Archives for October 2013

Tricks and Treats

Happy Halloween (or Halloween Eve depending when you read this)!

We’ve had some a trick and some treats in our house lately.  The worst trick we discovered is that peanut butter and Makenzie don’t get along.  I haven’t had a chance to fill many of you in on what happened so here it is.

As many of you know Denny and I love peanut butter.  We love pb & j’s.  We love peanut butter cups and peanut butter patties.  We love buckeyes.  We love peanut butter ice cream.  The list goes on and on and on (ask my thighs)…

Hello love!

Naturally when Makenzie turned 1 we were excited that we could introduce her to one of the Wonders of the Pantry, and we toasted up some delicious peanut butter toast for our little peanut.

The good news is that Kenzie loved it.  But the bad news is that within minutes she was bright red all over, and her cheeks, chest and arms were covered in hives.    It was scary but luckily her breathing wasn’t affected.  After some Benadryl, a bath and a few hours she was fine.   And within 48 hours we got to enjoy some serious family time during a long morning spent at the allergist with some extensive testing.  Kenzie did great, but we confirmed our concern that she highly allergic to peanuts.

So what this means is no peanuts (obviously).  She can have tree nuts (cashews, almonds, pistachios, etc) but definitely no peanut butter, Reese’s, buckeyes, etc.   And it’s an unpredictable allergy.  She could have peanuts 100 more times and only need Benadryl, or she could have peanuts 1 more time and have a severe reaction.  Scary stuff.  Not surprisingly I cried when we found out, but the more we thought about it, the less scary it seemed.  We realized how lucky we are to have a happy healthy baby.  And we realized how lucky we were to catch it early.   Now we have everything we need (extra Benadryl and some epi pens) should a more serious reaction ever occur.

Now onto the treats…

Despite the poking & prodding, it’s been a fun month.  Our little pistachio (formerly known as our little peanut) is all geared up for her 2nd Halloween!  It doesn’t seem possible that it’s been a whole year since Makenzie was an 8-lb Where’s Waldo.  This year she’ll be buzzing around the block as a little bumble bee (stay tuned for pictures).

Makenzie in 2012, a 27-day-old Where’s Waldo

And things are so different this year.  Last year at this time Makenzie was eating for 50 minutes every 2 hours so the thought of dragging our sleep-deprived selves further than 10 yards away from the couch seemed terrifying.   We bought her pumpkin at a gas station and we didn’t even leave the house to trick or treat.

What a difference one year makes…  This year Denny and I brought Makenzie to the real pumpkin patch and she even had fun carving up her jack-o-lantern.  Check it out!

Pumpkin patch fun!

Enjoying the sunshine

Fearless pumpkin in the corn maze!

Carving time in her awesome babe skinny jeans 🙂

So there you have it!

This month is full of treats and an unexpected trick, but if you don’t mind substituting some Oreos for Reese’s you’ll be able to get by while still enjoying the sweet stuff of life.

Wishing you a very fun (and dry) Halloween!

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At least Makenzie is not allergic to blogging!  I hope you’re not either. 

Grab your epi pen and follow the fun on Facebook!

Mommy McBlog

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One-Minute (Blog) Bedtime Stories

Time and Energy – my two biggest enemies.

I can’t seem to find both together, and sometimes I can’t even find them individually.   I realize that complaining about being a Mom is like complaining about winning the lottery, but balancing it all can definitely be a challenge some days.   Between work, the house, family obligations, and all the demands of life I’m always questioning if I’m dedicating enough time and energy to being an awesome Mom.  I think I do okay, but some  ALL days I wish I had more.

Then I stumbled upon a little blast from the past in Makenzie’s bookshelf that gave me an idea of how to deal with this.  Hello One Minute Bedtime Stories by Sherry Lewis.  This book was mine as a kid, hence the copyright of 1982, and it had an insightful story that I thought was worth sharing.

Snuggle up with a blankie, and grab a bottle and a binky… it’s bedtime story time on the blog.

