she is growing so fast. She is a little crawling, standing piece of my heart though and I can't wait to see what next month brings.

LOVE YOU BABY GIRL!

SoftBums Mystery Product Unveiling Blog Event-enter here ENDS 10/18

2010-10-01T15:28:00.003-04:00

Sorry for the delay in posting, my internet was down due to some bad weather that we have been having.

NEW SoftBums Mystery Diaper Event!!!

SoftBums Mystery Product Unveiling Blog Event!

(and a chance to win a FREE iPad!)

Hello my friends!

We are so excited to bring you a super fun Event beginning Oct 1st at 12 noon central time, that will have tons of prizes, and include soooo many awesome mommy bloggers(and a couple daddy bloggers too)!!!

Everyone loves a good Mystery, and a little giveaway at the end is always good clean fun too!!

Steps for the Mystery Diaper EVENT:

#1. The SoftBums Blog will be linked with a list of over 100 bloggers who are all participating or reviewing the NEW SoftBums Mystery Diaper.

#2. On Oct 1st at 12pm Central Time we will reveal our Newest SoftBums Diaper on You tube and...

#3. at the same time all the reviewing bloggers will post their reviews of the new Diaper.

#4. All the blogs will then open their comments so you can post for a chance to win.

The best part is there's a chance for you to WIN a FREE iPad!

So, tell your hubby, friends, neighbors, relatives...dog. Come join our SoftBums Mystery Event and visit all the participating blogs for a chance to win some of these amazing prizes!

PRIZES:

Grand Prize: A Brand New iPad (entries on this blog do not count for this prize.)

First Prize: Complete Birth to

Potty Package of SoftBums

NEW Mystery Diapers!!

Second Prize: Win a

gift certificate for $75

to www.softbums.com

Third Prize: Amazon Gift Card worth $50

PLUS: 1 SoftBums Mystery Diaper given out to winners #5-#20

PLUS: Baby Legs to winners #21-#23

PLUS: the lucky blogger who's blog hosted the iPad winner, gets an Amazon Gift Card too!

You can choose to enter only one Participating Blog, or bounce around and enter on ALL the BLOGS!

Sound like fun?

To get an early start and extra entries:

Post, blog or Tweet about the SoftBums Mystery Event and comment here to enter your entry.

Plus Extra entries available for:

Going to other SoftBums Mystery Event Blogs, listed at the bottom of this Post
Follow The SoftBums "Love Cloth Diapers" Blog Leave a comment.
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This giveaway is open to US Residents! Past winners of any SoftBums giveaways please give others a chance, thanks! Winners will be drawn using random.org. Winner has 48 hours to get back to me after being contacted or a new winner will be drawn. Ends October 18th at 8 pm! 2010 Here is the List of Blogs, comment on all of them to increase your chances to WIN!! Review Bloggers to WIN all Prizes including the iPAD:

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Wordless Wednesday: Did you just hear my heart break?

2010-09-29T10:13:00.000-04:00

REVIEW: AppleCheeks™ Two-Size Washable Diapering System and New Disposable Liners

2010-09-27T10:54:00.003-04:00

This is one of the first things that came out of the package.

The back of the card has contact information on it.

I was sent a AppleCheeks diaper in size 2, and the new AppleCheeks disposable liners to review. It was sent in the color Raspberry Sorbet. I was in love with this diaper just upon opening the package. The color is just awesome. It was sent with 3 cards of information. So, as soon as I opened the package, I read the directions on how to wash the diaper. I threw it in the wash right away. By the time it was done, I was ready to run to the grocery store to get my large order for the month. I put the AppleCheeks on Elsa (2 1/2 years old and about 35 lbs.) and away we went.

This is the front of the first card I pulled out of the package. It shows the diapering system options.

This is the back of that card, and it shows all of the different products.

Sorry that this one is upside down, but my camera was acting up. This is the how to care for the diapers card.

This is the back of the care card, and it has directions for the diaper on it.

Now, school is in, and the elementary school is on my way to the grocery store. It took about 20 minutes to get to the grocery store, and we were there for 2 hours. It took us about 40 minutes to get home because school was letting out. I took all the groceries in the house and put them away. I had then realized she was in the diaper for 4 hours, so I immediately changed her. Her clothes were incredibly dry, there were no leaks and the insert wasn't sopping wet like the microfiber ones generally are when I don't get to change her exactly on time.

