A Christmas Update Through Pictures

This time of year is always so crazy but ours has been topped with Madison getting by far the worst cold she has ever had and then sharing it with Stella and I. I guess I can't complain 'cause I'm always telling her she needs to share. Anyway I'm trying desperately to get our home in order and back into a routine (which includes blogging).

Christmas was great despite the fevers, coughing and runny noses. Madison was the only one under the weather Christmas Eve but she seemed to rally so me made the decision to go to Justin's grandparents with the rest of the family. Christmas Day was spent with my parents hanging out in sweatpants and eating way more than any human being should. It was really nice having a low key day complete with an afternoon nap 'cause I think we all needed that. We have been hanging home ever since trying to make everyone better. It is nice but so strange because I think the last time I have ever been home for so many days straight was when I gave birth to Madison! Justin originally had a week vacation but since we can't do any of the fun activities planned and he is not sick he opted to go to work. We miss having him home but since he is technically getting paid for two weeks (vacation and work) this week I can't complain. Here is a recap of the past week in pictures. Enjoy!

Stella's favorite new spot to hang.

Visions Of Sugar Plums Danced Through Their Heads!Christmas Eve. Somehow the only pic of them together. Didn;t even get a family photo :<Madison and cousin Kayla

Whoa! Santa came!

Trying to wait patiently for Stella to wake up.

The only Christmas pic of the girls and I!Poppy (my dad) and Stella

Stella and baby cousin Mackenzie (please ignore the red eyes)

I Have A Winner!

Happy Holidays everyone! I haven't been blogging lately 'cause life has been crazy to say the least! Between the girls, Madison being sick, Christmas and looking for a dog to adopt (yep I caved) I really haven't known which end is up. Now instead of catching some z's while the rest of the fam is sleeping I stayed up late to play with the family's new Wii (so addicted to Mario Kart) and let you know who the winner of my My Baby Can Talk giveaway is. Congrats to abcdbanda for winning! As always if the winner does not contact me within 3 days I will select a new winner.
That's all for now folks. I'll catch up with on the holidays, my new do and hopefully a new dog soon I promise! DOn't worry there will be lots of pics to go along with the update too!
TTFN!!!

A Winner And An Awesome New Giveaway!

Congratulations to Elsie for winning the $25.00 gift certificate to Beadedbling.etsy.com!

Now for everyone else how about another giveaway? This time it is for the little guys. Baby sign language has always been something that has intrigued me. I bought a book on it when Madison was an infant and signed with her a little. The result was her knowing how to sign "more" and that was about it.

This time I've taken a much more active interest with signing with Stella and have already begun introducing some basic signs to her. I've also decided to use only ASL (AmericanSign Language) signing with her that way she can not only communicate with us but also friends of ours that are non-hearing. What is really fun to watch is Madison's interest in learning to sign also. One morning she inquisitively asked "Whatcha doin' non?" when I was signing with Stella and immediately wanted to learn too. It turns out she has already been learning the ASL alphabet at school!

I know that some parents don't agree with teaching babies to sign. They feel that this will prolong them from speaking. I disagree. Personally I beleive that babies can communicate much earlier than they can form words and signing allows them to do so. Many times toddlers throw temper tantrums and parents get frustrated because they can not figure out what the baby wants and the baby can't tell them. Having a baby that can sign may be able eliminate or at least reduce these types of tantrums! Here is a story and a video of my friend Danielle's baby Eliza signing that help to prove my point.

I recently got a collection of DVD's and Board Books in the mail from My Baby Can Talk. This collection is ASL based and has loads of awards. The books and dvd's were created for babies 10 months and older. Madison loves to watch the DVD's and both girls enjoy looking at the vibrant pictures in the books. I personally love the signing for dummies sections in the books. Every sign has diagram of how to hold your hand as well as directions as to how to move them. Trust me I need them!

Wouldn't you love this collection for your little one? Well lucky you 'cause I have one to give away too! The My Baby Can Talk collection includes...

• 3 dvds First Signs, Exploring Signs and Sharing Signs
• 3 board books First signs, Sharing Signs and Exploring Signs

If you were to purchase this it would cost over $75.00. It is well worth the cost but isn't everything better when it is free? To enter this giveaway...

• please post a comment about who would be using the collection and why you want to sign with this little person.
• Receive a second entry by blogging about this giveaway linking back to me and commenting letting me know that you blogged about it.
• Make sure to leave me a way to get back to you.
• The winner must contact me within 3 days of being announced or else I will select another winner.
• This giveaway will end on Christmas Eve next week.
• The winner will be announced Christmas Day.
  Good luck to all that enter!

Stella Update

Stella was checked out by her pediatrician after the incident on Friday and she is fine. In the meantime we have begun cereal with her. She has taken to it like a champ and after just a couple of feedings is already opening her mouth and lunging towards the spoon. This is completely different from Madison who was such a tough baby to feed. That has all changed now 'cause the kid will even eat sushi (no raw fish) and seaweed salad!

I didn't really get into the details of how the restaurant handled the situation the other day because ultimately none of that matters but for inquiring minds.... All of the wait staff immediately rushed over to see if Stella was okay. At that point I couldn't even tell you what the waiter looked like because I was too preoccupied with the baby. My mother noticed the guy making pizzas behind the counter looking over but he never stopped to see if Stella was hurt. After the initial shock the waiter came back several times to offer his heartfelt apologies and to even offer any personal information that we may need from him in case something was wrong with the baby. At the time I just wanted to scream get the F%^$ out of my face! Now I feel for him because accidents do happen and being the mother I should have never placed Stella into a situation where she could potentially get hurt. No manager or owner EVER came over willingly! Justin stopped the hostess and demanded to speak to the owner or a manger. She explained that her husband owned the restaurant and she went to go get him. Turns out it was the guy making pizza! He lied through his teeth and said he didn't know anything had happened and his wife said she came over to check on the baby but she seemed fine. I'm not sure if she did or not because I was in complete shock. Now we are not the suing type but as a business owner don;'t you think it is in your best interest to make sure no one is hurt and to demand a doctor be seen to CYA? I'm just saying. All the guy kept saying is dinner is on us! We didn;t care about who was paying for dinner. We just wanted someone to acknowledge what had just happened. As we were leaving the owner finally got out an accident report and filled it out once we told him we were going to the emergency room. Again all he kept saying is the bill is on me. Okay buddy we got it. The accident itself would not have stopped me from going there again after all it was an accident. The owner's behavior however has made us decide to completely write off this restaurant (If you need a name I'll be happy to email it to you). It is not like decent
Italian restaurants in NJ are hard to find!