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The Big Family in the Little House

Once there was a poor man who had many troubles.  So he went to a wise man in the town and begged for help. “My wife, my father, my six children, and I all live crowded together in a tiny little house.  We trip and bump into each other all day, have little room to sleep, and no privacy.  What shall we do?”  The wise man considered a moment and then said, “How many animals do you have in your barn?”  “A cow, a goat, a pig and some chickens,” the man answered.  “Good.  Go home and take all of the animals into the house with you,” the wise man said.  The poor man was surprised, but he did as he was told.  And the following day he was back.

“What a terrible thing you had me do,” he said.  “The animals are into everything.  They have turned the house into a dirty barn.  They have eaten our food and we have had to sleep standing up.”

The wise man thought again and said, “Now go home and take the animals out of the house.”  The poor man hurried home and did so.  The next day he was back smiling.  “With the animals out of the house, it seems quiet and peaceful now,” he said.  “And with no animals around it is so clean.  And my wife and children, my father, and I have much more room in which to eat and sleep.  Thank You for helping us.  I’d give anything to be as clever as you are.”

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There you have it.  I’m not exactly the wisest man in this town, but when life seems busy, think about adding more instead of stressing over what’s already there.

Volunteer for a few more committees, work longer, commit to more obligations.  When your bank account seems scarce, add in a few more bills.  When your house seems dirty, bring in some barn animals (Mommy McBlog can not be held liable due to damage of floors brought about by cows, goats, pigs and chickens).   And when you feel like you can’t take any more, take more.   I promise you won’t break.   And just when you think you really truly will break, take a deep breath and go back to the life you once knew.

Your once crazy chaotic mess might suddenly seem a little calmer, a little more manageable and a lot more enjoyable.  And if you’re lucky, those around you will appreciate the calmer, more manageable, more enjoyable you!

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A cow, a goat, a pig and some chickens have already liked Mommy McBlog on Facebook.

Have you?

Mommy McBlog

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Dramatically different

In the 18.5 seconds that it took me to get ready for Makenzie’s bathtime tonight  –  lay out jammies, turn on humidifier, grab towel, sprint to bathroom, put down bathmat and run water – Makenzie managed to break into the bathroom cupboard, find my expensive lotion and drop it in the toilet.  “Uh ohhh?” was her response as she looked at me with that cute face and pointed to the expensive lotion-filled bottle floating in the flusher.

There was no way I could be mad.  In fact I was the opposite.  As I picked up my little girl and squeezed her, I became extremely nostalgic at how fast things change…

It was more than half of my lifetime ago that my Mom and I went to Kauffman’s in the Eastwood Mall for my first experience with make-up.  It was the 90’s and I was a geeky freshman.  I had bushy eyebrows, braces, a training bra and a crush on Jonathan Taylor Thomas.  It was as if I had fallen right off the nerdy & naive tree and hit every branch on the way down.  Little did I realize at the time but there was no amount of make-up to help me be less awkward.

But Mom took me to the Clinique counter anyway and we gave it a try.  I remember the kind lady at the counter telling me all about my skin type and my color palate and then she introduced me to a little container of light yellow skin cream.  Dramatically Different Moisturizer.  Hmm, I liked how that sounded.  Right away I was hooked.

Since that Friday night in the Eastwood Mall I’ve grown up quite a bit.  I’ve waxed my eyebrows (thank God!).  I’ve said good-bye to my metal mouth.  I’ve grown into a real bra, and I’ve developed a new crush on a cute boy named Denny McGee who occasionally does a home improvement.

The years have flown by and I’ve gained some life experiences as well as some wrinkles.  But the one thing that’s remained consistent is the pale yellow skin cream I use each day.  I’ve wholeheartedly believed that if I use it everyday I’ll stay young forever… but after tonight I started thinking.  I don’t want to age but I DO want to continue to experience this journey called life.  Maybe wrinkles aren’t so bad if they represent lessons learned and memories made.   Perhaps these wrinkles represent what is most beautiful to those around us.

Life happen and time ticks on, and before you know it your world is dramatically different than it was the last time you stopped to look in the mirror.  But maybe, that’s not something to be masked or stopped.  Perhaps we need to be glad it’s dramatically different and we need to appreciate all the moments along the way.

