"The moment a child is born, the mother is also born. She never existed before. The woman existed, but the mother, never. A mother is something absolutely new."

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Friday, January 29, 2010

Books, Books, Books

I like books.  I like them a lot.  Hardcover, paperback... doesn't matter. I read books constantly.  If I go away for the weekend, I bring, like 4-5 books with me- just in case.  I always have one in my bag, my car... wherever I am.

Sometimes I don't even read them.  I just like to surround myself with them.  Stacks of books everywhere.

Someday I hope to have my own 'girl room', especially because I'm sure I'm going to be surrounded by boys.  Anyway, back to the girl room.  I will decorate it with stacks of books- no joke.

Hubs & I have discussed whether there's a Kindle in my future, because I love to read... & I think maybe, someday.  But I will still buy books. So no Kindle in my near future.

(of course, if Amazon reads this & decides they'd like me to review a Kindle... I'd be down for that in a second!)

Wednesday, January 27, 2010

Shi Shu Giveaway at Life Happens...

My good friend, Mad, is giving away what promises to be an amazing blanket & I know that B wants to win it! So really, please don't go enter the giveaway, but do check out Life Happens During Naptime! And check out Shi Shu Baby, where you can snag one of these blankets for yourself!

Tuesday, January 26, 2010

Confession

I have a confession to make.

I use (and totally dig) a Turbie Twist.  In fact, my mom just gave me a new one for Christmas & I just used it for the first time.  It's so soft & twisty.  I love it.

Love me or hate me for it, I don't care.  Just know that I'll be twisting my hair up in it tonight after my shower.

ETA: Apparently some people don't know what a Turbie Twist is! Shocking! Here's the website!

Friday, January 22, 2010

Meet my Talented Friends

I know a few of you have been anxiously awaiting this post.  Well, the wait is over!

I have a few (well, more than a few, but only a few in this post!) very talented friends who, since B was born, have knitted him a few things.  I can crochet, sort of, but I can't knit.  It's on my list of Someday To Dos- learning to knit, that is.  Anyway, I thought I'd showcase my talented friends a little bit.

Here goes!

B received this in the mail a few weeks (I think) after he was born... This is a very long overdue thank you to Ms. JZ (no, not Beyonce), who is sure to be knitting a few for Baby Z's arrival!

(It catches all the water that misses B's mouth very well!)

Next up- an adorable, super warm hat from Miss Shannon- it matches B's winter coat & keeps his ears warm!  We get compliments every time he wears it!



And lastly, just received in the mail this week! An awesome pair of longies from my fellow Cookie, fellow blogger, & fellow tweeter, Leesh! They're cozy & fit him perfect! We love them!




(check out those cuff details!)


Not up to his armpits!
(never mind that he's playing with my Cookie Lee essential medium silver hoops, page 5, only $16!- how's that shameless plug?)

So, to all my lovely & talented friends, a BIG, GIANT, ENORMOUS THANK YOU is in order!

Thursday, January 21, 2010

Help me Decide?

We're entering B into a photo contest of sorts... help me pick which shot to submit?

1. 'My Dad Rocks'



2.  'Iowa Hawkeye'                                          3. 'Ornament'


4.  'Cyclone'



Let me know which is your favorite!

Wednesday, January 20, 2010

Help for Haiti with Cookie Lee & Big City! Baby




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What if you could buy some jewelry & help those in Haiti? 


Well, you can! Cookie Lee loves to help out when it's needed & I'm fortunate enough to be in a position with Cookie Lee that I can spearhead this fundraiser!  Want to help me give back & help the victims in Haiti?


Spread the word that I will be donating 25% of any & all sales, from now until February 1, 2010,  to the American Red Cross Haiti Relief & Development fund . 


Orders can be submitted to me by message, email, phone, or in person. They just need to reach me by Monday, the 1st!  I will be placing the order Monday night, around 9pm CST.


Even better, the new catalog was JUST launched, so you can choose from all new jewelry! Think Valentine's Day, guys!  The catalog can viewed in its entirety at this link: 







Want to do your own Haiti relief fundraiser (or any other fundraiser)? Ask me about bringing the jewelry to you and your group. I bring the jewelry; you bring the customers and choose the charity! 