My blogging has been scarce to say the least but we are neck deep in Christmas here. All the gifts are bought and wrapped, the house is decorated and Madison is wired! If we could only harness her energy I'm sure we could solve the world's energy crisis! I've even attempted to bake a few Christmas cookies although it doesn't seem like there will be any to give out this year. The first two batches were eaten almost instantly on Sunday and I either forgot to add flour or oats to the third 'cause the results were not pretty. If the weather isn't too bad today we are off to the mall for pictures with Santa. I'll admit I'm completely exhausted doing all that is Christmas with two kiddos but I remember how special my mom made Christmas for my brother and I and I want to do the same for my girls! Thank goodness the breast feeding has stopped because I am surviving on Rock Stars at this point (yes I know waaaaaaaay unhealthy)!

Don't forget today is the last day to enter my Beaded Bling giveaway. I'll be posting a new awesome giveaway either today or tomorrow so keep checking back!

My Most Important Post Ever... Please Pass Along!!!

With presents to buy, cards to send, cookies to bake and decorations to hang it is easy to get lost in everything that is commercially Christmas. I'm not going to lie I've been guilty of it myself. Consumed with what has to be done before the big day as if the world might stop if it doesn't. Ultimately none of these things really matter. The only thing that truly does matter during this time of the year as well as every other day of the year is that your loved ones are happy and HEALTHY.

This reality check hit me last night while we were out to dinner. My parents, Justin the girls and I all went to one of our favorite little Italian restaurants. There was no booth large enough to accomodate all of us so one of the restaurant employees turned a high chair upside down and a placed Stella (who was sound asleep) and her carseat on top. No big deal. I've done it dozens of times before and have seen hundreds of other parents do the same thing. We all munched on bread, ate salad and were waited for our entrees when CRASH! A waiter knocked into the high chair holding Stella and her car seat. the chair fell over and the car seat fell floward, upside down with her in it. Before it was even settled on the ground Justin and I had it picked up and were checking out our little girl. She was slowly waking up with a look on her face like what the heck happened and why is everyone in my face? Not a single tear. Thankfully everything seemed to be fine but we wanted her checked out just in case. After all she did fall to the floor upside down in her car seat!

We took her to the hospital where we were quickly greeted by a rather gruff doctor. He diagnosed her as fine even before looking at her because she had been strapped securely in her car seat. He examined her quicklky (I think just to appease me) and we were released. In and out of the ER in under 1/2 and hour. She seems completely fine, not even a scratch but I'm taking her to the pediatrician tomorrow to put my own mind at ease. (Yes Danielle for the first time ever I am overreacting. Probably).

Although I beleive in God I don't tend to be very religious, I'm not the best at getting up and going to church every Sunday or even remembering to say my prayers. I know though that God was looking down on us and kept our baby safe from harm. This situation could have had such a tragically different ending. If her seat had hit the table or if she hadn't been strapped in I can honestly say I don't know if she would be with is right now. I'm sure that we are not the only family that this has happened to but it is not something that is ever really discussed or addressed. I know that there are car seat slings that can be used at restaurants but they could have been knocked over just as easily. There has got to be a better, safer way to hold car seats and as parents it is up to us to demand something. If you could please share my story with other mothers or maybe even link this post to your site I would really appreciate it. People need to be made aware so that this does not happen to them!

Take A Picture It Lasts Longer

After nearly a day of decorating and already having to readjust just one day later I've decided to take a picture of our Christmas tree. Madison is much better about not touching this year and even insisted that we wrap some gifts to place under the tree "to make it look pretty". I'm still not convinced that the tree will go untouched through the whole season and fingers are crossed that it doesn't come crashing down this year. So I've taken this picture of what the tree looks like now JUST IN CASE!

P.S. Thanks MckMama for your ISO lesson. I played with the shutter speed and turned the flash off. I liked this pic the best although my skills need some more practice!

P.P.S. Make sure to enter my giveaway for a $25.00 gift certificate to Beaded BLing before Dec. 17th!

A Giveaway Especially From Me

I'm not sure if I mentioned it before but one of my favorite pastimes (when I have time to pass) is jewelry making. A couple of years ago I said up an Etsy shop called Beaded Bling. I've recently relisted some jewelry pieces and am about to add a bunch more. Did you happen to notice my mini shop in my sidebar? In the spirit of Christmas giving I've decided to give one lucky reader a $25.00 gift certificate to Beaded Bling.

Here is how you can enter into my drawing. Just check out Beaded Bling then come back here and tell me which piece is your favorite.

Remember to leave me a way to get in touch with you in case you win.

This giveaway ends next Wednesday, December 17th.

Get a second entry by blogging about this giveaway, with a link back to my post and a comment letting me know you blogged about it.

Good luck to everyone!

