B-Bonics

Bo! = Elmo

Baaall! = ball

baaawwwwwl! = balloon (see the difference?!)

baa! = bat

daaah! = dog

ghap! = grape

gacka! = cracker

booka booka! = umm... We're still not sure on this one... It may be referring to himself or something entirely different.

Notice how everything ends in an exclamation point? It totally does, when it's coming out of his mouth too. He must be so excited to say everything :)

The Big Tease - Snookie Poof Style.

I have a few reviews I need to post, but I haven't been doing a good job of actually finishing them. I decided to post a little teaser & now I can blame all of you if I don't get them done!

Tasty fruit snacks- Who doesn't love fruit snacks?  Especially yummy organic ones?

Yoreganics laundry- um. Organic. Laundry. Complete with giveaway. Rock on! 

CSN stores- they carry practically anything you can imagine throughout their 200 plus online stores! Want a changing table? They've got it! Want to outfit your basement in bar furniture? They've got it! Want an eco-friendly Big Shrimpy Doodle dog toy?  Um, guess what? They've got it!

Melvin the Magnificent Molar - He's a molar & he's magnificent. Betcha everyone wants to read this now!

Aren't you excited? Now I know I'll get them done! 

I scream, You scream

Yesterday we took B for his very first ice cream treat! He was not a huge fan of the vanilla with sprinkles, but he did end up enjoying some of Mike's chocolate shake!

but, in the end, he really just wanted to eat his crackers. Silly boy, someday he'll beg for ice cream!

green is the new black.

Earth Day was yesterday. What did you do? What do you do everyday to save our Earth? 

I started my buying celebration early & bought cloth wipes & numerous diapers throughout this week.  Today I took B to the park & we had a picnic.  I was disappointed in myself for not already having reusable lunch/snack bags, but I carried unpaper towels & reusable water bottles, so I'm trying not to be too hard on myself!  This brought me to the decision that, weather permitting, I'd like to get outside to eat lunch at least twice a week! 

I needed to run to Michaels for a Cookie Lee donation gift (see my CL blog for those details) & while there, I decided to pick up a canvas bag.  I have tons of bags. Seriously, tons. They're my guilty pleasure. And I always think about making a cute canvas tote, so yesterday, in honor of Earth Day, I did it! 

Here's the finished product!  Perfect for library books, quick trips if one of my other thousand bags is a mess, a few groceries, etc!

And here's a few from the park:

Free Dress for Me!!

I realized the other day that I need something to wear for the rehearsal dinner for this wedding that we're in next week.  In reality, we all need something.  But the Huz can wear anything from his daily wardrobe- shirt, tie, & pants - what he wears to work each day.  I just recently found a white button down oxford shirt for B at Target, plus he has a few other button downs that he rarely wears, so that's an option.  I'll need to pick him up some nice pants, I just found him boat shoes... And I want to find him a tie.  Today, I read a blog giveaway for a Taylor Joelle gift certificate.  What an adorable bunch of ties! I think I'll be purchasing one for next Friday.

That leaves me.  After all the money I've already spent on this wedding, I wasn't really excited about spending a lot on a dress again, even though I have numerous weddings & wedding events to go to this summer.  Then I remembered! Swagbucks!  I had recently ordered a giftcard to Target with some of my Swagbucks & it was just sitting there, waiting for me to spend it.  So onto Target.com I went & I found this dress- on clearance, with free shipping, all the better!

I'm so excited. I can't wait to get it & I so hope it fits.  Best of all- totally free!  Want to start earning free things too?  Jump on the Swagbucks bandwagon- start here! 

Swagbucks is a search engine, powered by google.  Simply search for anything & be eligible to win Swagbucks that can be used to order giftcards & more! 

mistakes & moving on.

I am a real person.  I make mistakes.  I am not perfect.  Sometimes I say things that I shouldn't.  Sometimes I do things that I shouldn't.  I am a real person.  Sometimes I'm self-conscious.  Sometimes I'm cocky.  Sometimes I'm quiet. Sometimes I'm loud. Sometimes I'm sad. Sometimes I'm happy.  Most of the time I'm happy. 