*Cash, check, and Paypal accepted. 7.5% sales tax on all orders. All orders should arrive (to me) by February 5th. *



Tuesday, January 12, 2010

...Violated...

I feel violated.  No, not in a joking haha, "I feel so violated- oooh" way...

I know that the internet is a big, public place & when you put things on the internet (in a blog, for example) you cannot expect that they stay private or that they stay your own.  However, I feel as though I've come to know many of my fellow blogging mommies.  I feel as though there's an unwritten (or maybe it is written somewhere?) rule about taking posts that someone else wrote & copying it for your own.

It's been brought to my attention that one of my followers- generally people I feel strongly about in a positive light- has essentially stolen a post & copied it for her own blog.  This is not a post of humor or in regards to a product... it's not a post full of pictures (Thank God! However, now I know why every picture should have a watermark on it!)  It's the most personal post I've shared thus far to my public, blogging, internet world.  It's the letter to my beautiful baby boy on his first birthday.  That letter is full of my thoughts, my words, my memories.  It was written with my hands.  And it was stolen by someone else's.

Suffice it to say, I'm pretty upset about it.  What am I most upset about?  The fact that this girl took my words & passed them off as her own words to her children.  She is pretending that she wrote this letter to her children, born soon after B.  Her children will grow up & I'm sure someday see this letter that she is claiming she wrote & they'll probably think how lovely it was.  Too bad they'll be wrong.  They'll be wrong because she didn't write it from her heart.  She didn't use her own thoughts.  She essentially copied, pasted, replaced (B's name & stats with those of her children).

I can certainly understand the idea of wanting to write a letter to your child on his or her birthday.  I was most definitely not the first person to come up with the idea.  In fact, I probably read a letter on someone else's blog & thought "hmm, I like that idea. I think I'll write one to B on his birthday."  But for me, that's where the similarities stopped.

What kind of a person not only copies any old blog post, but copies the one that should embody how they feel about their child (or children, in this case)?  What kind of a person then lies about it, when confronted?

I guess she's the kind of a person who cannot think for herself & can't take responsibility for her actions...

Monday, January 11, 2010

It's Here!!!

The brand new Spring Summer 2010 Cookie Lee catalog is out! It just launched this weekend and it is awesome! I want to buy it all!!!

Wanna see? Check out this link & let me know what you like!

Saturday, January 9, 2010

It's coming!

It's coming.

It's almost here.

It's all Harry Potter's Fault.

I don't often rant on here, or at least I don't think I do.  But today, I'm going to.  Just a brief explanation of my morning, so you can all share in my pain, I guess.

I had a meeting to go to this morning at 9am.  I rarely have meetings, but today I had one.  We all woke up around 8am.  I needed to nurse B, then shower & get ready.  After I nursed B, Hubs headed downstairs only to discover that our lovely dog had thrown up (in multiple spots) on the stairs.  Super.  Oh yeah, & the washing machine repairman was supposed to show up at some point between 8-11am.  Hubs then realized that B had a poopy diaper, at the same time that Tucker wanted to go outside.  I, of course, said I needed to shower & get going as it was already 8:20.  That didn't go over well, but I ran away anyway- something I never do!  Hubs changed B's diaper & went to flush the insert (still using GDiapers at this point- remember no repairman yet).  This is when the toilet overflowed (presumably because those few GDiapers that I've flushed were now clogging up B's toilet) & literally poopy water went everywhere. Sigh.  I'm out of the shower to hear all of this & then, the doorbell rings.  Washer repairman?  Hallelujah!

I get the door- hair wrapped in a towel, B on my hip (at least I had clothes on, right?!)

Never mind the dog vomit on the stairs sir, just step around!  Never mind the poo smell coming from that bathroom right there- it's just the water the Hubs is trying to clean up!  

I get to work cleaning the dog vomit & then onto B's breakfast & cleaning the kitchen.  What? I didn't mention that the kitchen was a disaster?  Dinner plates (complete with pancake syrup) from last night were still on the counter, as were the batter bowl & skillet.  Lovely.

At this point it's 8:54 & I still have wet hair.  I call & say I'm not making it.  My house falls apart when I'm supposed to leave.  It really, really does. 

