So recently I started couponing. Well, actually I've been doing it for years but in a very basic fashion. Unbeknown to me, there is an art to it.
For instance, I wasn't aware that you can use a store brand coupon (like a Target only coupon) plus a manufacturer's coupon for the same item.
You can also use those same coupons x however many items of those you are buying in the same transaction.
Additionally, certain (grocery) stores will double and/or triple the manufacturer's coupons (sometimes they place limits, like up to $1 or how many coupons you can use per day).
Here are some great sites/blogs for coupons and deals that I've found so far!
http://www.smartcouponing.com/
http://www.couponing101.com/
http://hip2save.com/
http://www.confessionsofacouponaholic.com/
http://www.moneywisemoms.com/
http://www.savingaddiction.com/
http://myfrugaladventures.com/
http://www.homesolutionsnews.us/
Kelloggs.com
http://www.southernsavers.com/ - this site is great if you live in an area for any of the stores they list.
Coupon sites:
SmartSource
RedPlum
Coupons.com
Also at Target - they have their own coupons you can print and stack with the manufacturer ones!
Now I should say that with the coupon sites above, you will likely need to install a printer program/javascript to allow you to print the coupons. They've been perfectly safe on my computer.
I also recommend that in addition to using your home zip code try some others from around the country - you'll see different coupons pop up.
Friday, May 28, 2010
Thursday, May 27, 2010
S'mores!
I'm not sure why but recently I've had a hankering for some S'mores!
Problem is, we don't have any real good way to cook it outside (well there is the gas grill but that involves some setting up and I am feeling lazy). And honestly, it worked out really well this way: no burnt marshmallows. I know there is a large amount of people out there that love burnt marshmallows. I am not one of those people. I prefer mine toasted and gooey but definitely not burnt.
So, I decided to cook some S'mores inside.
Here's what I did.
Ingredients:
First, preheat your oven to 300degrees.
Then, line a baking sheet with some foil, shiny side up.
Next, get the amount of ingredients ready for however many S'mores you want to make. I wanted four. So that meant 4x graham crackers (broken in half), 4 marshmallows and 1 chocolate bar, broken into 4 pieces.
(please don't judge me on the shadows, I'm making this at night with no natural light)
Arrange your S'mores on the baking sheet like so (think open faced sammich):
Place your S'mores into the oven. If your marshmallows attempt a getaway like mine did, make sure to place them back on their graham cracker before shutting the door.
Once they're in the oven, set a timer for 4 minutes. I use the microwave, I'm lazy.
Once the timer goes off, take them out of the oven and carefully smoosh your S'more sammiches together (that is technical language btw). Take care to not burn your fingers on the hot baking sheet.
Grab a glass of milk, or other drink of your choosing, and enjoy the yumminess of S'mores!
Bacon Wrapped Chicken and Roasted Potatoes
So a few days back I made this for dinner:
Bacon wrapped chicken legs and roasted potatoes. OMG it was really yummy!
To make the chicken legs-
I just tooksome 5 chicken legs and wrapped 2 pieces of bacon around them and lay them in a pan. I put the pan in the oven at 375 degrees for about 50 min.
To make the roasted potatoes-
Cut up your favorite potatoes into bite sized pieces. I used about 4 potatoes.
Place them in a large mixing bowl.
Sprinkle 1 package of Onion Soup Mix (can use Lipton or the store brand).
Add 1/3 cup Vegetable Oil and mix well.
Place on a baking tray (I used a glass 9x13 baking dish, lined with foil for easy cleanup)
Ideally you want to put the potatoes in a 425 oven for 35 min.
For this night, I put them in with the chicken. They came out fine at a lower temp for a longer time. They weren't as crispy as normal but they were certainly good!
Bacon wrapped chicken legs and roasted potatoes. OMG it was really yummy!
To make the chicken legs-
I just took
To make the roasted potatoes-
Cut up your favorite potatoes into bite sized pieces. I used about 4 potatoes.
Place them in a large mixing bowl.
Sprinkle 1 package of Onion Soup Mix (can use Lipton or the store brand).
Add 1/3 cup Vegetable Oil and mix well.
Place on a baking tray (I used a glass 9x13 baking dish, lined with foil for easy cleanup)
Ideally you want to put the potatoes in a 425 oven for 35 min.
For this night, I put them in with the chicken. They came out fine at a lower temp for a longer time. They weren't as crispy as normal but they were certainly good!
Random Mr Man Pics
Its been a busy couple weeks.
Here's what we've been up to!
BTW this device
is awesome! You can put fresh fruits/veggies/ice etc into it and the mesh keeps the baby from choking on it, but they're still able to gum it and get the juice and nutrients from whatever you put in there. So far Mr Man has had bananas, oranges and pears.
Eating fresh oranges for the first time ever.
A couple nights ago, I mashed a little banana with my fork and gave it to Mr Man. This is his reaction:
I'm honestly not sure why the face. He has loved bananas. I'm guessing it was the texture and not the taste.
So while out doing errands today, Mr Man proceeded to show mama his new face. He was doing this face all day long. I finally captured it while he was playing in the jumparoo.