Sooooooooo Embarassing But What The Heck

Okay so let me start by saying if you are at all easily embarrassed, super conservative or under 18 please do not read this post. There is no explicit content in this post but it does discuss some adult topics.
On the other hand if you are easy going, don't shy away easily or need a really good laugh by all means read on!
A couple of weeks ago while out with some friends we got involved in a very adult conversation. During this conversation the couple that we were with Highly recommended a certain toy that they use in the bedroom. My hubby thought he would surprise me with this toy as an early Christmas present. He didn't however present it to me in person when we were alone. He sent it to the house via UPS. Assuming that it was a product for a giveaway or review on my blog I opened the box in front of my mother. Luckily I read the packing slip before unwrapping the white plastic bag around it (something I never d0). I quickly explained that it was a Christmas present for Madison from family in Colorado and I would show it to her later. As far as I know she bought my little white lie. I was seriously seconds away from being more mortified than any other embarrassing moment in my life. If my mom had seen it I'm sure she would have laughed and rolled her eyes but still some things are better kept unknown. All I can say is thank goodness it is almost Christmas and if my hubby thinks there will be any playtime tonight he has got another thing coming!

More Kiddy Tunes

We recently received another new cd for the kiddos and love it! Baby Loves Salsa produced by Aaron "Luis" Levinson and "features some of the biggest and brightest stars in contemporary salsa music including band leader and singer Jose Conde. It is the story of a group of kittens and puppies (gattitos y perritos) from the streets of new york city who go on to become the best salsa band in the land." Madison took instantly to this cd and "Bailar Rapido" has quickly become her new favorite song. I love that she has begun to sing along in Spanish even though her Spanish vocabulary is limited at this point. I am sure this is a sign of bigger and better things to come. We also love to read the board book that came with the cd. It is about a gato(cat) named Otis who lives in Nueva York (new York). He makes a special salsa for his birthday in Central Park which turns out to be a salsa band. Not only is the story entertaining and educational its illustrations are also brightly colored which even gets Stella's attention. This cd and board book set has been a hit all around! Make sure to check out Baby Loves Salsa's website where you can sample some of the songs from the cd.

25 Christmas Things About Me

Ok I stole borrowed this from Lori at Teacher Turned Mommy Not As Easy As It Sounds.Please excuse any typos 'cause I'm holding an overtired, cranky, squirmy baby as I do it!





Welcome to the Holiday edition of 25 Things About Me.


Okay, here's what you're supposed to do, and try not to be a SCROOGE!!! Just copy this entire post and paste into a new post. Then change all the answers so that they apply to you.





1. Wrapping paper or gift bags? gift wrap. Ours must always be different from Santa's
2. Real tree or Artificial? Real. I grew up with artificials but Justin insists on a real one every year. Pretty but VERY
3. When do you put up the tree? The week after Christmas
4. When do you take the tree down? New Year's Day but last year it came down December 19th before we went to Colorado. Very depressing taking down a tree before Christmas!
5. Do you like eggnog? Yum! But never drink it 'cause I think it is about the most fattening thing in the world
6. Favorite gift received as a child? Cabbage Patch Kid. I waited a whole year for it. My parents couldn't find one the first Christmas so my Mom made me a fake one. My mom is seriously awesome
7. Hardest person to buy for? My dad and my father in law
8. Easiest person to buy for? Kids. I love buying them toys and clothes
9. Do you have a nativity scene? Yes, Willow Tree. My parents buy me a new piece to the scene every year.
10. Mail or email Christmas cards? mail. I love getting Christmas Cards to open!
11. Worst Christmas gift you ever received? A fish pillow wrapped in a super market type wrapping to look like a real fish. Just 'cause my hubby likes to fish doesn't mean that is the decor in our house!
12. Favorite Christmas Movie? It's A Wonderful Life
13. When do you start shopping for Christmas? If I see something interesting throughout the year I'll pick it up but usually in October and I'm done by Black Friday so I can enjoy the holidays without the stress of shopping. Didn't work this year.
14. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present? Nope
15. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? Christmas cookies
16. Lights on the tree? Yes, colored this year. we're crazy like that
17. Favorite Christmas Song? Santa baby
18. Travel at Christmas or stay home? Grandparent in laws on Christmas Eve and my parents Christmas Day. Last year was Colorado
19. Can you name all of Santa's reindeer? Dancer, Dasher, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid Donder and Blitzen... oh yeah and Rudolph I just copied Lori's
l20. Angel on the tree top or a star? Star
21. Open presents on Christmas Eve or morning? Grandparent in laws Christmas Eve, ours and parents' Christmas morning and in laws a few days later.
22. Most annoying thing about this time of the year? trying to do more than any one person can
23. Favorite Ornament theme or color? My Swarovski collection that was started when I first dated Justin but the tree fell over last year and broke most of them. This is the only time I have cried over a possession
24. Favorite thing for Christmas dinner? Prime Rib
25. What do you want for Christmas this year? Not exchanging gifts this year 'cause we are saving for Disney but I would love a DSLR or a Wii

Sleep, Sleep, Why won't you sleep? and my giveaway winner!

It is official Madison has her first major stomach virus! She is nearly 4 years old and has a few rounds of diarrea but this is the first one paired up with major vomitting. I know nice mom for sharing that with your kid! She already seems to be doing better this morning and through the whole thing keeps insisting she wants to eat in between barf trips to the bathroom. It also hasn't stopped your amped up, count down to Christmas, warp speed, bounce off the walls attitude that has appeared since Thanksgiving.

In the meantime Stella has decided that there is something she definately doesn't like and that is SLEEP! The child simply won't do it. We lay her in her crib and she screams until she throws up and starts choking, we hold her until she falls asleep and the second we lay her anywhere including the swing her eyes pop open. She then stares at us with a look that screams "You didn't seriously think this would work?". She has also stopped sleeping through the night. Up until this whole sleep boycot thing started 4 days ago she would go sown around 9:00 and sleep through until 6/7 am. Not anymore! Now it takes until about 11 to get her down, she is up by 2 for several hours and than it is anything goes from there!