On the plus side, everything's cleaned up.  The washer is fixed- 3 loads down, 2 more + cloth diapers to go.  The kitchen is spotless, breakfast & lunch have been served.  B is napping.  And, while the toilet in B's bathroom is not fixed, it's not running poo water everywhere!  And I discovered that you can use the G Diaper Swish Stick to scrape poo into another toilet, since my sprayer is hooked up to the clogged one.

Oh, & B is in his 2nd cloth diaper of the day.  This makes life good!

(And I promise, my kitchen is not usually that gross.  Just today.  It was Harry Potter's fault- he was begging me to watch him last night & he seduced me into forgetting about the dinner mess.)

There you have it.  When your house falls apart, just blame Harry Potter!

Thursday, January 7, 2010

Child Labor?

Now that B is 1 year old, I think it's time he starts earning his keep around here.


(Yes, that is a Swiffer. Yes, I know they are bad to have around kids & dogs.  This is why I almost never clean the floors.)



Much more B's size.



Trying out the vacuum too!



Ugh! All this housework has me exhausted!



And now, I must eat!

Christmas Recap

Better late than never, right?  Riiii - ght! Okay, so you caught me, I've been slightly 'lazy' about blogging. What of it!? Ha, enjoy!


It was B's first Christmas & we had many to celebrate!



Celebrating with our good friends- P & B exchanged gifts & then played with each others'


Christmas at home with Mommy, Daddy, & Tucker.  On our "Christmas Eve" (which was really December 23rd) we each unwrapped one gift (B's was pajamas for him to wear that night).  Well, it was supposed to be one gift until Hubs egged B on enough to tear into a gift from friends...



"Christmas" morning (really the 24th) with Daddy



Christmas at the grandparent's house!






A little tired on Christmas afternoon, with Great Uncle R


Hanging with Grandpa J



So there you have it... 5 Christmas in pictures! Doesn't seem like that many, but trust me, I have more pictures to prove it! Hope you all had a wonderful holiday too!

Wednesday, January 6, 2010

WAHOO!!!!

I have to give HUGE credit to Vilate, over at Nifty Nappy for helping me solve my bloggy issues.  She sent me a new code for my button & it works, PLUS she sent me the code for a blog roll.  Not to mention she makes kick ass cloth diapers. I am forever indebted to her now...

THANK YOU VILATE!!!!


Now, as a thank you, everyone go check out her site & buy diapers! Her 15% code is still available (NewNappy).  Her buttons are both in my blog roll (of course!) or you can click on her link above.

Calling all Etsy-ers (and the like)!

As I'd mentioned in my New Years post, I'd really like to start using Etsy & other handmade products, rather than buying from commercialized companies.  I also think it's important to get some names out there, since I only really know of a few Etsy shops here & there.

Wanna help me?  Of course you do!

Let me know who you are, who you shop, what products are great, must-haves!

I'm currently working on a paperless blog event (you know, un-paper towels, un-plastic bags, cloth diapers of course! And hopefully many more!) & am looking for more sponsors.  Let me know if you'd like to be involved! I'd love to get your name/shop out there & let people know who you are & what you do.  If you're a frequent buyer of a shop you'd like to see featured, let me know & I'll contact them.  I'm trying to think 'outside the box', so help me get creative!

In the future, I'm looking forward to trying out skincare products, cleaning products, jewelry, clothing & many more, so keep me in mind if you sell/buy something else!

Thanks!

Sunday, January 3, 2010

Happy New Year!

Yes, I'm a few days late.  However, I think I have an excuse, what with a house full of people for the past three days & a BIG birthday party to execute!

Anyway, I'm seeing a lot of blog posts on New Year's resolutions, so I thought it was time to post what I guess will be mine.  I don't normally do resolutions per se, but I try to make goals or decisions that will affect the rest of my life, not just my year.  I'd already been planning on doing/not doing these things, so what better way to put them into action, then to call them my resolutions...

1. Purchase healthy, all natural foods.  No hydrogenated oils (remember this post?), no cornstarch, no additives, hormones, etc.  I'm not strictly an organic buyer, nor will I ever be, but I am all for reading labels & walking away from a product that I cannot pronounce.  I try to buy whole grain, whole wheat, all natural.  From this point on (well, my last trip to the store anyway- last week) I will not bring into my home anything I can't say.