While doing this face he also blows out his nose - sort of like a snort. Its really cute. Maybe that's one of those faces that only a mother could love?
He's been scooting around real well these days.
He's taking an interest in the cats recently. Can't say they really share that interest.
Click on the picture below. Take notice of the long stream of drool. He seriously creates puddles of drool these days. Its funny to hear Sam say: "omg get me a tissue!" "omg slobber bomb!" "omg he got me!" You'd think the baby has cooties or something with Sam's reaction to slobber!
Here's what we've been up to!
Sleeping in his own crib!
BTW this device
is awesome! You can put fresh fruits/veggies/ice etc into it and the mesh keeps the baby from choking on it, but they're still able to gum it and get the juice and nutrients from whatever you put in there. So far Mr Man has had bananas, oranges and pears.Eating fresh oranges for the first time ever.
A couple nights ago, I mashed a little banana with my fork and gave it to Mr Man. This is his reaction:
So while out doing errands today, Mr Man proceeded to show mama his new face. He was doing this face all day long. I finally captured it while he was playing in the jumparoo.
He's been scooting around real well these days.
He's taking an interest in the cats recently. Can't say they really share that interest.
Click on the picture below. Take notice of the long stream of drool. He seriously creates puddles of drool these days. Its funny to hear Sam say: "omg get me a tissue!" "omg slobber bomb!" "omg he got me!" You'd think the baby has cooties or something with Sam's reaction to slobber!
Cheap baby stuff
Ok so this is old. I should have posted this a few weeks back, but I'm lazy so yeahhhh.
I had read online about these two mom's locally who organize a twice a year baby gear consignment sale (but at their houses, garage sale style). For those who aren't familiar with consignment - it is you giving your gently used, in really good (like new mostly) condition (no stains/rips/tears for clothing; all parts and must work properly for all toys/electronics/etc) items to someone to sell on your behalf. Upon sale of such an item, you get a portion of the profits as do they.
So at any rate, I got up and on the road by 8am. I got there around 8:20am and was one of only 2 people there! That was my goal, get there early and get the good stuff before its gone. :) I wasn't all that interested in clothes - I wanted shoes for Mr Man and toys. If something else caught my eye at a good price, that would be a bonus. So I hit the shoes first and got some great deals! Then wandered over to the toys and they had just what I was wanting and then some. I wandered around a little bit and picked up some odds/ends. All totaled, I spent $76 and got all this:
And here we go, he loves them already!
I had read online about these two mom's locally who organize a twice a year baby gear consignment sale (but at their houses, garage sale style). For those who aren't familiar with consignment - it is you giving your gently used, in really good (like new mostly) condition (no stains/rips/tears for clothing; all parts and must work properly for all toys/electronics/etc) items to someone to sell on your behalf. Upon sale of such an item, you get a portion of the profits as do they.
So at any rate, I got up and on the road by 8am. I got there around 8:20am and was one of only 2 people there! That was my goal, get there early and get the good stuff before its gone. :) I wasn't all that interested in clothes - I wanted shoes for Mr Man and toys. If something else caught my eye at a good price, that would be a bonus. So I hit the shoes first and got some great deals! Then wandered over to the toys and they had just what I was wanting and then some. I wandered around a little bit and picked up some odds/ends. All totaled, I spent $76 and got all this:
Toys! 7 of them, I paid for the tall one was $10, rest were $2-4 each
I got a Land's End diaper bag ($8) and some Alphabet Cards wall art (I want this for the playroom/basement, $2)
I got 6 pairs of shoes: 1PediPed, 1 Gymboree, 1 BabyGap, 2 Robeez and 1 other. All were $3-4 a pair (the Robeez themselves go for around $25-30 a pair retail!).
4 Nuby sippy cups ($1) and 3 doorknob covers($1)
Size 12-18mo - BabyGap, Children's Place, Ralph Lauren. I paid $2-4 each.
I got a Land's End diaper bag ($8) and some Alphabet Cards wall art (I want this for the playroom/basement, $2)
I got 6 pairs of shoes: 1PediPed, 1 Gymboree, 1 BabyGap, 2 Robeez and 1 other. All were $3-4 a pair (the Robeez themselves go for around $25-30 a pair retail!).
4 Nuby sippy cups ($1) and 3 doorknob covers($1)
Size 12-18mo - BabyGap, Children's Place, Ralph Lauren. I paid $2-4 each.
Not bad, not bad! I got some great stuff for Mr Man and for a great price. I can't wait to go back for the fall sale!
And here we go, he loves them already!
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
A busy day - even a trip to the gym!
First thing we had to do today was head over to the pediatricians for a really fast appointment to get one of Mr Man's shots today. He didn't even flinch. What a trooper!
After that, then we went to the gym. Today was Mr Man's first day at the Little Gym near our house.
He had such a good time! During the very first activity - a music/sing/instrument one - he got completely scared and screeched so loudly. But once I moved him into momma's lap (instead of sitting on his own right in front of me) and momma helped him play, then it was all good. He just needed that little bit of reassurance that it was okay.