I've been blaming her teeth because she is sooooooooo close to cutting the first two. I really thought they would have been there for Thanksgiving. The only thing that makes me question this beleif is that she is rarely fussy! When she wakes up she just smiles and coos and wants to play. It is me that seems to be throwing the temper tantrums and having meltdowns. Like everything else I know we will get through this lack of sleep thing. Madison did it too. I think it was around the time she was teething but I can't really remember. In the meantime I'm just slightly cranky and would love any tips that anyone can think up for us to try. I'm positive that if I let her snuggle into our bed she would have no problems but I've got to tell you that is not an option! We just got our bed back from Madison and I'm not about to give it up again. Besides I don't feel comfortable with someone so tiny sleeping in our bed yet. There is also a really good chance Madison will find her way into our bed in the middle of the night and not knowing Stella is there hurt her.

Anyway now onto more important news. No I didn't forget about my Keurig Platinum Brewer giveaway. I was just a little overwhelmed yesterday. Congratulations to Jim! He was randomly selected (name out of hat) to win this awesome prize! I know you'll love it and it may even become your favorite kitchen appliance like mine has recently become to me!

Wordless Wednesday

There is only how many shopping days left?

Yes, I am Still Here

Nope I didn't hang up my blogging towel and head off to some tropical, Carribean Island. I was lucky enough to have my sweet students share a very nasty stomach bug with me just in time to end my Thanksgiving break! Luckily I didn't get sick until the weekend was almost over so I still got to enjoy all of the fun plans we had!

Thanksgiving was great. This was our fifth year having my family and in-laws to our house. We had a nice time and dinner was delicious (if I do say so myself) but we are thinking of changing up the plans next year. Possibly volunteering at a soup kitchen that our favorite restaurant runs or going to the city to see the parade. We'll see what happens.



Yes, I was one of those crazy ladies who got up at 3:30 and waited online at Toys 'R Us for an hour on black Friday. I was in and out within 15 minutes and had everything on my list. Then I went on to Target where I was also in and out in 15 minutes. Then I made the mistake of going to Wally World. I don;t know why I did it. This store seriously aggravates me on a regular day so why in the world would I decide to go there on black Friday? After finding the 2 gifts that I wanted to pick up I got on one of about 25 crazy check out lines that wrapped throughout the store. I kept watching the clock and making deals with myself like if I don't make it to a clothes rack 15 feet ahead of me in the next 5 minutes I'll leave. Well I never left and after an hour on line I did check out with both gifts in hand. Hard part is over right? Wrong!!! It took another 45 minutes just to get out of the parking lot! What the heck was I thinking? No toys are that important.



Next year I'll definatly hit up a few stores first thing again because there are really great bargains to be had. I think the key to not turning into a stressed out crazy woman is to know what you are going in for, get in and get out. Most importantly don't make any extra stops!



Justin and I also went to this awesome little restaurant that my brother and future sister-in-law have been raving about. Their recommendations really did no justice to this restaurant. if you live near NJ or are visiting you need to check out Bistro Ole in Asbury. It is a Spanish/Latin Infusion restaurant where one dish is more amazing than the next. I had their signature Sea Bass dish and it was AMAZING! It is a BYOB which we are all about these days 'cause I would much rather spend a little more on great food than have half our bill go towards whatever we drink. The cool thing about this restaurant is that if you bring your own wine they will make sangria for you. Let's just say that it was my first drink in a long time and I did not stop at one, two or three glasses! Saturday was painful to say the least.

That was pretty much our holiday weekend. Too bad it ended with me being sick. If you haven't done so yet don't forget to enter my giveaway for a Keurig Platinum Brewer. Today is the last day to enter! Good luck to everyone!

Coffee Anyone?- New Giveaway!!!!

• Okay so I'll let you in on a little secret. It is nearly 11:00 p.m. the night before Thanksgiving, I have 20 people coming over for dinner tomorrow, my house is a mess, not even a single pie has been baked and I just ran into my office to get the brining recipe for the turkey. Lucky for you I got side tracked by the computer!
  
  I say lucky for you 'cause I have an awesome giveaway to share with everyone. Here is where you should be imagining a drum roll.......
  
  The giveaway is for a Keurig Platinum Brewer! This brewer's features include 5 cup sizes (4 oz, 6 oz, 8 oz, 10oz and 12 oz), a removable 60 oz. reservoir,fully programable features, blue backlit display, quiet brew technology and an award winning design. Keurig Brewers use single use K-Cups to brew some of the best coffee I have ever had. There is also reusable k-cup filter basket available for purchase in case you have a specific type of coffee not available in single use K-cups.
  
  Although I love to cook making coffe has never been a strong point for me. No matter what coffe pot, coffee or water I used it was never good. This meant that whenever Justin or I wanted coffee we would have to run out to our local coffe shop or wait until we were at work to get a cup. My coffee is so seriously bad that when we had some contractors siding our house in the middle of winter they kindly refused my coffee after just one cup. This is no longer a problem for me now that we have our own Keurig Brewer because it is totally fool proof! Making coffe is as simple as filling the reservoir with water, turning one the machine so it heats, popping in a K-Cup and pressing a button. Within a minute a fresh cup of delicious coffee is not in my hot little hands! There are many different types of coffee, tea and hot chocolate that you can choose from including Fair Trade coffee on Keurig's website or you can purchase your K-cups wherever the Brewers are sold. I am able to pruchase them at Bed Bath and Beyond, Target, B.J.'s and some of the better food stores in my area.
  
  Looking for details on how to win your own Keurig Platinum Brewer along with an 18 K-cup variety? You have two chances to win.



• Go to Keurig's website, check out all of their different coffee, tea and hot chocolate and then post a comment about what you would like to try first if you win the brewer. Make sure to use a sepcific coffee, tea or hot chocolate name so I know that you went to the site!



• Receive a second entry by blogging about this giveaway on your blog with a link back to me and a second comment letting me know you did so.

It is seriously that easy! Please make sure to include your email address so I can reach you if you win. This contest ends Wednesday, December 3, 2008. The winner has 3 days to contact me. If he/she doesn't I will randomly select a different winner.

Good luck to everyone and have a great holiday season! Now it is seriously time to brine a turkey!

