Favorite Quotes of the Week

"Belly buttons turn into babies." - Three-year-old wisdom

"Parenting is a constant jedi mind trick." - Dad

Blog Philosophy and Disclosure

November 2009

I began my blog as a way to express myself and connect with others in the social space. What better scrapbook for life's funny, touching and moving moments than a blog. I continue to enjoy sharing stories, quotes and information that could be useful or entertaining. This is my space to be "mom" and to play out all of life's exciting adventures.

I am a firm believer in transparency and authenticity. While my blog is an expression of my personal beliefs and experiences, all of my readers should know that I also work at ConAgra Foods where I’m part of the Public Relations team.

As an employee of ConAgra Foods, I recognize the importance of brand loyalty and want to be upfront that I may mention ConAgra's brands. I'm very proud of the great brands that ConAgra has to offer (and my family is too). I've enjoyed them long before working for ConAgra.

With that said, I assure you that the opinions expressed within my blog are authentically my own and do not represent the opinion of my employer, ConAgra Foods. I am committed to writing only what I believe. Nothing less is an option. Please do let me know if you have any questions or suggestions.

Loving/Not Loving List

Loving: That lil man is so loving to his new lil sister! He genuinely is excited about her, wants to cuddle and give her kisses!! True brotherly love.
Not Loving: (More like cautious) to be sure that lil man doesn't lean on his sister. He doesn't know his own strength and she likes to have at least an inch of space to call her own.
Loving: Enjoying caffeine again!! Chai Tea Lattes and Pumpkin Spice Lattes have never tasted so scrumptious!
Not Loving: Spending the money on Chais and Lattes. (Was on a good savings plan before. The expense of caffeine adds up!!)
Loving: Wearing my first pair of non-maternity jeans!
Not Loving: That I had to wear my belly band in order to fit into the non-maternity jeans. (Though, it was a good trick and worked very well!)

Great Preemie Must haves

http://www.tinylove.com/toy.aspx?toyId=220&state=toyTypeId=1@elementId=0@ageId=0
The Preemie Parents' Companion, by Susan L. Madden, M.S.: Great book that talks about the NICU experience all the way through age three.
Your Premature Baby and Child, by Amy E. Tracy and Dianne I Maroney, R.N.: Great resource book for parents of premies.
Tiny Love Activity Gym: Love this mat for lil ones. It is already a favorite place for her to explore the world! http://www.tinylove.com/toy.aspx?toyId=220&state=toyTypeId=1@elementId=0@ageId=0
Zutano: Very cute, colorful premie and newborn clothing (sleepers with matching hats). Your lil one will be on-trend and in style with these goodies! http://www.zutano.com/

Gift Ideas For New Baby and New Parents

Food: Especially homemade food is a wonderful gift. During the first days, weeks and even months, cooking is the last thing you want to do. And eating delicious homemade food vs take-out ... priceless.
Big Brother/Sister Gifts: Some great advice we received was to include a big brother/sister gift. Some of our favorites include: Mini Frogs (can purchase them at many toy or pet stores. These real frogs are the size of your thumb and never get any bigger. You only need to feed them twice a week and clean their small bowl twice a year - really!! Talk about the ideal, no hassle pet!!) A puzzle (our 3 yr old lil man LOVES them! Great gift!!)
Tea clothes: Great label. Quality cotton and very cute and trendy. A nice gift when you want to give unique baby clothes. http://www.teacollection.com/
Personalized T-shirt or Onesy: We received a very creative and personalized t-shirt for both the "big brother" and his new little sister. Text on the shirt was, "Siena's big brother" and the other was "Ethan's little sister." They are adorable and make both the kids feel special! Very creative idea.
Thank You notes: Give the gift that all new parents need. Thank you notes! A neighbor gave us some hand crafted notes to begin our thanking process. Talk about useful and personal!

Some Memorable Moments/Quotes from First Pregnancy

Wife of the Year Award: Went to playoff hockey game with hubby. Little did I know that only a couple of weeks later I would have the little man. We sat in the nose bleeds, so I waddled all the way up. Not easy to do! And even better, they would only give a person two beers at a time. So, I did what any loving wife would do (under protest, of course) and ordered beers for my hubby. I'm so short, you could only see my face and could not tell that I was pregnant. When I walked away I think I gave them a shock. The looks I received were priceless. Thanks, honey.
Shared belly photos - Photos of mom, dad and Franklin the doxie dog!
"I swear, I am walking on an angle!" (I realized I was looking towards the ceiling when I walked)
"They Lied!!! Pregnancy lasts for 10 months not 9 months!!"
"You've gained almost half of your body weight!" (Thanks hubby for pointing that out. 45 lbs the first time did amount to almost half of my body weight)

Favorite Quotes of the Week

1) "My shirt is broken!!": This one comes from my two-year-old niece. This winter has been terribly cold. Well, we had a few nice days this week (one in the 60's) so everyone at my brother's house, including the kids, all were sporting short sleeved shirts. When my niece was dressed she started pulling on her sleeves and crying. When her mom asked her what was wrong, she said that "her sleeves were broken!" Clearly, this winter has made a big impact on her and us all!
2) "I touched the baby! Lets name the baby Choo-Choos!": So, my little man is aware that I am expecting (or as much as you can be aware for a not quite three year old). Well, I have a mole on my abdomin and he likes to give it eskimo kisses, saying "I'm kissing the baby". It is absolutely adorable. He then likes to touch the mole and say, "I touched the baby." It's pretty funny and something that I think only a mom could enjoy. It makes me smile just thinking about it.
3) "You're hosting a bag keggar. Is tonight the old bags party?" Last one attributed to my hubby. You see, I have been selected to host a Ziplock Home Organization party. My hubby has had more fun making up new names for it. Who knew that this would bring him so much entertainment.
4) "He was like Darth Vadar, and I mean that as a compliment." This one goes out to my hubby too. We were at lunch with a dear friend and he was talking about under the mask and deep within the machine, Darth really was a good guy - Luke's father. It was an interesting way to give a compliment, so it stood out to me. Guess you had to be there.
5) "I'm doomed to become you": What my hubby said to his father once he realized that he was becoming just like him. While the quote may sound negative, if you know my hubby and his dad, they are jokesters and it made them both laugh - as this was only something that my hubby would say.

Good Toddler Reads

1, 2, 3 Magic (promotes discipline - reinforcing the good and stopping the bad. It worked wonders this weekend when my guy couldn't stop the tantrums. It was recommended by a child care professional. Good book)
Eat This, Not That For Kids (This book is on it's way to me. It is the children's food version of "Eat This, Not That" which identifies the best and worst popular, packaged and cooked foods)
Sneaky Chef (so, I finally got the book. I like the premise and am looking forward to sneaking in my first set of nutrition mixes this week)

Favorite Baby Items - Simple, but great!

Fisher Price Barn - so much fun to learn animal sounds
Gerber Puffs - best snack (for baby and mom!) low cal, great tasting - especially the cherry flavor
Mickey Mouse Airplane - great toy for learning to walk. Hours of fun. Best one-year-old bday gift.
Sling Rider - when our little guy was a new born, this was a dream come true. He loved being close and it always calmed him down.
Rubber Place Mats - Great for going out to eat, easy to clean and they have suction cups so they stay in place. Kiddopotamus.com

MOMS PLAYROOM - Mom's Place to Play!

Proud Mama of Lil Lady

Proud Mama of Lil Man

Sunday, October 18, 2009