The sizes are very clearly marked on the cardboard ring that comes around the diaper.

The use directions are also printed on this too.

The fit of this diaper on her is absolutely amazing, and the snaps are definitely a better quality than the ones on our other diapers. Her other diapers are on the last setting, and are kind of tight still. These aren't even on the last setting on her and they don't sqeeze her chunky little thighs. They are really soft on her. I asked her if she was comfortable in the diaper and she said yes. I also asked her if she liked the diaper and got a big yes with a smile and head nod. So, this diaper is toddler approved. It is also not bulky at all, and I really like the fact that my daughter doesn't have a huge bum with these on. Her pants actually fit better.

The wonderful bamboo insert

Folded according to the directions.

The cover has a very nice opening if you choose to use the diaper as a pocket.

The roll of liners. You can see they aren't thin at all.

A liner inside the diaper. You can see they are generously sized.

The diaper isn't even on it's last setting on my very chubby 2 1/2 year old.

They have a nice fit around her chubby thighs.

They aren't too bulky, and she likes how soft they are.

As you can see the elastic around the waist fits nicely.

They don't make her have a bubble butt in her pants. :)

Now, I do realize that I was going against the directions that came with the diaper by doing this, but I tried it overnight with only one insert. The diaper only came with one insert so I wanted to push the limits to see how it preformed. I put it on Elsa right before she went to sleep that night. She slept for 9 hours straight, with only one of the AppleCheeks bamboo inserts, and there were no leaks. She is normally a super soaker, and the insert was quite wet, but nothing came out of the diaper. I would probably follow the directions if I had more inserts, but if you are caught in a pinch, you can most certainly probably squeak by with only one.

I was looking at the sizing of the diaper, and decided I would see if it fit my Dixie. She is 6 months old, and weighs maybe 15 pounds. She is my skinny mini. I put the diaper on her just to see if it fit, and it has the best fit out of all the diapers she has ever worn. I couldn't believe it. She usually only fits in the size 1 diapers of other brands because of her odd proportions. Usually if a diaper fits around her legs it doesn't fit at the waist, and vice versa.

VERY nice fit around her legs.

The diaper is on the smallest setting for her, but the elastic around the stomach area makes the fit incredible.

It is naturally a little more bulky on her, but a good fit is the important part.

I had a yearly doctor visit and decided to test out the AppleCheeks diaper on Dixie on that morning. I put the diaper on her a little bit before we left for the doctor's office. I had the visit, and we ran a few errands (none of the places had a child friendly bathroom of course). By the time we had gotten home and I went to change Dixie we had hit the 5 hour point in the diaper (I normally change my children much sooner mind you). There were no leaks at all, and the insert was just damp feeling. If that had been one of the diapers she is normally in, she would be completely soaked and I would be washing everything (including her car seat cover).

Next I wanted to test the diaper on her overnight. She has absolutely no control at all, so she is perfect for pushing limits on diapers. I put the diaper on her right after her bath, then I nursed her to sleep and put her to bed like I always do. She typically wakes up once a night to nurse, and when she woke up she had been in the diaper for 6 hours, and it was JUST starting to leak...I don't hold this against AppleCheeks at all, because I wasn't using them according to the directions. I do intend to buy some more inserts so I can use the diaper according to the directions, and I am sure that they will work fantastically. Until I get the additional inserts though, I will probably have to use one of my own doublers if I want to use the diaper on her overnight.

The disposable liners (I received a roll of 100) are AWESOME. I do not have a diaper sprayer, so we end up doing the ole' dunk n' swish. It is super nasty and I hate doing it. My girls are on a pretty regular schedule w/ the poops so I put the liners in both of their diapers the change before their regular time to go. These were so amazing to use. The are really wide, so they cover the whole area where the poop will go. When I went to remove them from both the toddler and baby diapers, there was no mess that had to be rinsed off. It was a heaven sent for me, and made the poopy diaper changes the quickest and easiest changes ever. The liners are not really thin, so they really do hold strong. I have every intention to keep on using these, because it has made my life SOOOO much easier. They are also thick enough that if I had the need to use any kind of creams, that they would not have a chance to get on the diaper. Another point in the win column in my book.

As a recap: AppleCheeks fit very different sized children exceptionally well, they are very absorbent, the snaps are durable, they work great for extended periods if you can't get a change in right away, and the liners save you from extra work. These diapers get a definite 2 thumbs up from me (and my toddler approves too).