There were 5 baby/mom (well one was a nanny but w/e) 'couples' there. We had a good time. We did singing, playing, mom/baby aerobics and mom/baby exercises. One of them definitely worked my abs. Whoa!
At the end, for a wind down, they blow bubbles for the littles to try and catch or simply watch. Mr Man had a great time and really liked the bubbles and all the other littles.
We were there today as a free tryout to see if we'd like it. I think its a good idea for him to be around some littles his age on a regular basis - to interact and play and make friends. Plus meeting other moms is always nice. Afterward I signed us up for the rest of the season (which is like a month basically of 2 day/week classes). I'll likely do the summer season as well.
I'd like to get into a MOPS group locally, but from what I can see many of them take the summer off and will resume in September. So I think doing the Little Gym through summer will be great and then hopefully we can get into MOPS in the fall.
After that, then we went to the gym. Today was Mr Man's first day at the Little Gym near our house.
He had such a good time! During the very first activity - a music/sing/instrument one - he got completely scared and screeched so loudly. But once I moved him into momma's lap (instead of sitting on his own right in front of me) and momma helped him play, then it was all good. He just needed that little bit of reassurance that it was okay.
There were 5 baby/mom (well one was a nanny but w/e) 'couples' there. We had a good time. We did singing, playing, mom/baby aerobics and mom/baby exercises. One of them definitely worked my abs. Whoa!
At the end, for a wind down, they blow bubbles for the littles to try and catch or simply watch. Mr Man had a great time and really liked the bubbles and all the other littles.
We were there today as a free tryout to see if we'd like it. I think its a good idea for him to be around some littles his age on a regular basis - to interact and play and make friends. Plus meeting other moms is always nice. Afterward I signed us up for the rest of the season (which is like a month basically of 2 day/week classes). I'll likely do the summer season as well.
I'd like to get into a MOPS group locally, but from what I can see many of them take the summer off and will resume in September. So I think doing the Little Gym through summer will be great and then hopefully we can get into MOPS in the fall.
Monday, May 24, 2010
Mr Man at nearly 6.5 months
Mr Man is a little over 6.5 months (he'll be 7 months next week basically).
I forgot to post the following when I did the 6 mo post a while back.
At 6 months he
I forgot to post the following when I did the 6 mo post a while back.
At 6 months he
- can roll back to front and front to back.
- can push up really high with his arms while he's on his tummy.
- loves to have 'big boy' meals - aka solids. He currently has them 2x per day, though his pediatrician gave us the go to up it to 3x per day if we want.
- his current favorite foods are carrots and prunes.
- loves to stuff his hands in his mouth - especially during mealtimes (much to the chagrin of his mother).
- he loves to go in the jumparoo - he'll play in that for an hour or so before he tires of it.
- he weighed 20lbs and was 28 1/4" long at his 6mo checkup. (98%+ percentile for all his milestones)
- he wears some 6mo clothes still (with the onsies we have to use the extenders because he's too long for them), the 9mo clothes fit perfectly and he can fit into some of the 'small' 12mo clothes.
- he's really starting to interact with toys and grasping at things now. All of which go into his mouth.
- he loves, loves, loves to blow raspberries.
Friday, May 21, 2010
Show Us Your Life - Your Hometowm
Hi! I have to say I have two hometowns - and both are in different Washington's!
My current home is just outside Washington DC (aka our Nation's Capitol). The little town we live in is home to the Department of Energy. The DOE used to be the old US Atomic Energy Commission- neat fact that I didn't know until today!
We have a neat neighborhood and there is a great park (photos here) just down the street a ways that my son and I enjoy going to.
In fact, we went to the park today! Mr Man however slept the entire time, so we didn't stay long. I did take this picture of such an interesting tree!
My other home is my 'hometown' of Seattle, WA. That's where I spent the last 15 years or so living and I consider it my home. Click here to see the Live Space Needle Webcam (its pretty neat)!
And this next picture is one my father took, I'm sure he won't mind me putting it up. Its quite good!
and
(ignore the grainy texture, I took a pic of some artwork on my wall in bad light)
My current home is just outside Washington DC (aka our Nation's Capitol). The little town we live in is home to the Department of Energy. The DOE used to be the old US Atomic Energy Commission- neat fact that I didn't know until today!
We have a neat neighborhood and there is a great park (photos here) just down the street a ways that my son and I enjoy going to.
In fact, we went to the park today! Mr Man however slept the entire time, so we didn't stay long. I did take this picture of such an interesting tree!
(not sure why the bottom picture didn't show as rotated, it is on my end)
My other home is my 'hometown' of Seattle, WA. That's where I spent the last 15 years or so living and I consider it my home. Click here to see the Live Space Needle Webcam (its pretty neat)!
Below are some pics near where my mom lives. Oh how I miss the views!
And this next picture is one my father took, I'm sure he won't mind me putting it up. Its quite good!
Ah! Beautiful and majestic Mt. Rainier!
Thanks for visiting!
Thanks for visiting!