In Case You Wanted To Take A Look

Remember the wedding Justin, Madison and I were in a few months ago? The bride and groom sent us a link to their online photo album and were kind enough to let me share. Enjoy the pictures!

P.S. Don't forget I was 8 weeks postpartum (YIKES!!!)

Bloggy Giveaways

5 Minutes for Mom has gotten into the Chrsitmas spirit with loads of great giveaways. Be sure to stop by and check them out!

Teething Already?

I didn't want to believe after all Stella just turned 4 months yesterday but it looks like we have a teething infant on our hands. Stella has been a drooly, goobery mess for a few weeks now. I kept insisting it was not teething. After all Madison didn't cut her first two teeth until she was over 6 months. I know, I know they are not the same baby and I have to quit comparing them but that is another post for another time. Sure enough when I looked into my youngest daughter's mouth there were two little teeth buds just below the surface of the skin. Teeth already!

Thank goodness my Dr. Bloom's Chewable Jewelry arrived last week just in time for Chompfest 2008 'cause without it Stella's fists may have been chewed raw by now. The jewelry was created by Dr. Helen Bloom who is both a mom and a dentist. It is not only fun to wear but super convenient for busy moms looking for something for their babies to chomp on.

The jewelry is

• Dentist Created and Endorsed
• BPA, PVC, Phthalate Free
• Latex and Lead Free
• Dishwasher Safe
• and it comes in great colors too. We have the Emerald Circle Slide Pendent and Bracelet. Did I mention that I love it? With all of my friends either just having had a baby or expecting I know what many of them will be getting as gifts.

I've got a great deal for all of my readers too. Go to http://www.chewablejewels.com/ and shop to your heart is content. At checkout use the code WOMM and receive 10% off your entire order. The offer expires 12-20-08. Don't you just love deals? There is no limit on how many times you use this code from now until December 20th either. That means that if you buy yourself a set and love it (I know you will) you can go back and purchase more for family and friends as gifts or different colors for yourself.

Happy Shopping!

Wordless Wednesday

Spending every last moment before winter that we can outside!

There is a lesson to be learned here...

and it is not that my daughter is a slob. I already knew that! It is also not that I have neglected this room for far too long 'cause I already knew that too!



The lessons that I do hope to teach Madison today as we tackle this disaster is

• She is now a big girl and it is now time to take care of her things.


• There are less fortunate children in this world and we need to share with them.

I've already started discussing these two ideas with her. She seems to get the taking care of the toys part is is excited to do so. I am a realist though and know that it is not going to miraculously happen over night. But one can hope right?

It is the second concept of giving some toys away that I am having difficult with. We talked about the fact that Santa will be coming soon and how we have to make room for new things. We've also talked about the less fortunate children and how they would be so happy to get a toy even if it is something we don't play with anymore. Madison's response was "but I play with all of my toys and they would be sad if they thought I didn't like them anymore". Gotta be honest here the toys with feelings thing threw me and it took a few moments for me to respond with "They also get sad when they aren't played with and would love to go to a new home where they are the center of attention".

I've dropped the topic until after nap time but by the end of the day there will be toys that are finding a new home. They will not only be leaving our home but Madison will be the one to select them. Yes life would be easier if I just went through her things while she was asleep. If I did that though how would she learn that we need to help others? I'm sure there will be tears involved after all she is the type of kid that gets upset when I throw out pamphlets handed out at our door by strangers from certain religions. I'll keep you posted. Wish me luck!

Making The Pilgrimage.

Nope not to some holy land but to Disney World. Madison is going to be four in a few months and loves, loves, loves all things Disney. I really wanted to go even before having kids and Justin had never been so we've decided that next year's vacation will be a fun filled, magically spectacular week in Disney World.

What I didn't realize was how much goes into the planning of a trip like this. We need to decide whether to go during off or peak season, which of the 27 resorts to stay at, whether or not to get park hopper passes and if we want to go with a meal plan. This is just a few of the descisions that we need to make.

Ultimately we will be booking with a travel agent but before contacting one I would love to get any advice from anyone willing to share. Shared experiences (good, bad or ugly), feelings towards hotels, parks, restaurants. Anything will help. So far this is what I know (and it is not much)

• We are thinking sometime in May because older kids are in school but the weather is still nice.
• Staying at the Animal Kingdom Lodge. It is not completely, outrageously priced, Madison loves Animals and it has regular restaurants in it (not just fast food)
• Going for a week. There is a lot to see and I think by going for a week we can take breaks here and there instead of cramming everything into 4 days.
• Park Hopper just means we can go to more than one park in a day

...and that is about it. Obviously I need lots of help. We are trying to do this trip on a budget too so any money saving tips, tricks or hints would be awesome. Of course if anyone from Disney is reading this post and would like a review done I would not be above this for some extra vacation perks ;>

So hit me with whatever you've got people! Thanks!

'Tis The Season For The Flu

Around this time of the year the flu starts getting talked about quite a bit. Whether it is flu shots or outbreaks you are bound to hear about the flu. Here in New Jersey all children who are in some type of school setting public, private or day care are now required by law to receive a yearly flu vaccination. This is to keep school outbreaks down to a minimum. Madison has already received her shot and Justin and I are about to. Justin and I have never gotten them before but Stella is too young to get one so we are doing it to decrease her chances.
Google has also jumped on the flu bandwagon with their new flu tracker. According to Google they are able to track a flu outbreak two weeks earlier than any other method because they have found that "certain search terms are good indicators of flu activity". It is pretty cool just go to their flu tracker site, click on your state and see if the flu activity is minimal, low, moderate, high or intense. Right now NJ has low activity but several states are showing moderate activity which I'm sure is just a sign of things to come.

There is my sign

Have you ever been going about your business when it suddenly hits you that your are "such a parent"? It happened to me over the weekend. Justin and I went to go see the new movie "Role Models". I am a movie addict but am embarrassed to say that the last movie with over a PG rating that I saw in a theatre was "Meet the Fockers". Yep it has been nearly four years since my last theatre viewed adult movie. Yikes! Where did the time go? The movie was hysterical and just what I was in the mood for. A comedy albeit a little raunchier than expected that did not require much brain function to understand. We laughed through the whole movie almost to the point of hysterics at times.