I'm an adult, as are most of you who are reading this.  I'm an adult, but I still make mistakes. And as an adult, I try to own up to my mistakes & remedy the situation.  This weekend I did something stupid.  Apparently, obnoxiously stupid.  All I know is that I drank way too much alcohol & I don't remember, but I know that I said some things that I shouldn't have.  That's the thing with alcohol - if you choose to drink too much, you can do & say things you shouldn't.  I generally don't drink anymore- sure, maybe a glass of wine or a beer here or there, but 99% of the time, I don't even think of it.  It's just not a big part of my life anymore.  Sure, while I was pregnant & in social situations, I couldn't believe how bored I was without drinking, but since then, I just haven't cared much about it.  I'm not bored anymore. Now I'm busy.   Now I'm surprised if I have time to finish that beer with dinner, if I've chosen to drink it.

Anyway, I heard some incredibly traumatic news about someone I wasn't close with, but someone I knew & I respected on Saturday morning.  It's one of those things that you think will never happen to anyone you know in real life- it's only on tv, right? Wrong. It happened & it happened not that far from where I live & it happened to someone I knew.

These things are a bad, bad combination for me.  Hearing about an awful thing that happened & then being given an opportunity to go & drink is something that has happened before & it's resulted in a bad night.  This weekend it resulted in a bad night again.  Do you watch Grey's Anatomy? Do you remember when Meredith used to say she was dark & twisty? Well, I get it.  I am dark & twisty... & while it might sound funny, it's not.  Alcohol definitely drives me to be dark & twisty.

I strive to be a compassionate person.  I strive to be a good person.  I wasn't always the nicest person, but I try to be nice.  But everyday is a new day & everyday something can stand in your way & mine & you may not always do something you're proud of.  That's part of life.  You screw up, you apologize & try to make it right & you move on & hope you learned... right?  I sure hope so.  I screwed up, I apologized, I'd like to move on & learn from it.

Easier said than done. 

neighborly observations. part 1.

Welcome to what I like to refer to as "Neighborly Observations".  Let's set the stage, shall we?  We live in a lovely townhome subdivision right on the edge of one um... slightly less than ideal reputation'ed city & on the other edge, one of the most highly reputable cities in the US. Yep, we are seconds away from two of the highest rated school districts in the country (well, we're actually seconds away from one of those schools, as we are situated in one of those districts). Anyway, our address is that of the less than ideal city, but no biggie, right? In my experience thus far, a lot of people I know live in the less than ideal zip code.

I think that was more background than necessary, really, but we'll just go with it, cause I'm not one to edit blog posts. I much prefer the stream of consciousness randomness that comes from my brain directly onto this MacBook.

B & I took Tucker for a walk this morning. Tucker took B & I for a walk this morning. (Yep, much more truthful.)  Anyway, these are some thoughts I had during my bicep curling work out walk through our neighborhood.

• Is it still considered a subdivision wide garage sale, if it's only 3 garages? 

• Is it still considered a garage sale, if it's actually just two tables & some crap in your driveway because your garage is packed full of furniture piled on top of more furniture, looking exactly like someone out of Hoarders? 

• Is it just me or does anyone laugh a little when they see a lovely lady get out of her Range Rover & pick up an item at a garage sale? (I know, I know, that's how those rich people stay rich- by being frugal). 

• Is it wrong to throw approximately ten bags of dog poo in the public park garbage can? I hope not, cause I did it (it's that or pay for the waste management company to come pick up my trash that literally only has dog poo in it, I mean, that's kind of a rip off, if you ask me). 

• Isn't it funny when you see older women running/walking in sneakers that are not running shoes & shorts that are not meant to work out in? As in jean shorts? Perhaps I should specify that by running/walking I really mean scurrying. Figure that one out, if you didn't go to Iowa State. I bet you can. 