Friday, May 14, 2010
May 14
You know, while I'm doing mundane things around the house (like today's nasty chore of taking out the cat litter) I think of all sorts of great blog ideas/posts. Then when the evening rolls around and I have a few minutes to get on the ol' computer...I can't for the life of me remember all the neat (to me) things to post.
(insert wild rant here about me being allergic to Sam's 2 cats, cleaning up their hair off everything so that my baby doesn't ingest it daily, dealing with Gio's neurotic behavior all day, feeding the cats most days and yet somehow I get stuck with taking out their litter while Mr Sam just doles out treats and snuggles. They are his cats, how did I get stuck with the crappiest job in taking care of them?!)
Babby!
So, some folks at work are having baby showers soon for little girls. I'm so excited! It gives me an opportunity to buy baby girl stuff! Have I said enough how cute and completely adorable all the baby girl things are?! Maybe its God's plan for me to have all boys because if I had a girl I'd probably put us in the poorhouse with all the cute girly things! j/k
To do (yeah, right...)
So, I'm determined to do some baking this weekend. I bought some fresh blackberries to make cobblers, I have some peaches ready for individual peach pies, and I still need to bake those vanilla bean scones. Sam says he'll babysit Mr Man so I can have some free time to do it all!
'Special Dinner'
Last night for dinner I wanted to make something 'special' for Sam for no real reason, other than me just wanting to. So while at Whole Foods I picked up a rack of lamb (cut French style). I made a fresh herb rub (recipe from Ina Garten
).
Let me preface by saying that my first time ever having had lamb was this past Easter. I've never made it either. But watching an episode of her show - man it just looked so easy and so good. I'm happy to report that it is so easy to make. It seriously took a grand total of 25 min from start to finish. I pared it with some French green beans and a lemon-zest infused Couscous. I cooked it to perfection - nicely medium rare. It had good flavor from the herb rub/crust.
The meal was real good overall - but probably I won't make it again for a good while. Apparently Sam just isn't a big fan of lamb. It would appear I'm not also. I mean, its not like either one of us hates it or whatever. We just both (now that I've had it a few times) aren't huge lamb fans.
That said - I had some extra of the herb rub/crust for it. I set it aside in the freezer because I think it'll taste awesome on some chicken or pork chops.
Chicken Prep!
So while visiting other mommy blogs I came across a really great idea. Safeway had chicken breasts this week fror $1.99/lb which is a pretty decent price. I got a few pkgs in the 'family size'. Once I got home I spent a few minutes to think about what I'll be cooking over the next few weeks.
So, I diced some up into cube size pieces for a few recipes and placed them in some freezer bags.
I put some in water and boiled a few for recipes that call for cooked chicken or salads.
I put some aside to put in the slow cooker with some tomatoes/peppers for having later on with burritos/tacos.
And I kept a few in 'breast form' for those recipes that call for them like that.
All in all it took just a few minutes yesterday to do, but they're all ready to go in small ready-packs in the freezer for easy defrost on the days I need them. No prep required!
(insert wild rant here about me being allergic to Sam's 2 cats, cleaning up their hair off everything so that my baby doesn't ingest it daily, dealing with Gio's neurotic behavior all day, feeding the cats most days and yet somehow I get stuck with taking out their litter while Mr Sam just doles out treats and snuggles. They are his cats, how did I get stuck with the crappiest job in taking care of them?!)
Babby!
So, some folks at work are having baby showers soon for little girls. I'm so excited! It gives me an opportunity to buy baby girl stuff! Have I said enough how cute and completely adorable all the baby girl things are?! Maybe its God's plan for me to have all boys because if I had a girl I'd probably put us in the poorhouse with all the cute girly things! j/k
To do (yeah, right...)
So, I'm determined to do some baking this weekend. I bought some fresh blackberries to make cobblers, I have some peaches ready for individual peach pies, and I still need to bake those vanilla bean scones. Sam says he'll babysit Mr Man so I can have some free time to do it all!
'Special Dinner'
Last night for dinner I wanted to make something 'special' for Sam for no real reason, other than me just wanting to. So while at Whole Foods I picked up a rack of lamb (cut French style). I made a fresh herb rub (recipe from Ina Garten
).Let me preface by saying that my first time ever having had lamb was this past Easter. I've never made it either. But watching an episode of her show - man it just looked so easy and so good. I'm happy to report that it is so easy to make. It seriously took a grand total of 25 min from start to finish. I pared it with some French green beans and a lemon-zest infused Couscous. I cooked it to perfection - nicely medium rare. It had good flavor from the herb rub/crust.
The meal was real good overall - but probably I won't make it again for a good while. Apparently Sam just isn't a big fan of lamb. It would appear I'm not also. I mean, its not like either one of us hates it or whatever. We just both (now that I've had it a few times) aren't huge lamb fans.
That said - I had some extra of the herb rub/crust for it. I set it aside in the freezer because I think it'll taste awesome on some chicken or pork chops.
Chicken Prep!