The "I am such a parent" moment came on the way out of the theatre when Justin and I were rehashing the details that had us rolling. Just about everything that the 12 year old actor Bobb'E J. Thompson said in his role as Ronnie was funny. As a parent though I couldn't imagine about 95% of what came out of his mouth coming out of one of my daughters. He dropped the "F bomb" countless numbers of times throughout the movie and had a discussion about "Boobies" with Sean William Scott just to name a few examples. Prior to kids I probably wouldn't have even given a second thought to what was said, but times they have changed!

Were we so offended that we got up and left the movie? No, we are adults and knew what we were going to be seeing. I just questioned as a parent what would allow a person to let their child say what was said? The answer of course is money. I realize money gets most of what is wrong in this world to happen. As a mother myself I know that there is no amount of money that would make me feel okay about letting one of my daughters act in a role like this. Maybe when they are older or if they show a desire to get into acting I'll fell differently but in this case I really doubt it.

I would love to hear your thoughts if you have seen the movie or any of your "I am such a parent" moments. Feel free to share!

A New DVD From Sesame Street

I am pretty picky about what I allow Madison to watch on television. Often times I opt for a DVD that way I know exactly what she is watching, how long she'll be watching for and that I won't be hearing "Mommy I want that!" because of all the toy commercials on during children's shows. As you can imagine this leads to us watching the same DVDs over and over and over again. This is just one reason why I was so excited to receive the new Sesame Street movie "Abby in Wonderland"!

Abby Cadabby debuted as a Sesame Street puppet in 2006. She is an adorable fairy whose name is a play on the magic word Abracadabra. Her fluffy pink pigtails, fairy wings and magic wand were an instant hit with my fairy and princess loving Madison. This meant that putting our new movie "Abby in Wonderland" into the movie rotation wasn't a hard sell.

In the movie Abby wishes she could have her own fairy tale. She drifts off to sleep and wakes up much like Alice does in the Lewis Carroll's "Alice in Wonderland". While in Wonderland she goes on all sorts of adventures and runs into some of Sesame Streets beloved classic characters such as Cookie Monster who plays the Cheshire Cookie Cat and Grover as the Mad Hatter. In the end she wakes up and decides that it is okay to not be an adult yet and that she can wait to have her own fairy tale. No Sesame Street movie would be complete without a few new songs for your little one to sing along too and this movie does not disappoint.

To be honest I was never a fan of Lewis Carroll's "Alice in Wonderland" but I can watch this one over and over again. It is a good thing too because I have!

Wordless Wednesday- A Day Late

Election Day

P.S. If you don't vote don't complain! (I mean that in the nicest possible way!)

A Hairy Situation

Yep she did it. Madison found the scissors. This past Monday after "holding it" for much too long I ran to the bathroom. The baby was asleep in her swing and Madison was playing with her doll house. I honestly thought I was good to go for 30 seconds or so. Guess not 'cause about 20 seconds later Madison bounded into the bathroom holding her safety scissors announcing "I'm just like Aunt Michelle!". Luckily my brother's fiance "Aunt Michelle" who happens to be a hair dresser was free Monday night to come and attempt to salvage what she could of Madison's hair. Except for a few super short pieces on Madison's left side of her head it looks like the cut was done by choice and I think it came out absolutely adorable. Madison was a trooper during her first major hair cut (only a few trims 'til now) and I think she got the point that only grown ups who know how to cut hair will cut her hair from now on! A little apprehensive.
Happy now but she reminds me of Cindy Lou Who!



My cute little pixie girl!

Did You See It?

I just finished watching Barack Obama's "infomercial". I was just wondering if anyone else saw it and what your opinions were of it.
Regardless of how I feel towards one candidate or another I think that the money spent for this 1/2 hour prime time slot was insane. Wasn't there any better way to spend the money?

Wordless Wednesday

Story To Follow

Not Me! Monday

Be sure to check out MckMama and her crew at My Charming Kids. After all she is the brains behind Not Me! Monday!


I did not allow Madison to disassemble a garbage bound flower arrangement all over the kitchen just so I could have a few minutes of peace and quiet.

I did not take one look at my hair and go the baseball cap route just so I could get out and go food shopping before all of the seniors (the majority of the population in my area) hit the food store.

I did not get up super early on a Sunday morning to have some quiet, grown up tv time and then get just a little annoyed when my hubby woke up and interrupted my quiet time. This was not a problem at all because I love to talk first think in the morning. Wink!

I am not at my wits end with breastfeeding because my supply has gone so low. I am not trying everything in the book to bring it back and I am certainly not ready to give up but can't because I simply can't let go!

I would never place the Halloween costumes in a nice, safe, out of the way location in order to keep them fresh and new looking for Halloween and then forgot where that place was.

Upon not finding that location I would also not discover two brand new serving platters, a cake server and cheese knives that I did not forget I was given last Christmas.

I did not wake up to a handful of urine from my 3 year old at 4:30 this morning because she was not sleeping in our bed with my arm around her.

I also did not seriously contemplate just letting the wet sheets and child stew for awhile until she woke up just to get a few more zzz's before trying to change everything without waking everyone. (Thank goodness for waterproof mattress pads)

When the attempt to keep everyone asleep failed I did not allow to let that same little girl drink milk and watch t.v. in my bed so I could at least sleep for another few minutes.

Bass Fishing in Chile?

Nope they are Trout Fishing in America and this family is hooked! Several months ago while driving to school/work Madison and I were listening Kid Stuff on Sirius and a song called "Alien In My Nose" came on by Trout Fishing in America. It was just about the funniest/grossest song that I had ever heard. It was about a kid who thought there was and alien in his nose and he was going to do whatever it took to save the world from this little green, slimy guy. Any guesses to what the "alien" really was? Yep you got it!