You can buy these wonderful diapers directly from AppleCheeks here.

A Minitest is 3 diaper changes and costs $45.58 (American) or they have larger kits if you want to go all in . They come in a wonderful line of colors.

*Please read review disclosure in the tabs.*

The Sky is Falling!!!!

2010-09-22T15:08:00.001-04:00

So, I was doing laundry today, and apparently the tub of the washer was unbalanced. The whole washer/dryer unit started shaking, and a copy of Baby Talk magazine fell off the top RIGHT NEXT TO MY HEAD. I promise, that this does have a point. So anyway, after my Chicken Little moment of, "The sky is falling!" I decided to pick it up. When I went to go pick it up, it was backside up, and it was opened to the last page. I looked to see how old this thing was, and why had I not seen this article before? The magazine is from October of 2009 (cue my laughing). It had been living on top of my dryer for the past year. I figure that things like that happen for a reason, and I really did need a good chuckle today. This was that chuckle.

The page title in the corner is hipmama laugh it off. This is the article.

Anagrams for Moms = Groans from Mamas

What happens when you take mom-related words and rearrange the letters? Read on for anagrams that may surprise you - Melissa Balmain

Exhaustion = The anxious
Maternity pants = A nasty prim tent
Contraction = I can contort
Dilation = And I toil
Labor Pains = Iron ab slap (this one really made me laugh)
Breastfeeding = Insert feedbag (I nearly spit out my drink)
Baby Formula = Buy from a lab
Postpartum = Ma, Pop Strut
Pediatrician = I cried at pain
Nose suction bulb = Cue in snout blobs (love it)
Diaper pail = a rapid pile (HAHA)
Babysitter = tasty bribe (HAHAHA)
Playground = Nag proudly (GREAT!)

Hope you enjoyed these as much as I did, and please feel free to comment with some of your own.

REVIEW: Rockin' Green Cloth Diaper Detergent

2010-09-20T10:46:00.002-04:00

I received 3 sample packs of this detergent, a while ago actually, to try on my diapers. I got the scent smashing watermelons. It took me a while to write this review, because I was trying to honestly evaluate my feelings about the detergent.

My kids have very nasty diapers, I will openly say that. This is a bit TMI, but Elsa gets the runs EVERY time she eats any fruit. This makes my diaper pail just about THE nastiest area of the house. I wanted to say I absolutely loved this detergent, but it worked just about as well as the detergent I make myself (because money is tight). I do like it, don't get me wrong, but liquid detergents do work better in my machine for some reason. It did get the diapers fairly clean, but I don't think anything is going to help get the stains out. I even rocked a soak, and it didn't help that much for me.

I also used the detergent on the boppy pillow and cover because Dixie spit up all over it. It did come out smelling very fresh and clean, there are some really old stains from Elsa that are still on it, but all the newer stains have come out. I also washed a load of the kids clothes in it, and it worked fairly well. The only stains it didn't get out, were some stains from Elsa playing in the driveway. She had grease from her daddy's truck on her clothes. It is REALLY hard to get those stains out, so I am not holding it against Rockin' Green for not getting them out.

Overall, Rockin' Green is a good product, and I do like it. I would like it more if it came in a liquid though.

*Please read review disclosure in the tabs.*

Cloth Diaper Debacle

2010-09-17T08:34:00.002-04:00

Well, there is now a bit of a diaper debacle in my house. Dixie is so long and thin that the diaper with snap closure just aren't doing their job anymore. Her waist is somewhere between the crossover on the tabs and the first set of snaps...if you do the crossover it is too tight, but if you do the first set of snaps it is too loose and there is a HUGE gap. We (in the cloth diaper world) know this means leaks. The rise setting is also making the fit around the legs kind of wonky. She is somewhere between the smallest and 2nd setting, so if I put it on the smallest it is WAY too short. If I put it on the 2nd setting it is a bit long and the diaper has to be on just right or there will be gaps at the legs. Again anyone who uses cloth knows this means leaks. I never had any problems with Elsa, because she is a chunk and not shaped so petite. So now I have to use the covers for Dixie, because they run a little smaller, and fit a little bit better than the pocket diapers on her. I have to stuff these with 2 prefolds though, because one is not enough for either of my children. So now we get to call her chubby butt I guess until I can get diapers that are more her size.