So while visiting other mommy blogs I came across a really great idea. Safeway had chicken breasts this week fror $1.99/lb which is a pretty decent price. I got a few pkgs in the 'family size'. Once I got home I spent a few minutes to think about what I'll be cooking over the next few weeks.
So, I diced some up into cube size pieces for a few recipes and placed them in some freezer bags.
I put some in water and boiled a few for recipes that call for cooked chicken or salads.
I put some aside to put in the slow cooker with some tomatoes/peppers for having later on with burritos/tacos.
And I kept a few in 'breast form' for those recipes that call for them like that.
All in all it took just a few minutes yesterday to do, but they're all ready to go in small ready-packs in the freezer for easy defrost on the days I need them. No prep required!
Thursday, May 13, 2010
May 12
Seattle Bound!
Well after going back and forth as to whether or not I wanted to go on an adventure - Sam had me order a plane ticket for Seattle so I could take Mr Man and go spend some time with my family out there. I'll be leaving here on June 21 (so we can spend Mr Man's first Father's Day here) and will return on July 3 (again, so we can celebrate his first Fourth of July as a family here).
I'm excited and petrified at the same time. I'm totally nervous about the airport and the flight. I've already started worrying. I don't want to be "that woman with the screaming baby". I mean, MrMan pretty much doesn't cry at all but I have no idea how he'll react on the plane.
And then there was the debate about whether to get his own seat (and bring his carseat on the flight) or have him on my lap. After doing some reading around on various mommy-blogs and talking with my own mom, I've decided to have him on my lap. At the moment, I'm about 80% confident in this decision and about 20% terrified. Here's to hoping it works out well!
Adventures in saving...or not?
So I did some reading around on coupon-ing secrets. I decided to try some out this week. I went to Safeway today and spent about $74 on food. My receipt showed I had savings of $65. Not bad! Some of the stuff was sorta fun.
That aside, I've also decided there are just some things I'm willing to pay more for. And that is meat and fruits/veggies for Mr. Man.
I've started making Mr Man's baby food in some cases and I just prefer him to have organic fruits/veggies. I could sorta care less about what Sam and I have, but for some reason, since he's an infant and so pure, I just want to make sure he has high quality foods going into him and little-to-no pesticides/chemicals.
I loathe the meat at the grocery stores - like the 'good' meats. More often than not, the quality sucks and it just doesn't taste as good. I'm talking about meat for steaks or deli sammiches (not like, chicken breasts/ground beef, I'll get whatever is on sale for that stuff). So far I can't really find a butcher shop around here that is independent of a grocery store. So I've just started buying about half our meats and deli meats at Whole Foods. The quality is just so much better. And for not that much more in price I gotta say.
I found that Wednesdays at Whole Foods the deli meats are $3 off (9.99/lb regular, so Wed is 6.99/lb). That puts it about on par with regular grocery store prices. Then on Fridays, they have their deli meats at 50% off - or 5.99/lb. Even better! And folks, the meat is great. Its not that water soaked turkey or chicken that you find at most groceries. Its like, a true chicken/turkey breast that has been roasted and then shaved. It just looks more appetizing.
So I figure I'll save on some stuff and splurge for a better product on others. I'm all about balance around here!
Well after going back and forth as to whether or not I wanted to go on an adventure - Sam had me order a plane ticket for Seattle so I could take Mr Man and go spend some time with my family out there. I'll be leaving here on June 21 (so we can spend Mr Man's first Father's Day here) and will return on July 3 (again, so we can celebrate his first Fourth of July as a family here).
I'm excited and petrified at the same time. I'm totally nervous about the airport and the flight. I've already started worrying. I don't want to be "that woman with the screaming baby". I mean, MrMan pretty much doesn't cry at all but I have no idea how he'll react on the plane.
And then there was the debate about whether to get his own seat (and bring his carseat on the flight) or have him on my lap. After doing some reading around on various mommy-blogs and talking with my own mom, I've decided to have him on my lap. At the moment, I'm about 80% confident in this decision and about 20% terrified. Here's to hoping it works out well!
Adventures in saving...or not?
So I did some reading around on coupon-ing secrets. I decided to try some out this week. I went to Safeway today and spent about $74 on food. My receipt showed I had savings of $65. Not bad! Some of the stuff was sorta fun.
That aside, I've also decided there are just some things I'm willing to pay more for. And that is meat and fruits/veggies for Mr. Man.
I've started making Mr Man's baby food in some cases and I just prefer him to have organic fruits/veggies. I could sorta care less about what Sam and I have, but for some reason, since he's an infant and so pure, I just want to make sure he has high quality foods going into him and little-to-no pesticides/chemicals.
I loathe the meat at the grocery stores - like the 'good' meats. More often than not, the quality sucks and it just doesn't taste as good. I'm talking about meat for steaks or deli sammiches (not like, chicken breasts/ground beef, I'll get whatever is on sale for that stuff). So far I can't really find a butcher shop around here that is independent of a grocery store. So I've just started buying about half our meats and deli meats at Whole Foods. The quality is just so much better. And for not that much more in price I gotta say.