Recently we were lucky enough to receive a copy of their cd Big Round World and we love it. Not only did the three-time Grammy nominee team of Keith Grimwood and Ezra Idlet come up with catchy tunes but the songs are funny while sending a message. Well most of them anyway some of them are just plain fun! My personal favorite is "When You Get Dressed" which if you read my christening post about certain people not knowing how to dress for certain occasions you'd know why that hit home with me! Madison's favorite however was "Curse of the Spinach". Whenever someone comes over she insists that they listen to this song so they can learn why spinach is so yucky.

You can count on us going to see them if they are ever in concert in our area. For now though we'll just keep listening to their cd's or downloaded tunes from their site. Oh and by the way if you purchase cd's directly from Trout Fishing in America they will autograph them free of charge! How cool is that?

Have you seen this?

Just wondering if anyone has seen this. The first time I watched it I just sat there in disbelief. It is pretty funny but then again I'm not the bride or the best man's wife! Enjoy!

Wordless Wednesday

More fun than any child (or adult) should be allowed to have in their backyard!

Tasty Tuesday

I mentioned yesterday that I made some delectable muffins over the weekend. I can't keep the recipe to myself so I thought I'd share it today. After eating an awesome Starbuck's Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffin last weekend I decided to come home and recreate the nasty goodness in my kitchen. Luckily there were lots of other people with the same idea who already made a similar recipe and posted it online/ So I borrowed their recipes, tweaked two minor details and came up with the recipe below. Enjoy

Almost Like Starbucks Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins

3 cups flour
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp ground cloves
4 tsp pumpkin spice
pinch of cardamon (optional)
2 1/2 tsp vanilla ( I use Mexican vanilla because the taste is unbeatable but anyone will do)
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
4 eggs
2 1/4 cups sugar
1 1/4 cu vegetable oil
8 oz. package cream cheese
chopped nuts or seeds (walnuts, pecans, pumpkin seeds) (optional)

Preheat oven to 350. Beat together cream cheese, 1 tsp. vanilla and 1/4 cup sugar. Place mixture on foil or plastic wrap and roll using the wrap into a log. Place log in the freezer while making the muffin batter for up to an hour.

Mix together the rest of the ingredients except nuts or seeds. Fill greased or lined muffin cups half way. Cut cream cheese log into equal sized pieces (enough so that you have one per muffin). Press piece of cream cheese filling into center of each muffin. Sprinkle muffins with nuts or seeds (optional). Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes until toothpick comes out of muffin (not cream cheese) clean. Let cool in pans for 5 minute, remove and cool completely on baking rack. Do not touch cream cheese! It is very hot!
Makes 24 muffins

Not Me Monday!

Well here is my third installment of "Not Me Monday". Make sure to check out MckMama at My Charming Kids. Her Not Me's are always the best and she was the brains behind this crazy new obsession of mine!

I did not look at Stella and get a little sad that she is growing so fast and then secretly wish to start trying for #3.

I did not take that wish back when I walked into Madison's bedroom and caught her giving herself blue highlights.

I did not shrug off the highlights and allow my daughter to go to gymnastics with blue streaked hair rather than bathe her immediately.

I did not start to laugh when I squeezed my lemon for my water at a restaurant and it got in Madison's eyes. The scene did not instantly remind me of an episode of Seinfeld rather than my daughter's discomfort.

I did not make the most delicious muffins over the weekend and then count them this morning wondering where the heck most of them had gone. (check out Tasty Tuesday tomorrow for the recipe)

I did not then comfort myself by thinking, "Wow, Justin and my brother must have eaten way more than I thought"

I did not already start next week's Not Me's in order to not forget everything that happens in the course of a week!

One of My Favorite Things

When I was pregnant with Madison one of my concerns (one of the only ones not really about the baby) was that she would be taking over my home. This was back in the day when we would come home from work and everything was where it had been when we left. It was when the cleaning lady came at some point during the week and did the little cleaning we needed done and we were good for another week. The home where breakables didn't need to be up high!

Part of wanting to keep a little of this meant searching high and low for baby gear that blended well into our home but was still of the best quality for our baby. After searching and searching we opted for more baby friendly gear over what looked good. I'm so excited to say that has changed this time around with Stella! Fisher Price just introduced their new Zen Collection and it is not only gorgeous but baby friendly too! We were lucky enough to be given the Fisher Price Zen Collection high chair and I loooooooooove it! As soon as anyone comes into my home it is the first thing I have to show them. Well not so much show as have them look into the dining room and make them play spot the baby gear. Guess what? It actually takes a moment or two 'cause this baby chair is more like a beautiful piece of furniture than baby gear that screams baby! The earth tone fabrics paired up with the rich wood accents are absolutely beautiful!

Oh and besides being fashionable it is baby friendly. The seat reclines into three positions which is a huge hit hear because Stella is now able to hang at the dinner table instead of in a bouncy seat or swing away from us. To add to your little one's comfort there is also a newborn insert and pillow. It also has easy clean pads which makes clean up a breeze and a dishwasher safe tray to minimize germs! What more can you ask for in a high chair? How about more gear in the same collection? Well if you are one of the mommies that wants everything to match there is also a bassinet, cradle swing and bouncy seat in the Zen Collection. If only I was starting over and needed all new gear. A girl can dream can't she?

Wordless Wednesday

Moving On...or at least trying to!

I've been debating whether or not to post this post for a couple of days now. For the most part I try to keep my blog up beat and fun but I really think like my family has been robbed of a time we can't get back and I think blogging about it may help me to forgive, forget and move on.

So here it goes. Sunday was Stella's christening. We were asked that all of our relatives that would be attending church arrive 1/2 an hour early. I also want to preface by saying that I whole heatedly believe that people can worship God wherever, whenever and dressed however they please. There is a time and a place however where the way that you act and how you dress does matter.