So, to sum it all up, Elsa gets all 15 pocket diapers to herself. Dixie will get 8 covers and 24 prefolds all to her self. I really really need to sell the stuff I have on Craig's List so I can get Dixie diapers that fit....yikes. She still fits in size small sized diapers....hopefully I can find some really good deals.

A breakdown of my Frugal Christmas Shopping

2010-09-11T19:48:00.004-04:00

I wrote on Twitter that I figured out my Christmas budget, and I am spending $150 on 2 kids. Someone asked me how this is possible, so here is the breakdown. I generally start my Christmas shopping in October, and try to end before the actual Christmas shopping season in November. I hate crowds.

ELSA

Family Dollar

tea set- $5
Barbie- $5
Tube of mini My Little Pony figures-$5

Total $15.90 w/ PA sales tax

Wal Mart.com

Disney Princess Junior Skate Combo -$18.86 (free site to store shipping)

Etsy
UPDATE: I contacted the Etsy seller about the diapers, because I want a smaller size, the price is lower so YAY!

doll diapers 4 pack- ~~$8.00~~ $6.50 (with shipping)+

Target

Toddler Schwinn Daisy Helmet- $16.99 ($18.01 with PA sales tax)

I do realize everyone thinks Target is evil right now, but they are the ones that had JUST A HELMET that would fit Elsa the cheapest, so that is where I am going.

The total so far is ~~$60.77~~ $59.27

Now to move on.

DIXIE

Family Dollar

tube of 3 Little People- $5
2- Little People vehicle sets- $5 each
doll- $10 (they have a few different kinds)
play kitchen- $20 (yes, they have that kind of stuff for $20...they also have a little battery powered ride on quad for $20)

Total w/ PA sales tax- $47.70

The total of both girls so far brings me up to ~~$108.47~~ $106.97

Then I will spend the remaining ~~$41.53~~ $43.03, of the $150 I budgeted, on small things (books, crayons, doll clothes etc.) at Dollar Tree.

There you have it, underneath my tree and the stockings will be full, for 2 children for $150.

Sometimes daddy will give me $50 more than I ask for, so if he does, I might add on some of the Toy Story 3 toys that Family Dollar got in. (they are also like $5 each) :)

I do pretty much most of my shopping at Family Dollar for EVERYTHING, because they have name brand stuff super cheap, and they are near my house. Big Lots also has super cheap stuff, my mom works there, so I leave all the Big Lots cheap shopping to her. There is no shame in shopping at discount stores, and I intend to teach my children that. We never really ever go to the mall, or more expensive places, so they probably won't know the difference until they are much older. Even for older kids though, they have graphic tees and some other pretty cool stuff at Family Dollar. Last year for Christmas they had a skateboard/helmet combo that came in a carrying bag for $10. I don't know a boy in the world that would turn down a skateboard. I also never buy things full price if we do go to regular stores. I always go straight to clearance racks or wait until the really big sales. This is the best way to do shopping, and most kids never even know the difference. When I was a teenager, I had no idea my mom bought my Christmas presents at Big Lots, so don't be afraid to pass up the regular stores this holiday season. Pockets are tight everywhere, so look for the good deals and shop the discount shops and outlets. Your bank account will thank you.

I do realize I didn't mention shopping at outlets until the end, because I don't usually go there. They are in Tannersville, PA, about 45 minutes away, and it is a huge suck on gas to go there.

More Update: Daddy said that if he gets some good overtime we can have some extra Christmas money....O the possibilities for that money.

Guest Post- Early Childhood Education – Acquiring Sign Language

2010-09-11T07:52:00.002-04:00

I was contacted by, Emily Patterson, Communications Coordinator for Primrose Schools. She asked me if I would be interested in posting an article about Sign Language on my blog, and I thought it would be nice. Baby signing, and sign language in general, has been on my interest list lately. It is something that has always been in the back of my head, because I have been slowly losing my hearing since I was a child. Lately it has been getting substantially worse, and I am actually considering making that dreaded appointment at the hearing center. I figure if my children learn to sign early, it will be easier on them when I actually do lose my hearing completely. Well, since I am not not really on the subject I started with, here is the guest post.

One of the keys to surviving in a tilted economic system in which opportunities to achieve a decent standard of living will be limited is versatility – and the ability to communicate articulately in a variety of ways with the widest possible audience. This includes bilingual ability as well as the ability to communicate in non-verbal ways for the benefit of the disabled – primarily the deaf.