• Hey, where'd that punk thuggy mcthugster go, who used to park his car in the visitor parking, as if his mom couldn't see him smoking there, instead of in her driveway?  Did he finally pull up his pants, tuck in his 3x too big for him shirt, cut his greasy blond hair, buy some respectable shoes & get a job? Or go to college? Or high school?  Perhaps... I realize now I haven't seen him around lately.  I used to let Tucker drag me around the front yard, towards the mailbox, in hopes that he would be too scared to even think about breaking into our house, because of the ferocious, giant dog that drags that stay at home mom around... He was probably too busy lighting his next cigarette & digging for that lost Eminem cd to notice.  (And hey, really, I've been known to listen to Eminem too, but my shoes have always been respectable). 

• And on to my dog.  Okay, so he's big.  I get that.  And I don't particularly like big dogs, except my own. And sometimes, I don't even like my own (but I always love him).  Anyway, I'm glad we have him, because my kid isn't terrified of dogs now.  Today we were being drug along walking along, rather pleasantly, when we meet up to another mom, her child in a stroller & another child riding his own bike. The child on the bike looked to be about three & he literally started screaming about Tucker.  I keep Tucker on a very short lease, especially when I see people coming, & while he likes to jump, he doesn't- not on kids anyway.  So anyway, as I'm walking away I'm honestly thinking "what a wuss!" Isn't that mean? Really, the kid is only three, so why shouldn't he be scared of some ferocious 85 pound dog?  Just because I know that Tucker would only kill you if he could lick you to death, or annoy you to death, doesn't mean that everyone else knows that.  And really, I prefer it that way.  Let thuggish ruggish white boys down the street think Tucker will eat them alive if they come near our house, it's much safer that way, right? 

And now my friends, it's time for lunch & I need to get back to that to do list- So far, I've only completed a few things.

my list of things to do today.

the weekend is fast approaching, which for me brings a fun get together with friends, a visit from the in-laws, a rockin new outfit to wear, & plenty more.  all of this requires a day of preparation... well most of this anyway. there's not much to prepare for the in-laws, short of cleaning the bathrooms (which would be done regardless) & washing the sheets that tucker lays on all the time.  I guess the outfit is already ready, but I do need to get a jacket for it, since mother nature decided to laugh in our faces & take away the 80 degree sun & replace it with 55 degrees, just for Saturday's party. rock on mother nature.

so anyway, here's my list:

target- pick up a cute jacket (if it's meant to be mine, they'll have my size), leggings & a few odds & ends (that yo-baby yogurt is so much cheaper at target!)

trader joe's- fruit, fruit & more fruit.  guess what i'm taking tomorrow? that's right... fruit! i'm making a fruit tray, cause you can't just order organic fruit trays.

whole foods? - maybe tomorrow morning though. need meat. in our house.

wrapping gifts for tomorrow's party

another meeting with a university admissions counselor. i'll learn from my last visit & not post the link, as they knew all about my blog when i showed up. i was definitely taken aback by that, so i'd like to not do that again.

wash diapers.

vacuum, laundry, dust, dishes... you know, the same as every day. along with walking the dog, feeding the babe, changing diapers, etc., etc., etc.

chat with a great friend.

hug & kiss my husband & my son. those are always on the list.

...seems like enough, right? i'm sure i'll add plenty more in there, but for now, i'm off to make breakfast & get ahead on those hugs & kisses.

CooshytOOsh Potty Pads

I'll admit, when I had first thought about trying out Potty Pads, or family cloth as they're more commonly known, I was not overly excited.  While I may be green about quite a few things & I don't mind cloth diaper cleanup, I was still a little leery of using cloth for myself.  I was quite certain that my husband wouldn't want to use them, nor do I want to wash them after he does, so I actually never asked him his thoughts.  Instead, I put them in a drawer in our bathroom & hoped I'd get around to trying them out.

I received mine from CooshytOOsh, an Etsy shop (as a side note, Susie, the owner, grew up about 15 minutes from where I live & she is currently in Washington State, where I used to live! ).  Susie has been incredibly sweet & great to work with.  Here's what she says about the Potty Pads:

Description

BUY NOW AND RECEIVE A FREE LAUNDRY BAG FOR SUPER EASY LAUNDRYING!!