Certain people not only arrived late dressed in jeans, shorts and baseball caps in the sanctuary, they also chose to walk in front of the whole congregation rather than quietly sitting in the back. As if that was not bad enough these same 7 people talked, laughed and carried on during the service!!!!!!! While we were up at the altar having Stella baptized Madison sat by them. Several times Justin and I turned to shush her after we sat down but no one got the hint. Finally Justin turned around and pulled her back to our pew because we did not want her getting the idea that she could act like this in church. She settled right down but the others continued on. Instead of listening to the sermon and taking in the day I was consumed with hoe obnoxious these family members were being. I also believe that their behavior affected the quality of our family photos because instead of being the relaxed happy family we generally are Justin and I were so furious that we posed for a few shots but really just wanted to get home. Hence the reason why we are standing so far apart and completely fake smiling.

I'm really trying to be a better person and let the whole situation blow over. After all it is over a christening so what kind of good Christian example would I be showing my girls if I just let this consume me? I'm just not sure if I have it in me to get over what is yet another example of certain people's ignorance.

One of the better shots. At least my hair looks good!

Not Me Monday!

The christening was great. Stella was her perfect little self and we had the best weather we could have possibly asked for! Pics to come I promise! Everyone is asleep in the house right now so here it goes....

I did not spend hours this week obsessing over what type of hair cut to get.

Once receiving said hair cut I did not fall in love with it, stair in the rear view mirror the whole drive home and almost rear end the person in front of me. That would have made me a very irresponsible driver!

I did not go food shopping at the crack of dawn Saturday morning only to realize I had no form of paying for the food with me! That would have been mortifying!

I did not secretly look around at all the baby 's being baptized and think mine was the most beautiful baby. That would have been very un Christian like and well just WRONG!

I did not bribe my 3 year old with bubble gum just to get her to take her allergy medicine. I don't believe in bribery and bubble gum rots out kids' teeth!

I did not go completely overboard on food for Stella's christening and now have way more than I know what to do with.

I did not flip out on my husband who I asked to get plates and forks for the cake at the party when five minutes later he was not back because he was sitting down next to the forks and plates eating a HUGE plate of food. That would have been embarrassing and I would never let guests in my home see my temper!

I did not allow Madison to play in the Moon Bounce all day and only eat what she wanted if she wanted. Good parents make their children eat 3 healthy meals plus snacks every day no matter what the circumstances!

I would never, ever, ever leave my back yard upside down after a party, turn off the lights and say I'll deal with it tomorrow. That would make me a procrastinator and I most certainly am not one of those!

I know there are many more things that I did not do this week but Stella just woke up so it is time to go! Have a great day!!!

Good Morning!

Today is Stella's christening so we have been way busy around here getting ready for the party. Sorry I haven't posted my new do pics but it is short and Fabulous (imagine the fabulous part being said y a way flamboyant gay man 'cause that is what I hear in my head. I'll catch up later.


Tracy

I Had A Bad Dream Mommy

3:00 a.m.

Madison: (sobbing) I had a bad dream Mommy.
Me: (half asleep and very groggy) What was it about Sweety?
Madison: The mean man came and cut off all of your hair. You didn't look like me anymore.
Me: You are safe. There are no mean men here and no matter what my hair looks like everyone will always know you are my little girl (even if no one ever thinks you look anything like me).
Madison: Please don't ever cut your hair Mommy!
Me: Madison can we talk about this in the morning?
Madison: Um, okay if I can get in your bed. Is that a deal?
Me: That's a deal!

It is now 6:30 a.m. and I have to talk to Madison about haircuts and how my hair will grow back and change is good and yada, yada, yada. I only briefly mentioned to Justin last night that I was getting my haircut today and Madison was nowhere in sight. Kids really do hear and take in everything even when you don't think they are listening. I'm debating whether or not to do the big chop because I think she'll be really upset but at the same time this is just one small change in a life full of changes. Ahhhhhhhhh remember the days when I could do what I wanted with my hair? I wouldn't try and get them back for anything!

Time For A Change

I'm one of those people who is rarely satisfied with their hair. I'm always either trying to grow it out or sick of it and ready to make a drastic change. Well I'm feeling that change coming on. I just got off the phone with my hair dresser and I have a 1:30 p.m. appointment for tomorrow.

My hair is pretty long right now and I think I may have enough for a Locks of Love donation. If so this will be my third time donating to one of my favorite organizations. If you don't know who or what it is, it is public non-profit organization that provides hairpieces to financially disadvantaged children in the United States and Canada under age 18 suffering from long-term medical hair loss from any diagnosis. How cool is that?

Now that you know where my cut off hair is going to do let's talk new styles for the hair that will be left. I've narrowed my choices down to three from The Hair Styler. Check them out and vote on which one you like the best. I'll be sure to post a pic of the new do as soon as I get it. Thanks for your help

The Style that didn't make the cut (pun was totally intended)!

New Tunes for Kids

We are a music loving family. Problem is the music our sweet little 3 year likes is not exactly what we enjoy. Any sane adult can only listen to "Hot Potato" about a million times before being ready to snap! I'm so excited because I think I found the solution! Putumayo Kids has music from all around the world that is even enjoyable for adults to listen to!

Putumayo Kids most recent release is Sesame Street Playground. It is the first globally distributed Sesame Workshop audio cd! This cd has been a huge hit in our home! Several of the songs that we know in love are in English but there are many tunes in different languages from other countries that have either Sesame Street or a slightly different version of it. It is so much fun to listen to a tune you recognize in a different language. Madison's personal favorite is "Zhima Jie" in Chinese better known to us as "Rubber Duckie".

Some other great new releases from Putumayo Kids are their "Hawaiian Playground" and "African Playground" cd's which both have free downloads for teachers on the website. There are also some interesting educational kits that can be purchased. I'm a huge fan of this because it is not always easy to incorporate music in everyday teaching but Putumayo Kids has already done the hard part!

I really can't say enough about how much I love Putumayo Kids!