At the same time, a growing shortage of qualified interpreters fluent in American Sign Language has led to more career opportunities – and if current trends continue, it's likely that skilled ASL interpreters will have little problem securing lucrative employment in a society where such a commodity is destined to be in short supply.

Signing Before They Can Speak

A great deal of research has clearly demonstrated that the early years – ages 2 to five – are the best time to educate children in different modes of communication and language. This goes beyond the spoken word (though it is an optimal time for children to learn a second language); many young children have an aptitude for signing as well.

This is not as odd as you may think. As you know, many indigenous peoples around the world, including American Indian nations, have used sign language for centuries to facilitate communication with other tribes with whom they do not share a language. Some paleontologists and anthropologists theorize that Neanderthals – who apparently lacked the vocal mechanism to produce many spoken words – depended a great deal upon hand gestures to communicate.

In fact, recent research suggests that sign language is innate. An article published in the Boulder Daily Camera in 2003 presented strong evidence that babies as young as six months old communicate with their hands:

"...by 6 to 7 months, babies can remember a sign. At eight months, children

can begin to imitate gestures and sign single words. By 24 months, children

can sign compound words and full sentences. They say sign language reduces

frustration in young children by giving them a means to express themselves

before they know how to talk." (Glarion, 2003)

The author also cites study funded by the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development demonstrating that young children who are taught sign language at an early age actually develop better verbal skills as they get older. The ability to sign has also helped parents in communicating with autistic children; one parent reports that "using sign language allowed her to communicate with her [autistic] son and minimized his frustration...[he now] has an advanced vocabulary and excels in math, spelling and music" (Glarion, 2003).

The Best Time To Start

Not only does early childhood education in signing give pre-verbal youngsters a way to communicate, it can also strengthen the parent-child bond – in addition to giving children a solid foundation for learning a skill that will serve them well in the future. The evidence suggests that the best time to start learning ASL is before a child can even walk – and the implications for facilitating the parent-child relationship are amazing.

Co-written by Emily Patterson and Kathleen Thomas

Emily and Kathleen are Communications Coordinators for the Zionsville educational child care facility, a member of the AdvancED® accredited family of Primrose Schools (located in 16 states throughout the U.S.) and part of the network of Indiana educational child care preschools delivering progressive, early childhood, Balanced Learning® curriculum.

Cotton Babies Free Cloth Diaper Week Grand Finale

2010-09-10T08:55:00.002-04:00

Cotton Babies is having a Free Cloth Diaper week grand finale, there are more details on this contest HERE, but they are asking people to show how they can influence people by creatively using their name. Well, I couldn't think of any other way than using a picture of my two little cloth clad sweethearts. They are pretty much in little more than their cloth diapers all day because they hate clothing so this is not a hard task at all. Cotton Babies is where I started all of my cloth diapering research when I decided to make the grand switch over to cloth with my big baby. Without finding Cotton Babies, I probably would have never made the leap into cloth. I still only have 15 pocket diapers, 18 prefolds and 8 covers (2 of which I won) for 2 kids. We don't have a lot of money to be buying more diapers, so I do diaper laundry every day, but it is well worth it for not throwing that money away. This is my thank you to Cotton Babies for helping me to make a HUGE decision. You can shop with them here at Cotton Babies online store.

Funniest Phone Conversation with My Husband EVER!

2010-09-07T14:02:00.001-04:00

I will play this out in actual conversation format for your laughing pleasure.

The phone rings, and I look at the name on the screen. It is my wonderful adoring husband.

Hubs: Thanks A LOT Tits Magee!

Me: WHAT?!?!

Hubs: I Just got off the phone with my mother.

Me: OK??

Hubs: She asked me if you were pregnant again.

Me: Why the hell would she ask that?!

Hubs: She said she was wondering because your boobs are HUGE!

Me: *Stunned silence for a minute* I don't know what to say to that.

Hubs: I told her because you are breastfeeding they are quite a bit larger than they already were to begin with.

Me: That is a captain obvious answer

Hubs: She has never breastfed in her life, how would she know. But thanks again Tits Magee, this is not a conversation I EVER wanted to have with my mother.

Me: O yea, it is my fault RIIIGGGHHHTT

Hubs: It IS your fault, your the one with big boobs to begin with!

Me: No that is purely luck of the draw in the genetic pool. Sorry you had to have an awkward moment with your mom.