2. Remember the 'small people'.  No, I don't mean that in a snobby way.  I mean, forget about WalMart & limit my Target purchases, especially if I can purchase handmade.  I love the idea of giving things like Vilate's Pie in a Jar, rather than some other food item. I love supporting the local shops & the WAHM shops, rather than the big corporation.

3.  Save some freakin money, already! Man! I will be the first to admit that I do not save money well.  I am a comfort shopper... when I'm bored, I shop.  When I don't feel good, I shop.  When I'm feeling uncomfortable with myself, I shop.  Shop, shop, shop.  And since becoming a mom, I've said the phrase "at least I didn't buy it for myself" too many times to count.  As if B really & truly needs that shirt, just because it seemed like a good deal.  Like he really cares if he has 1 more Tonka truck.  There will be times when I really & truly need to buy things, but I'm going to be better at holding myself accountable.  I'm lucky that I get to stay home with my (not so) baby, while my husband works hard each day & I need to step it up & do my part.

4.  Work my Cookie Lee business better.  I need to actually do more to get my business out there.  Yeah, it's direct sales.  Yeah, sometimes that sucks.  But it's a lot of gorgeous jewelry & it's affordable.  I love to mix & match it with other pieces, like Mommy Necklaces, or pieces from Etsy shops.  And, if I can do that, then so can everyone else!  Wanna see what I'm talking about? Go here.  The new catalog comes out on January 8th :)

Let me know what you think or what you plan to do, if you'd like to share :) And Happy New Year- I hope it was a safe & fun time for you!

Saturday, January 2, 2010

Happy Birthday, my Sweet Baby B.

Dear B,
   On May 2, 2008 my life completely changed.  I spontaneously took a pregnancy test (because I had plans for margaritas that night & I AM your mom!) & it was positive.  Of course, I had tossed the instructions out so I wasn't actually sure that it was positive, but after your dad & I picked up a new test, we were sure.  I think we were both in shock & we were giddy about it.  I spent the next 9 months getting ready for you... I devoured all the information I could find & I couldn't wait for you to arrive.

  We planned for you to arrive on January 2, 2009 - exactly 8 months after I found out you were coming.  After a very hectic & stressful month of December, both because of holiday & because of test results regarding you, we were scared & excited to welcome you into our world.  We arrived at the hospital at 7:30 am & 8 hours & 20 minutes later, Daddy caught you & we met for the first time.  It was by far the most amazing experience of my life... of our lives.

  We've spent the past year making decisions based on you, we've moved multiple times, & we've tried to teach you & learn from you.  You make everyday worth getting up for & you make everything we do brighter & more fun.

   Right now, you're walking all over the place.  You have one little bitty tooth that just came in.  You just recently discovered Elmo & you adore him!  You had your first Christmas just last week & were so precious, meticulously unwrapping gifts one tiny piece of paper at a time.  You've slept through the night only a handful of times, but you're getting better (especially when you get to stay home & not travel so much).  You spent 6 weeks in disposable diapers & have been in cloth ever since.  You've breastfed on demand & are still going strong.  You thoroughly enjoy your carbs, shoving Organic Puffs & crackers in your mouth until they're falling out.  You climb the stairs & have (accidentally!) fallen down them once. You've become slightly destructive lately, throwing toys & food on the floor with a vengence! You know where your head is, where Mommy's nose is, & are learning where your belly is.  You clap & point & show that you're 1 year old.  You sign to tell us what you want.  You laugh & give these great open mouth kisses.   You never cease to amaze me & you make me laugh each & every day.

Your friends & family are arriving soon to celebrate with us.  You'll eat (or at least throw pieces of) your very first bite of cake & you'll receive more new toys.  You'll laugh & so will we.

You weigh around 18 pounds, 6.5 ounces.  You're around 28 inches tall.  You wear size 3 shoes, but most of yours are actually bigger than that.

You're the most beautiful, precious baby boy I've ever seen & I cannot imagine my life without you.  I am thankful each & every day for you.