I found that Wednesdays at Whole Foods the deli meats are $3 off (9.99/lb regular, so Wed is 6.99/lb). That puts it about on par with regular grocery store prices. Then on Fridays, they have their deli meats at 50% off - or 5.99/lb. Even better! And folks, the meat is great. Its not that water soaked turkey or chicken that you find at most groceries. Its like, a true chicken/turkey breast that has been roasted and then shaved. It just looks more appetizing.
So I figure I'll save on some stuff and splurge for a better product on others. I'm all about balance around here!
Monday, May 10, 2010
Mother's Day
So yesterday was Mother's Day. My first one.
We went over to spend time with Sam's family in the morning for brunch. We had a good time with them.
Sam got me a really lovely necklace - its a blue topaz with diamonds surrounding it. It has a really pretty cut (the picture doesn't do it justice, I just don't have that good of a zoom lens atm) - tons of facets. He got it because he says its Mr Man's birthstone but also his color eyes. So its to remind me of my little baby boy on my first mom's day. I nearly cried - but I've been crying so much lately I decided to fight back the tears and be a good gal. Too bad he thought that I didn't like it :( I LOVE it!
I even got the hubby to take a pic of me and Mr. Man!
I had a great day with my two guys!
For some extra pics - I got this outfit at Nordstrom on clearance during the winter. Doesn't he look like a little boy instead of a baby boy?! The pants are corduroy - and covered in kitty hair >.<
This is Mr. Man's favorite game - Airplane!
We went over to spend time with Sam's family in the morning for brunch. We had a good time with them.
Sam got me a really lovely necklace - its a blue topaz with diamonds surrounding it. It has a really pretty cut (the picture doesn't do it justice, I just don't have that good of a zoom lens atm) - tons of facets. He got it because he says its Mr Man's birthstone but also his color eyes. So its to remind me of my little baby boy on my first mom's day. I nearly cried - but I've been crying so much lately I decided to fight back the tears and be a good gal. Too bad he thought that I didn't like it :( I LOVE it!
I even got the hubby to take a pic of me and Mr. Man!
I had a great day with my two guys!
For some extra pics - I got this outfit at Nordstrom on clearance during the winter. Doesn't he look like a little boy instead of a baby boy?! The pants are corduroy - and covered in kitty hair >.<
This is Mr. Man's favorite game - Airplane!
These pics are from Friday when we went to the park.
Friday, May 7, 2010
Meltdown Day
Today was a meltdown day for me. Sometimes I just get a little homesick and sad. Today was one of those days.
It started off as a great day.
I took Mr Man to a park not far from here - and I must say it is a gorgeous park. There are a bunch of soccer/football/baseball fields, tennis courts, walking trails, tracks, picnic areas and the mother-load of all playgrounds. Mr Man had his first swing ride and we played under a tree for a good while.
Then we came home and it hit me that its my first Mother's day this weekend. I should be happy right? I am. truly. But I'm also sad. I miss my mom, my family, my grandma. I can't help it but I do. This being a year of firsts, I'd love to have a picture of me/mom/Mr Man on Mother's Day - but instead I just have to show a 6mo old a picture of his grandma. Bummer.
We'll be going over to Sam's brother's on Sunday to spend time with his family. That'll be fun - its always so nice to spend time with them and all the kiddos. But at the same time, I'm saddened to not be able to see my family.
It was also a meltdown day for Mr Man. Second day in a row actually. I'm sorta wondering if his teeth will be cutting through soon. I can't really see any difference in his gums but he seems in a lot of pain when its time to eat and he woke up shrieking just a little bit ago. Thinking maybe his teeth, we tried some baby Ora-gel and it seemed to calm him immediately. Well and some momma snuggles too :) I'll keep an eye on things.
Sam and I were supposed to have a date night today with Mr Man. But I sorta canceled it due to me just being so 'blah'. We'll resume date night tomorrow.
I'll try to upload some pics later from our day at the park.
RANNNNNTTTTTT
Sorry for my rant, I just can't help it. What is the deal with infant boys clothing?
What is it with the lack of seriously adorable boy baby clothes. Are there just 75x more girls born than boys? Do mothers out there refuse to clothe boy babies or something? Seriously though, I do NOT understand the disparity in infant boys clothing in relation to the amount of girl clothing and the vast variety of girls clothing.
Here's the thing. If you don't know what I'm talking about do this. Go into any baby store clothing section - Target/WalMart/Old Navy/Macy's/Nordstrom, heck even Costco etc. Count the number of racks of girls clothes/dresses. Then count up the number of boys. It is like a 7:1 ratio. I'm talking infant side only - the youth side seems to even out a bit.
I scoured probably 15 stores from February onward looking for a cute Easter outfit for Mr Man. I wanted a little sweater vest (preferably argyle style), a little shirt and maybe some khakis (blue or beige or something). If an adorable hat/shoes happened to match - wahoo.
Okay so that sort of outfit exists pretty easily for a boy of 12-18+ months. NO store had such an outfit in the 6-9mo range. None. But oh, they had 3843294798 racks of dresses for little girls in all sorts of colors/styles/lengths. Ugh-Guh.