Hubs: Yea, I will be home late I am stopping off at Nolan and Roger's so I will see you then.

Me: Alright Love you.

Hubs: Love you....Bye.

I hope this was as amusing to you as it was to me.

Cloth Diaper Carnival VIII: My (little bit nutty) Idea for Awareness

2010-09-07T10:01:00.005-04:00

This post is part of Cloth Diapering Bloggers’ and Dirty Diaper Laundry’s Cloth Diaper Carnival VIII: Cloth Diaper Awareness. Please visit the other bloggers participating by following the links at the end of this post.

My idea is a little bit nutty, but you will have to stick with me here. I think that a few of the cloth diaper, natural parenting and breastfeeding companies should get together and make a "green bag" to send home from the hospitals with new moms. Formula companies I realize have TONS of money, and that is why they sponsor those diaper bags that I was sent home with, but I wish that I had gotten a bag with things that were better suited for me.

These bags I received contained formula coupons, a lanolin packet, diaper cream samples, a bib, disposables breast pads (kind of weird with the formula), a NUK bottle nipple, and disposable diaper coupons and samples. I had no idea of what cloth nursing pads or diapers were available the first time, and the second time I came home I ended up giving the stuff away to people who would use it because it just didn't appeal to me. There should be separate bags for the different moms. If a mom wants to be more natural, there should be a option for a natural bag for her.

The natural bag should enclose a set of cloth nursing pads, a cloth diaper or two (I know Kawaii Baby makes a Pure and Natural Diaper that sizes down to 6 lbs. and doesn't cost a lot or maybe a Flip diaper with a cloth insert and some disposable ones) , samples of cloth diaper safe creams or some Rockin' Green. There should be some literature on the benefits of using reusable or compostable things, and the different types that are available out there. Maybe even it could include some coupon codes to some stores like Kelly's Closet or Diaper Junction for people who are actually interested in starting a cloth diaper collection. These are just general suggestions, I am sure other people could come up with much better things to include in this bag, but it was just a general thought that has been running through my head for a while now.

Most moms make their parenting decisions in the hospital, because that is when the most things are pushed on them. Things are pushed upon people while they are extremely tired and new to everything. Reaching out to people at this critical decision making time is crucial, because that is when they are open to try things that they weren't originally even thinking about or taught about.

I know this is a little nutty as I said before, and probably not really that possible, but I think it is a neat idea on how to spread awareness. Even if that isn't possible, maybe we can come up with some kind of informational hand out that can be passed out at OB and Pediatric offices to let parents be aware of the other options that are out there and their benefits not only to the environment, but to their children.

On a smaller local level though, I have contacted the local natural store about hosting a cloth diaper education event, because they don't even sell cloth diapers and I think it would be a good start for the community. I haven't heard back from the lady that schedules things yet, but I am very confident about what I can do for the community by creating this awareness. There is not a store that retails cloth withing a 1 1/2 hour drive of where I live, and it makes me sad that this area if filling up our local landfill and putting so many chemicals on our children. Hopefully if I get the opportunity to hold an event there, I can make a small change in my area for the better.

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6 Months

2010-09-02T10:56:00.002-04:00

This sweet little angel face is 6 months old today. I can't believe it has been HALF A YEAR already. It is bittersweet, because I have watched her grow, and start to develope her personality. I got to see her be adventurous in her surroundings, and realize how smart she is. It breaks my heart because I wish she could stay little forever, but I also want to watch her grow and become the beautiful young woman that I know she will be in the future. I know it isn't the first time I have had this feeling, but it is still rough the second time. The highlights for the first 6 months of her life are:

She had her first fruit...it was a mushed banana.
She had her first Veggie...a sweet potatoe.
She can sit up for about a minute all by herself.
She started crawling about 2 weeks ago.
She is very ticklish and laughs like a goof.
She will crawl to pick a new toy.
She looks for her sister.
She has her first ponytail.
She has 2 teeth already.
She can stand with a little bit of assistance.
If you hold her under her arms she will walk for a little bit.
She is motivated to move across a room by seeing her sister eating a snack.
She can pull herself up on very low objects.
She discovered the awesomeness of blowing raspberries.

She is getting entirely too big and smart way too soon.

I love you baby girl, Happy Half Birthday!

Wordless Wednesday: WEEEEEEE!!!!!!

