Christmas came in like a wrecking ball

December 4, 2013 by · Leave a Comment

It’s now official… Miley Cyrus and her inappropriate twerking have even impacted Santa Claus.  We’ve all known for years that jolly old man likes Ho Ho Ho’s, but now the perhaps biggest Ho Ho Ho of 2013 has changed the course of the holiday season as we know it…

How, you ask?  Well because Christmas has come in like a Wrecking ball!

I have a feeling she’s not on the Nice list.

What’s up with this very short time frame between Turkey Day and Christmas?

It’s a mere 26 days… that comes down to only 8 weekend days aka 16 hours of baby naptime in which to finish all the gifting, baking, decorating, writing, addressing, wrapping and prepping… it seems like there is too much to do and not enough time to do it!

Mom holiday meltdown, tis the season!

And I’m wondering if I’m the only one feeling way behind right now.  According to my Facebook and Instagram feeds, I’m the only Mom in America who hasn’t done all of the following:

  • Cut down a tree in from the whirly-twirley forest of fun
  • Decorated the inside and outside of the house with LED twinkle lights
  • Hung the specially embroidered stockings by the chimney with care
  • Made and frosted organic gingerbread cookies
  • Designed a wreath out of candy canes and scrabble pieces (oh boy, don’t get me started with Pinterest)
  • Made a scrapbook of the elf’s journey around the shelf, the house and the continent of Europe
candy cane wreath pinterest

Seriously, what’s up with my overachieving friends and family?!?  You’re killing me people!

Perhaps the holidays seem extra busy because now we have a little elf running around the house making it challenging to get anything done beside dance to the Hot Dog song (incredibly fun but not productive)… Perhaps the short time frame truly is adding to the stress… Or perhaps I’m just being a whiny Mom who will end up on the naughty list if I don’t change my attitude.

So if you’re out there and you feel my pain, please let me know.  As for everyone else, please lower your expectations of my holiday festiveness this year.  We’re definitely going to enjoy the holidays but there is a strong possibility we’ll be doing it with a bale of hay on our front porch (still from Halloween) and a cookie jar full of store-bought cookies!  Cheers to that!

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Is that a candy cane in your pocket, or are you just happy to see me?

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Excludes all toys… or does it?

September 23, 2013 by · 1 Comment

A few days ago I got a little coupon from Toys R Us that made me wonder what the heck they were thinking.  You can read about it here.  Rather than wonder what they were thinking, I sent them an e-mail asking them what they were thinking.  Here’s what they responded:

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Dear Erin M:

Thank you for contacting “R” Us.  We would be happy to honor the $10 off coupon. Please contact us at the phone number below.  Thank you once again, Erin M, for contacting the “R” Us Family.

Sincerely,

Tonya 6025

Toys “R” Us Customer Service Team

1-800-TOYSRUS

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Thanks Tonya 6025.  Short and sweet, but at least they stepped up to accept the coupon.  And they did it within 24 hours of my initial outreach.  That counts for something, right?

So off to Toys R Us we went to check out their cozy coupes.  The pink and blue baby mobile wasn’t in the store but it could be ordered.  And they would price match Wal-Mart if we contacted the manager.  And they would allow me to use the coupon if I called customer service.  Phew, too many steps for this Mom.

So I stepped my fingers over to google and Bam, I found a sweet little cozy coupe from Sears (who knew they even sold toys).  Then I found another $5 off coupon on RetailMeNot.com and got free shipping if I picked it up at the store.  Score & score!

So there you have it.  Toys R Us fumbled and tried to recover, but at the end of the game they didn’t score my business!  I’ll be spiking my credit card in the end zone at Sears.

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You’ve Got to be kidding me…

September 17, 2013 by · 1 Comment

Maybe I’m just a wee bit overtired or maybe I’m a teeny bit oversensitive (because that’s never happened), but I just went to use my Toys R Us $10 off coupon to buy Kenzie’s Birthday gift…  then I turned the coupon to the back and read the phrase Excludes All toys.

Not ‘Excludes some toys’ or ‘Excludes certain toys’.  Excludes ALL toys.

Shut the diaper pail door Toys R Us.  You’ve just pushed my overtired oversensitive buttons.  And I think your customer service department needs to know…

Dear Toys R Us,
You have got to be kidding me…
I recently received a coupon that said “$10 a gift for you… our very special guest.”  I was very excited as I have a baby girl who is about to turn 1 in three weeks.  (You likely know this because I registered with you and spent oodles of money with your brand.)  I went on your Website to purchase her birthday gift (a pink cozy coupe) then turned over the coupon to read “excludes all toys.”   Seriously?   Your company, Toys R Us sent me a coupon that excludes ALL toys?  That’s sad and incredibly lame.  Please keep your coupons.  I’ll spend my money with a business that actually allows me to use their coupons on more than 2% of their products.
Many thanks,
Erin
Not Excited Moms R Us

We’ll see what they have to say.  Stay tuned!