Do they think that baby boys don't exist on Easter? I mean there wasn't anything even related to Easter cuteness for a little infant boy. The closest thing I found was the cute little unisex bunny sleeper that I got (picture is a couple posts down) at Target. Do they think that little infant boys should be clad in some brown onesie with a dinosaur on it on Easter?
I mean, at the very least they could do up a little onesie/pant combo with say a baby blue or butter yellow top and maybe some navy/khaki bottoms and do like I dunno a bunny 'logo' on the top or something (think Polo shirt style). I mean, even that would have been better than nothing.
Holidays aside, I'm pretty positive that I currently own every style of Carter's 6-9mo boys sleepers and all the 'gender neutral' ones also. And I'm pretty positive that it pales in comparison to the number of girls sleepers. Considering at most stores there is 1 rack of boy/neutral sleepers (combined) and about 3-4 racks of girl sleepers.
...Don't even get me started on the pants....
It started off as a great day.
I took Mr Man to a park not far from here - and I must say it is a gorgeous park. There are a bunch of soccer/football/baseball fields, tennis courts, walking trails, tracks, picnic areas and the mother-load of all playgrounds. Mr Man had his first swing ride and we played under a tree for a good while.
Then we came home and it hit me that its my first Mother's day this weekend. I should be happy right? I am. truly. But I'm also sad. I miss my mom, my family, my grandma. I can't help it but I do. This being a year of firsts, I'd love to have a picture of me/mom/Mr Man on Mother's Day - but instead I just have to show a 6mo old a picture of his grandma. Bummer.
We'll be going over to Sam's brother's on Sunday to spend time with his family. That'll be fun - its always so nice to spend time with them and all the kiddos. But at the same time, I'm saddened to not be able to see my family.
It was also a meltdown day for Mr Man. Second day in a row actually. I'm sorta wondering if his teeth will be cutting through soon. I can't really see any difference in his gums but he seems in a lot of pain when its time to eat and he woke up shrieking just a little bit ago. Thinking maybe his teeth, we tried some baby Ora-gel and it seemed to calm him immediately. Well and some momma snuggles too :) I'll keep an eye on things.
Sam and I were supposed to have a date night today with Mr Man. But I sorta canceled it due to me just being so 'blah'. We'll resume date night tomorrow.
I'll try to upload some pics later from our day at the park.
RANNNNNTTTTTT
Sorry for my rant, I just can't help it. What is the deal with infant boys clothing?
What is it with the lack of seriously adorable boy baby clothes. Are there just 75x more girls born than boys? Do mothers out there refuse to clothe boy babies or something? Seriously though, I do NOT understand the disparity in infant boys clothing in relation to the amount of girl clothing and the vast variety of girls clothing.
Here's the thing. If you don't know what I'm talking about do this. Go into any baby store clothing section - Target/WalMart/Old Navy/Macy's/Nordstrom, heck even Costco etc. Count the number of racks of girls clothes/dresses. Then count up the number of boys. It is like a 7:1 ratio. I'm talking infant side only - the youth side seems to even out a bit.
I scoured probably 15 stores from February onward looking for a cute Easter outfit for Mr Man. I wanted a little sweater vest (preferably argyle style), a little shirt and maybe some khakis (blue or beige or something). If an adorable hat/shoes happened to match - wahoo.
Okay so that sort of outfit exists pretty easily for a boy of 12-18+ months. NO store had such an outfit in the 6-9mo range. None. But oh, they had 3843294798 racks of dresses for little girls in all sorts of colors/styles/lengths. Ugh-Guh.
Do they think that baby boys don't exist on Easter? I mean there wasn't anything even related to Easter cuteness for a little infant boy. The closest thing I found was the cute little unisex bunny sleeper that I got (picture is a couple posts down) at Target. Do they think that little infant boys should be clad in some brown onesie with a dinosaur on it on Easter?
I mean, at the very least they could do up a little onesie/pant combo with say a baby blue or butter yellow top and maybe some navy/khaki bottoms and do like I dunno a bunny 'logo' on the top or something (think Polo shirt style). I mean, even that would have been better than nothing.
Holidays aside, I'm pretty positive that I currently own every style of Carter's 6-9mo boys sleepers and all the 'gender neutral' ones also. And I'm pretty positive that it pales in comparison to the number of girls sleepers. Considering at most stores there is 1 rack of boy/neutral sleepers (combined) and about 3-4 racks of girl sleepers.
...Don't even get me started on the pants....
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
Cinco de what?
No margaritas here tonight :( I had this really yummy Margarita Shrimp meal all planned out for tonight - but that all got sidetracked. So, I'll make that tomorrow instead!
Had a rough day at PT - felt like I had rubber legs walking out. In fact, I wasn't sure I would actually be able to walk out. But I did. And then my legs were all wobbly while driving.
I got some clothes for Mr. Man on clearance - 4 outfits for like ~$15. One of them seriously cost me $1.40. Not even joking.