2010-09-01T12:27:00.001-04:00

Firsts

2010-08-30T12:09:00.001-04:00

Well, since summer is winding down, I felt it would only be appropriate to do a post that wraps up the summer. What better to do than a lift of firsts that happened this summer. So, here you go.

This summer was my first summer with 2 children, and it couldn't have been a better one.
Elsa rode her bike all by herself (without one of us pushing her along) for the first time.
Elsa rode a big girl swing for the first time ever.
Elsa and Dixie went camping for the first time.
Dixie went to her first 4 Wheel Jamboree
Dixie crawled for the first time
Dixie got her first tooth
Elsa got her first dog bite :(
Dixie saw fireworks for the first time
Dixie was in a pool for the first time
Elsa saw her first Drive-In movie
Elsa saw sparklers for the first time
Elsa ate her first S'More and got super messy
Elsa got her first pair of flip flops
Dixie has her first ponytail (so cute)
Elsa was on a seesaw for the first time
Elsa jumped on her first trampoline

That is all the firsts thus far...It has been a busy summer, and I hope to have bazillions more.

Wordless Wednesday: Beautifully Serious

2010-08-25T09:03:00.000-04:00

GUEST BLOG: Signing With Your Baby For Fun

2010-08-22T11:23:00.004-04:00

I was contacted by Misty Weaver, the Chief Editor for babysignlanguage.com. She asked if I would be interested in having a guest blog about baby sign language. I admit I don't know much about baby sign language, so I looked around their website first. It seemed really cool to me so I agreed. I let her pick the subject matter of the article, since I don't know that much about it. So here it is, my first guest blog post. Hope you all enjoy.

Baby signing is a fantastic way to bond with your baby and have fun at the same time. Best of all it’s free! You can begin to sign with your baby at any time – even from birth. All you need is to learn a few simple signs and you’re ready to go. Follow these tips to have baby signing fun with your little one…

Don’t take it too seriously! As with everything you do with your baby, if you take it too seriously it will become just another chore. Find ways to make signing fun, and if you forget to sign – or forget the signs themselves – don’t worry. There’s plenty of time.

Make signing into a game. Even when your baby is very young, you can play with her and have baby signing fun. Try signing simple nursery rhymes, or stories. Tell her jokes with signs. She may not get the joke, but will love seeing you laugh and have fun.

Sing your signs. Many baby signing classes use singing because this is a great way to engage babies and have fun. Babies just love being sung to – any song will do. If you don’t know any nursery rhymes, or can’t remember them, just sing the latest hits. Try to include a few simple signs with the songs.

Cuddle up and sign. Eye contact is important for baby signing, as with all communication, so try sitting baby on your lap straddling you and keep him close while you sign. Learn the ‘I Love You’ sign, and keep it as your special message for when you want to show him how much you care.

Give attention. One of the reasons baby signing is such a great way to have fun is that your baby gets your undivided attention! With so many demands on our time, moms often forget that it’s OK to just sit down and gaze at baby. When you are learning to sign you spend hours gazing at each other. It’s great fun!

Involve Daddy too. Get baby’s father to learn the sign for Daddy and have lots of fun using it and teaching it to baby. As Daddy is often one of the first words a baby says (annoyingly most babies say this before Mommy!), it’s a great challenge for dads.

Get the whole family to join in.http://www.babysignlanguage.com/">Baby Sign Language is so simple to learn, why not get the whole family involved? Grandparents, aunties and uncles will all love learning the signs with baby.

Feel silly. A dose of silliness is really good for us adults. Let go of your inhibitions, sing and dance around, make signs in public with your baby and don’t you dare feel embarrassed. There’s nothing wrong with feeling a little silly – your baby will love you for it.

Don’t become obsessed! It’s only baby signing. If you don’t enjoy it, find something else to do with your baby or have a break for a month.

Feel free to peruse their website here or you can find them on Facebook.

Their website has a ton of resources to use if you are interested in starting baby signing.

REVIEW: Hot Mama Ink Heart and Dagger Birds Wrap

2010-08-20T17:45:00.002-04:00

I am SO excited about this review...I had contacted Hot Mama Ink, and told them that I loved my sling I bought from them. I said if they were interested and ever wanted someone to review a product for them that I would be more than willing to do so. Rachel then contacted me back and asked if there was anything I was interested in reviewing. I told her I really liked this wrap, and she discussed it with her business partner and here it is. I wanted to try this wrap so bad because I have this sweater (I have had it a long time) and my husband keeps hiding it on me because he hates it. He calls it he "grandma sweater". I was looking to find something that my husband doesn't HATE, but I wasn't sure what to get.

