Nothing Smart To Say...

Since becoming a mom, I really and genuinely feel my IQ lowering exponentially. Maybe I thought too highly of myself before. I always did well in school and worked hard at whatever I did. I graduated from University consistently ranked in the Top 25 (in the U.S.) and double majored--not a huge smarty pants but smart enough, I thought.

Then I had a baby and I have trouble doing simple math! I'm always fumbling to do some quick math when I see a sign, 30% off! 40% off, 45% if you use your Gap card!! "Should I use the Gap credit card? Is it worth the extra 5% or should I use my AMEX since I get 2% back at the end of the year? Wait... how much is 5%? 2%??"

And that's what happened to my blog.... I felt like I just didn't have anything smart or worthy to say. But I have to say the greatest lesson I've learned as a new mom is GRACE. I've seen my inability to show grace but the absolute need FOR it. We're all doing the best we can and we all have our bad days. Pre-mommyhood, I made quick mental notes of what NOT to do when I became a mom. But I've learned, there's only so much that you can control. Mostly, you can only control yourself--that includes, your actions, your thoughts, your attitude, and your behavior.

I not only need to give grace to others but mostly to myself... even if I have nothing smart to say.

A Mom's Debate

Currently,

watching Little Miss Sunshine, while eating Dried Baby Sweet Pineapple from Trader Joe's, looking at pictures for inspiration on how to wear my new shoe:



ETA: okay, not the most comfortable shoe in the closet but definitely one of my "funnest". so today, i bought shoe inserts and walked around for a bit. as they say, no pain no gain!

Let me introduce you to another friend of mine...

Call me lucky but it seems I've been making great friends recently. Being a mom, it almost seems easier to strike up conversation with strangers. People will comment about your tot and you can banter back. The other day at Target, I asked a random mom (obvious because she had 2 children following her shopping cart around) which dishwash detergent was best. I took her advice too and am glad I did! [Cascade Complete Liquid, btw]

My newest BFF is none other than...

I didn't know I married a rhinoceros when I did 3.5 years ago. But since our mini-vacay to Kalahari (indoor/outdoor waterpark, great fun, sandusky, ohio), they've allowed some peace and quiet in our bedroom. YAY!

If you or your bed-mate sounds like a dinosaur, horse, or any other animal mankind is not meant to sleep next to, I'd recommend this. Two thumbs up!

A Product Review

I have an obsession with cups. Unfortunately, Roe and I have broken much of our cups so we've started drinking out of empty jam jars (courtesy of Bonne Maman).

Isabella has more than enough cups that we can keep a track of too, in my quest of finding the best straw cup. We love love our Combi but it has so many parts to clean. It's great for on-the-go but I wanted something more simple for home. I love the take-home kiddie cups at restaurants so I decided to try the Take n' Toss straw cups.

Verdict: They're great for home use!! The lid securely keeps the straw in place and doesn't allow leakage from around the straw (though, if you tip it over completely water will come out of the straw). Isabella "accidentally" knocked it off the table and it fell on its side but no leakage! The straw is much harder than regular straws but it seems to work for us. And since there's no vent like most kiddie cups, it works just like adult cup/straw combos.


In conjunction, we tried out our new spoons (okay, obsessed about spoons too). Since we have a lot of rice and soup in our diet, it's hard to find a kiddie spoon that can hold a good amount of the soup part. Gerber's Scoopin Spoons are perfect for that! They have flexible ends so you can scrape the bottom of the bowl to get every last bit. Plus, the spoon itself has a big scooper... almost like a mini mini ice cream scooper.

Verdict: Success!

New Discoveries

You can already tell Isabella is making new discoveries daily. It's like you can see the gears in her brain working! Her eyes follow everything you do with strong intent to mimic you.

The last week or so, I made some new discoveries of my own! I had a brief but significant love affair with Bonne Maman's Strawberry Preserves. You just need a dab for your toast and cream cheese (my favorite breakfast food at home).