Now if only they could bottle up the emotions I felt tonight as I stopped and thought about how good life can be.   There’s no doubt that it would absolutely be a product I would take with me everywhere…

Apply liberally twice a day to face (and heart), or where needed. For best results use after Facial Soap (or after a rough day).  Softens, Smooths, and Improves the Soul.

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What products do you use to keep your soul feeling young?

Join the conversation on Facebook.

Mommy McBlog

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Pictures of the Week *Celebrating 12 months*

Makenzie’s Birthday weekend was so much fun!

Last weekend was 3 full days of celebration.  Denny and I both took last Friday off of work and our entire goal was to enjoy every second of Makenzie’s 1st Birthday.  Despite my plans to turn our house into a full-out pumpkin farm, my mother-in-law convinced me it’s better to have the party somewhere else and save myself a lot of stress.  Such a good call.  So I deleted my  Makenzie’s Pumpkin Patch Birthday Party board on Pinterest, and we hosted her party at a fun little place called Rolly Pollies.  The kids had fun and we were able to enjoy all of our visitors without turning the backyard into a pumpkinville!

Since then we’ve been able to relax and I finally had a chance to upload all the pictures.  It’s hard to believe this is her final month-by-month post!

Take a look…

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Friday, Birthday Day

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Checking out the Kenzie Coupe! (Likely the first and last new car for this little girl, sorry Kenz!)

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Vanity plates… because what toddler doesn’t need these?

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Waiting for cousins Jack & Ryan to arrive!

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The Birthday fun begins!!

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Makenzie enjoying the new tunnel from Nana and Papa, and taking a minute to check birthday e-mails on Mom’s phone.

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Saturday, Party Day!!

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Coasters, bounce houses and cake!  Thank you to everyone who came to celebrate Makenzie’s 1st year!

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Sunday, An extra day with Family!

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Giggles over pancakes with Mamaw

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Hanging out with Auntie Meg, Uncle Scott and Connor

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After breakfast picture with Nana & Papa

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We’re so lucky to have so many wonderful people in our world.  Thank you to everyone who helped us survive the first year of parenting and who helped us celebrate the 1st Birthday of Kenzie!

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Join the celebration on Facebook 

Mommy McBlog

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Dear Makenzie… A little note to the very special Birthday Girl

Dear Makenzie Ruth,

I say your full name not because you’re in trouble but because I like to say it.  Makenzie Ruth.  Makenzie Ruth.  It makes me smile.  And it makes you feel more real.   And after celebrating your 1st Birthday this weekend I’m having trouble believing it’s real.  How did a year pass so quickly?  I feel like it was only a few weeks ago that you were born.

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I have a little confession.   Before you were born I would talk to you all the time.  I told you that I had it all under control and that I knew what I was doing.   Well, I lied.  Not intentionally, but the second we left the hospital your dad and I looked at each other and worried that we didn’t have the slightest idea of how to take care of you.  On your first night at home we all slept in the family room because we were too scared to carry you up the stairs and put you in your room by yourself.  Luckily we’ve since overcome the fear of stairs.

And luckily I didn’t lie to you about everything.  In fact there are a few things I want to tell you a hundred more times because when I said it the first time I meant it…

  • You’re the most beautiful baby girl ever, inside and out!  True story.  I’ve said it a million times and I’ve meant it a million more times.  Just look in the mirror.
  • My goal is for you to be healthy and happy.   And maybe if I’m lucky I can teach you a thing or two about life – how to swing a golf club, how to have compassion for those around you, how to have appreciation for your good days, and how to have a sense of humor for your not so good days.

And most importantly,

  • I’m here for you always.  Even during teething pain at 3 am… even during nights when there are monsters under your bed… even during scary thunderstorms… even during junior high when the boy you like won’t ask you to dance (his loss, and I promise I won’t literally be there but I’ll be a text away)… even during finals week at grad school (again, not literally there, but just call me)… even during the toughest times of your life and especially during the happiest moments of you life.  I’ll always be there for you – as your mom, as your support, as the one who will keep your heart safe.

Thank you so much Makenzie Ruth.  You’ve brought a whole new level of happiness into our world.  You’ve also brought me a whole new appreciation for coffee (and I mean that in the best way possible).

Happy Happy 1st Birthday Baby Girl!  May all your wishes come true (mine already have).

xoxo

Mom