Aside from being super tired today, PT seems to be going well enough. Some days I feel real good, some days I'm real sore. Its a process!
And with that, I'm off to get some rest. Finally.
Had a rough day at PT - felt like I had rubber legs walking out. In fact, I wasn't sure I would actually be able to walk out. But I did. And then my legs were all wobbly while driving.
So I did what any really tired momma would do: I went to Kohl's to get a couple things before heading home.
Did you really think I'd do something sensible like, oh, go home and rest?
I mean, its Kohl's cash we're talking about here! ...kidding...I got some clothes for Mr. Man on clearance - 4 outfits for like ~$15. One of them seriously cost me $1.40. Not even joking.
Aside from being super tired today, PT seems to be going well enough. Some days I feel real good, some days I'm real sore. Its a process!
And with that, I'm off to get some rest. Finally.
Sunday, May 2, 2010
Remembering the St.John's
Saturday was a tough day. It marked 2 years since my beloved Grandma St.John passed away. I think of her all the time. I miss her so badly. I tell Mr Man all the time about his wonderful Great-Grandma in Heaven. Boy oh boy how she would love him. I hope Grandpa found her there and that they are happy and that instead he is telling her how wonderful her great-grandson on earth is.
My grandpa, Jim, passed away just this past March 15 after a long battle with lung cancer. I was so, so thankful that he came out to visit us over Thanksgiving. Not only did he get to meet his great-grandson, he also went and got to see the WWII memorial here in DC that he so badly had wanted to visit before he passed.
So so thankful for this picture and being able to spend that time with him. Thanks Dad/Lulu for that.
6 Months
Today is Mr. Man's 6 month birthday! (well at 10:26pm tonight, technically)
My how time flies. I can't believe its been 6 months already. It seems like yesterday we brought him home from the hospital.
I tell him all the time to stay this little. It won't happen, of course, but a girl can dream!
That way mommy can always hold him, protect him, snuggle with him.
Right now he is perfect. He only knows love, kindness, smiles and good things. Like any parent, we don't want our children to experience hurt, anger, sadness, loss and all the other things that also come along in life. The opposite of love.
Yet as much as I want to keep him a baby forever, I'm so excited each day as he gets older and I get so tickled watching him learn and grow.
I love the expressions on his face as he concentrates on spinning his whirly-gigs on his saucer, remembering how to jump in his bouncer and figuring out that his toys make sounds. I love seeing the delight on his face when he finds his feet and can re-stuff them back in his mouth. Or when I come in to get him after he wakes up - oh the pure joy and smiles he gives.
No matter how tired I am, cranky, sad, happy or busy- his little gummy smile puts one right on my face. Joy and laughter abound when I'm with Mr. Man.
Everyone who sees him when we're out comments on what a delightful and smiley guy he is. And he is. He is pure bliss.
When I first met Sam, I was so thankful and felt so blessed. I wasn't sure life could be better. But I'm telling you - this little guy, he makes every day perfect and whole. He may be 6 months old, but he has taught me so much already. He gives me strength, energy, joy and pure love.
Life is perfect. Happy 6 month birthday my love. I can't wait to see you in the morning and every day after that as you grow.
Also found some video I took and strung it all together. Not professional by any means, but it'll do.
Also, because its cute. Yep that's my boy this week falling asleep in the Jumparoo. Tuckered himself out.
And because I forgot to post up some Easter shots, here you go:
My how time flies. I can't believe its been 6 months already. It seems like yesterday we brought him home from the hospital.
I tell him all the time to stay this little. It won't happen, of course, but a girl can dream!
That way mommy can always hold him, protect him, snuggle with him.
Right now he is perfect. He only knows love, kindness, smiles and good things. Like any parent, we don't want our children to experience hurt, anger, sadness, loss and all the other things that also come along in life. The opposite of love.
Yet as much as I want to keep him a baby forever, I'm so excited each day as he gets older and I get so tickled watching him learn and grow.
I love the expressions on his face as he concentrates on spinning his whirly-gigs on his saucer, remembering how to jump in his bouncer and figuring out that his toys make sounds. I love seeing the delight on his face when he finds his feet and can re-stuff them back in his mouth. Or when I come in to get him after he wakes up - oh the pure joy and smiles he gives.
No matter how tired I am, cranky, sad, happy or busy- his little gummy smile puts one right on my face. Joy and laughter abound when I'm with Mr. Man.
Everyone who sees him when we're out comments on what a delightful and smiley guy he is. And he is. He is pure bliss.
When I first met Sam, I was so thankful and felt so blessed. I wasn't sure life could be better. But I'm telling you - this little guy, he makes every day perfect and whole. He may be 6 months old, but he has taught me so much already. He gives me strength, energy, joy and pure love.
Life is perfect. Happy 6 month birthday my love. I can't wait to see you in the morning and every day after that as you grow.
Also found some video I took and strung it all together. Not professional by any means, but it'll do.
Also, because its cute. Yep that's my boy this week falling asleep in the Jumparoo. Tuckered himself out.
And because I forgot to post up some Easter shots, here you go:
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