3" X 5" WIPERS 40 of super SOFT COTTON

MADE OF SUPERBLY RICH LUXURIOUSLY SOFT COTTON

7" x 8" laundry mesh bag with drawstring. Just pull shut and throw in the laundry!!

SAVE OVER $500 to $875 a year!!

PROMISE ONCE YOU USE THESE SPA ESSENTIALS YOU'LL NEVER WALK DOWN THAT TOILET PAPER ISLE AGAIN!!

So, back to me. I've ended up using the Potty Pads & I must say, I didn't mind them one bit! Now, I haven't used them for um... let's just say... everything ...yet, but I like them! I still need to work out my system for storage of the clean & the used wipes, but I think once I get it down, it'll be no big deal! And, even if I only use them for urine, they'll save me tremendously (because tp is one thing I don't buy cheap- on sale yes, but not cheap).  These are uber-soft & fluffy, even after washing.  In fact, I even tried them out on B, now that I've decided to make the switch to cloth wipes for him.  They worked wonderfully- they're just a bit smaller than my other wipes. 

Moral of the story- don't be scared of trying new things! Especially if you cloth diaper- what's the big deal?! And these are so soft, you may never want to go back! 

Check out CooshytOOSh for more unpaper products, as well as cloth diapers & accessories.  I hope to try out her Eco Baby Wipes next! 

Want to try your own Potty Pads? Susie has generously offered up a set, complete with laundry bag! 

Mandatory Entry: You must check out CooshytOOsh on Etsy & let me know what you love! Make sure to leave some contact info in the entry. If I can't contact you, you can't win. 

Extra Entries (leave a separate comment for each of these):

1.  Follow my blog!

2. Subscribe to my blog!

3. Follow me on twitter - @mandyw526

4. Tweet the following (tweet can be done twice a day, minimum of 4 hours apart): Feel clean & be green with CooshytOOsh Potty Pads from @mandyw526: http://bit.ly/bbAm4u Ends : 5/3

4.  Order anything from CooshytOOsh- Worth 10 extra entries (separate comments for each entry, please).

5. "Favorite" or "heart" your favorite product on CooshytOOsh - let me know what item you chose.

this giveaway ends May 3rd, 2010 at 9pm cst. winner will be chosen via random number generator & contacted by email, twitter, or text. winner has 24 hours to respond or I will redraw. thanks to CooshytOOsh for sponsoring (providing both Potty Pads for my family & for my winner) & thank you for participating! 

ETA: Extra Entry Opp!! Sign up for Swagbucks using this link & you can have 8 extra entries! 

100 Followers = Shameless Plugs

I have 100 followers! Yay! And to celebrate, I'd like to share a few of my new favorite blogs with you.  Some of them are new to the blogging world, so I'm sure they'd love the readers & the feedback that we all love!

One of my very best friends in the whole world is starting her own photography business, from the ground up (lens up, perhaps?).  She currently lives in Arizona, but if Mike & I have our way, she & her wonderful husband will be joining us in the Chicago area soon! Check her out at: Abby Evans Photography

KC is a lovely lady who used to live the Manhattan high life & is now 'settled down', owning a horse farm in Wingdale, New York (about a minute over the Connecticut border). Read all about her adventures with 1000 pound babies & a new farm life (oh! and she's a fellow Cookie Lee'er - in fact, she's one of the two lovelies who got me started).  Visit ThunderMoon Farm today! You'll definitely get a laugh when you see the picture of Richard Simmons on her recent post. Also check out ThunderMoonFarm on Twitter 

My other Cookie Lee Lovely is Alisha.  She's a fantastic blogger & has been blogging for a year plus! She's a sweetheart & a die hard knitter. Keep track of her projects & other tidbits of her life (check out her amazing basement remodel- I want to go to there!) over here: 2 Buckeyes in Cinci. Here she is on Twitter! 


 Kaylyn, over at Mommy Mischief, already has some reviews & giveaways up & she's full of great stories about her beautiful daughter.  Check out her yummy recipes too, posted on Tuesdays! Kaylyn's on Twitter here!