When the wrap arrived it was in a flat rate mailing envelope, and was wrapped in red tissue paper...it folds up pretty compact, which is great because I can fit it in either of my diaper bags with the rest of the girls' things.

This is the wrap in our day size bag (it is a large Yak Pak tote) next to our Hot Mama Ink sling.

This is the wrap folded and next to the sling in our quick trip bag.

The fit is absolutely wonderful, I like things that stay close to my skin. This wrap is made of 100% Pima Cotton and is super soft. It is thin, but keeps you really warm. My husband keeps the inside of our house quite chilly in the summer so I have been wearing it around the house. I am sure it will be ideal in winter as well, because I like to wear tank tops in winter with a shirt over them.

This is how the size small fits on me, I am 5'2" and 128 lbs.

The wrap is also very easy to breastfeed in, I tried it a few times today. There is very easy access, and I am confident that NIP will be very easy with this wrap as well, because it covers very well, yet still has the easy access that I mentioned before.

Dixie usually freaks when I wear overshirts, but she didn't mind this one at all.

It also comes with this fake tattoo, just like my sling did. I have real tattoos, but I put the last one on just for principal LOL.

Hot Mama Ink is a great company, and I will definitely do business with them over and over again. I know exactly what I want my husband to get me for my birthday in October, the other style of this wrap. Hopefully their new breastfeeding image catches on, and they put it on a wrap, because I would buy it in a second.

This is from the Hot Mama Ink Website:

Heart and Dagger Birds Wrap Reg $50 SALE
$37.00

Beautiful long sleeve maternity wrap from Hot Mama Ink features a one of a kind graphic on the back. The artwork was designed exclusively for Hot Mama Ink. The How Mama Ink Wrap is great for all seasons!! Great for layering in the winter but lightweight enough for summer nights.

They are available in sizes Small, Medium and Large

Find them on Facebook or Twitter
Shop with them on their website Hot Mama Ink
Or you can also find their products on Amazon

(Now my husband can burn the "grandma sweater")

*Please read review disclosure in the tabs.*

Wordless Wednesday: The most perfect nap EVER

2010-08-18T08:59:00.002-04:00

REVIEW: Be Nice Prenatal On The Go Prenatal Drink Mix

2010-08-13T22:28:00.001-04:00

I had first learned of Be Nice Prenatal Drink Mix when I was pregnant with my sweet little Dixie, so I had requested the free samples that were available at the time. I had received them in the mail and they were absolutely AMAZING! It is nice to be able to get nutrients without an awful aftertaste. I was recently chatting with Cynthia on the @BeNicePrenatal twitter account and she sent me a box of the drink mix. I was not asked to do this review, nor did I ask for the drink mix. I just like it so much I am writing about it.

They make 2 flavors of drink mix, Lemonade and Berrylicious. They are priced as follows: $8.99 (reg. $13.99) - Box of 10 Packets or $37.99 (reg. $41.99) - Case of 5 Boxes (50 packets). I received a 10 packet box of the Berrylicious, which is my favorite. You add 1 packet into 16 fl. oz. of water up to 4 times a day.

MMMMM....yummy.


They come in packets just like the Crystal Light mixes.

This is the finished product after I shook it in a 16 oz. bottle.

The berrylicious has a very sweet taste, and is a mix of blueberry and strawberry flavors. The lemonade is really tart, and I was not as big of a fan of that flavor because I like the sweet. Their packaging is made from recycled paper and created in a factory that uses 100% wind energy. How cool is that. Their products can be purchased here, and you can also get more information about who they are and the nutritional information of the drink mix.

Here is the nutritional overview from their site:

Each packet of Be Nice contains 25% of the doctor recommended supply of folic acid, vitamins, and minerals, along with DHA. When you take the packets throughout the day, your body can better retain and utilize nutrients, while you and your baby stay hydrated. Be Nice uses life'sDHA, a plant-based DHA that is free from ocean-borne contaminants, mercury and hexane. Be Nice contains all the best for you and your baby.

You can also check them out on Facebook.

*Please read review disclosure in the tabs.*

I did not ask to review this product, nor was I asked to review it.