I was waiting for them to go on sale again at my local lux grocery (they used to do buy one, get one free last summer). Well, I made a trip out to Trader Joe's so that Isabella could "shop" too and decided to try one of their preserves instead.
WOW! Their Organic, Reduced Sugar, Strawberry Preserves are the best thing I've ever tasted! It has less than half the sugar (and half the calories!) of my beloved Bonne and while I do miss the whole strawberries, I love that I can layer on the preserves without it being too sweet. I used to barely use a dabble on my toast, but now I can use pretty liberally.

[sorry for the photo reflection (is that a term?? how it's backwards, like you're looking in a mirror instead of a picture). i don't have my camera nearby so i used photobooth on my mac]

Modern Day Devices

I'm all about modern conveniences (mostly in moderation) but love any new idea that kills 2 birds with 1 stone--not literally, let's save the bootiful birds.

My latest and greatest invention, yes MY invention... well, more like my innovation. At our recent TroyHope retreat, we wanted Isabella to have her naps and be able to sleep early but also the freedom to participate in all of the retreat's activities. Can't have your cake and eat it too, right? WRONG!

If you have a bluetooth and at least 2 phones (preferably on the same network or family plan so that your minutes are free), you can make your own baby monitor! We left one phone on (with speakerphone) in the room while bebe slept while the other phone was on mute with the bluetooth feature in use. Since we were always in the same building, I was less than a quick sprint away.

I have to admit, I've been tempted to use this method at home for a quick grocery/market run... but I haven't been able to feel THAT safe. Luckily, I actually live a quick sprint away from the grocery store. But still... I'm a firm believer in crazy psychos... what if one sees me leave and comes into my house?!

Seriously, How Can I Express My Love To You?

I've blogged about my affinity towards over-the-counter drugs to help comfort Isabella.
But this past weekend, me and hydrocortisone had a heart-to-heart and decided we can't live without each other.

Due to a VERY unfortunate allergic reaction to lip gloss (Sephora's brand, Bronze Beauty to be exact!), I ended up with lips out to the galaxy (and I don't have thin lips to begin with so they were seriously out.of.control). And it doesn't even end there: they were growing blisters by the hour, with puss oozing out of them (sound scary?? you had to have SEEN it). After a consult with a doctor friend, I realized it was an allergic reaction and popped a Clairitin. A tiny bit better but nothing more, so I finished off Isabella's liquid Benadryl (3 TB of mixed berry flavor--YUCK! no wonder she hates it when we give it to her!). Obvi, that didn't do much so I had Roe pick up some real Benadryl and also refill my script of Valtrex (for the nasty cold sores that like to taunt me with their ugliness). Ok, swelling plateued a bit more but the blisters and the oozing... omg, it was like tears coming out of my lips!

I drenched on a presciption ointment for cold sores but it seemed to make it worse and at this point, I was exhausted so I decided to sleep and pray for the best (mind you, this is Saturday night and I am supposed to be at church bright and early on Sunday morning for Praise practice.). I woke up in the middle of the night (with my lips sealed SHUT from the blisters and its oozy children) and I could still feel the tingling burning swelling sensation so I thought, what the heck, and globbed on some hydro power. Ok, it didn't help much because we had to be at church in an hour... but I was able to get some nasty crusties off with a warm washcloth in salt water (read in online but not sure it really helped. but at this point, i was desperate with a capital D).

I looked like I went to a budget plastic surgeon for some lip injections. And what made is worse is that people told me it didn't look so bad!!!!! Someone even told me I looked HOT. TWISTED, seriously twisted.

Someone tells me to try my trusty hydro.... so I give it a try at home, thin layer of the H power and another thin layer of Aquaphor (my other BFF). Less than 24 hrs after that application, my lips are normal!

I'm wondering if there is some type of fund for hydrocortisone that I should be a part of. I owe my good looks to it (and Bella's!).