Katie writes about 4 month Austin, who is SO adorable & she even has a VLOG up! Baby Bumble B is such a cute blog, you must check it out! Twitter page: @graciekate


Becca, at Mama B, has a couple awesome giveaways up right now! She blogs about being a stay at home mom & tweets too! She has two little boys & has just recently begun her cloth diapering adventure.

Read as Amy captures life with her little girl & the new little lady in their life, set to make her appearance in August.  Motherhood and Miscellany & Mom4Miss on twitter.

So, in your spare time, check these lovelies out! You won't be sorry!!!

Mama will be back in the Morning

Last Sunday night was a first.  I went to book club & left B at home with his daddy.  Not just at home, but awake. At night. That's the first. I normally put B down & go late to book club or whatever event I have (doesn't happen but once a month or so), but on Saturday I will be gone from around 3:30pm until early morning on Sunday.  Because of this, we used Sunday as a 'trial run'.

It did not go well.  At least not at first.

I left at 7pm.  I gave kisses & waves & B waved back.  I was so nervous, I hit my rear view mirror on the garage door (shh, don't tell my husband!).  Our plan was for Mike to just go through the bedtime routine & then offer a bottle (yes, a bottle, even at 15 months old) of almond milk or a bottle of water (I suggested he have both ready).  Apparently, it didn't work like we'd hoped.  Mike texted me around 8:15, saying 'he's not happy... wouldn't drink either & has been crying for 3 minutes with his seahorse on."  We decided to let him be for a bit, since obviously he wasn't going to calm down with water or almond milk.  I'm sure it was hard for him to comprehend that I wasn't there- I'm always there, especially at bedtime.

A little later they called me.  B was saying "mama, mama!" Apparently he made Mike (by pointing) show him every room to prove that I wasn't there.  They even looked in the garage, where my car wasn't.

By 9:19, he was asleep.  Relief! Mike just let him hang out for a bit & then he snuggled in & acted as though he'd sleep, so Mike put him down.  Now, he did wake up at 12:50am, & I nursed him back to sleep... so we're still not in the clear for Saturday, but we'll give it a try.  I'll be in Chicago for a bachelorette party & B will be at home with his grandparent's.  I'll keep my fingers crossed.

What I should be doing...

blogging one of three reviews i need to post.


putting in a Cookie Lee order from last week that i still haven't done. (in my defense, i'm waiting on 2 extra checks in the mail that will make me feel as though i have a million bucks to spend... rather than spending money in my bank account that is not full of a million bucks. smart, right?) i must do it by tonight. absolutely. no buts about it. 


i should definitely be at my bible study that started 40 minutes ago. but B gets SO upset when I leave him with the lovely church ladies. and then i always end up bringing him downstairs with me, where he runs around freely... but i feel bad ... like we're distracting everyone. and he just gets SO upset. really, you should see him. red face, tears streaming, sweaty baby... it's awful for everyone involved, really.


folding laundry. but that's a daily thing that i should do & often don't. 


taking a shower. maybe, maybe not.  i mean, my hair doesn't look greasy (for once) & i don't smell... so what's another few hours. oh & no, i still haven't solved the shampoo issue. for now, i'm rebelling against my own 'green' ways & i went back to the suave green apple shampoo & conditioner that was in B's guest bath. at least it's green colored... & i won't buy it again! it does smell delicious though. in-hale...

instead.

i'm going to go see what Oprah was about this morning & drink some coffee. shh. don't tell the Huz. (it's not like he reads this anyway, right tweeps?!)

Wordless Wednesday: A Week in Review

Post Summary (cause I'm not very 'wordless'): We had an Easter egg hunt, went to the beach, ate Mongolian Grill, had lunchtime beer, went to the park, dyed Easter eggs, dyed our feet Shrek green, had another Easter egg hunt & made dogs kiss. What... a week.

Oh and also,

Baby D's packages, headed to the FedEx truck. 

update.

just a quick post to share with you all that Baby D has arrived! his packages should be arriving to his house soon, hopefully before he & his mama get home from the hospital. thank you all for your support!


and also, we've been enjoying our almost 80 degree weather these past couple of days & will continue to do so tomorrow with the Huz, as he has the day off work. stay tuned for pictures. lots & lots of pictures.