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Dear Makenzie – Some thoughts about your ears

September 6, 2013 by · Leave a Comment

Hey Kenz girl,

It’s me, Mom.

You’re probably going to roll your eyes at this… but I want to remind you that you have absolutely precious, adorable, sweet, little, perfect baby girl ears.  They are so cute and they make me smile.   And the reason I remind you of this is because yesterday at the grocery store I saw a girl about 16 years older than you who decided she didn’t love or appreciate her ears in their current shape.  In fact she wanted to change the shape of her ears so much that she put giant plastic round spacers in them to create a huge permanent holes in both of her ears.

It’s possible that this girl thought that it’s cool to permanently put giant holes in her ears.  Or perhaps she put giant holes in her ears to impress people in her life.  But maybe, just maybe she decided to stretch out her ears because her mom forgot to remind her just how precious her ears were.

So if you ever think it’s super cool to stretch the crap out of those ears, just remember that your lame old conservative Mom thinks they are perfect as is.  Plus if you ever want to stretch out your skin, you’ll easily be able to do this when you have kids (which is of course not likely to happen for at least 29 1/2 years since you aren’t allowed to date until then).

If you have any questions about this, ask your dad.  He’ll be more than glad to clarify about this situation and what you are and are not allowed to do to your ears.

Much Love,

Mom

PS  While we are on the topic of things that we are not excited about in our house, don’t even think about dancing like Miley Cyrus did at the VMA’s unless you want to be grounded until you are 73.  That’s absolutely not what we refer to when we sing the Shake your sillies out song.

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Get your Stitch Fix!

August 28, 2013 by · 2 Comments

Please tell me I’m not the only one who has mornings that go like this…

5:15 am alarm… (groan)… snooze… snooze… snooze…

5:30 am, oops… (more groans)… wake up and see cute baby in bed… realize you made that decision at 3 am when cute baby would not stop crying, oops… also realize your daughter will be sleeping in your bed until she’s 18 if you don’t do something soon… silently vow to yourself that tonight you’ll let her cry it out…but for now, snuggle her and hit snooze again… and again…

5:48 am… sleep too late (curse words)… move babe to pack n play… run for shower… lather, rinse, towel dry… run for bedroom

Commence the what to wear game … stare at closet (groans)… stare more (curse words)… realize baby is getting antsy… dance around in frumpy mom underwear and make monkey noises to keep baby entertained… keep staring at closet… silently curse at yourself for not getting back to gym… make more monkey noises for giggling babe…more staring at closet… settle for boring black turtleneck and gray pants… groan at lame-o wardrobe … make more monkey noises

Run downstairs with baby on hip while making coffee, packing bottle bag, putting on make-up and making monkey noises…

Silently vow that you’ll either buy new clothes or lose weight to fit into pre-baby clothes

Run out door and let the day begin…

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If only there was a personal shopper who could send you stylish, affordable clothes each month… oh wait, there is!!  Hello Stitch Fix!!

For those of you not familiar, here’s how this fabulous little idea works:

Go to stitchfix.com and create your style profile (there’s currently a waitlist, but  it’s not long at all).  Pick a package arrival date and wait for your little box of fashion happiness to arrive on your front porch.   You’ll receive 5 pieces hand-picked by your stylist.  If you like them, keep em.  If you don’t, send them all back!  Easy peasy.

  • There’s a $20 styling fee, which can be used toward your order.
  • If you keep all 5 items you receive 25% off your order.
  • The more feedback you give on the pieces sent to you, the better  they get over time. So be sure to be very specific to your stylists so  that they can send you things you’ll love.

I couldn’t resist this awesome little concept anymore and put in an order for August.  Here’s what I got!image

All the clothes didn’t work out (I clearly forgot to tell my stylist that I don’t get along with skinny jeans) but it was definitely a good experience!  And it’s perfect for busy moms with no time to shop.

So for those of you dancing around in your frumpy mom underwear while making monkey noises while cursing at your lack of clothing options, go to stitchfix.com today (tell them I sent you) and let the fun begin!

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How College Prepared me to be a Mom…

March 16, 2013 by · 2 Comments

They say History Repeats Itself.  

They are correct!

Fall 2001 was very exciting.  I was embarking on a life-changing experience… I was about to become a college kid at OU.

Sara, one of my best friends in the world, was one of my roommates, and we were about to meet our other roommate.  We’ll call her “K” for the sake of privacy.  Sara and I had no idea what to expect with K and we were anxious, excited, and nervous.

At first glance, we loved her!  We had a number of things in common and we were ready to embark on a new journey together in close quarters.

K, the new roommate, took some adjusting.  We were all pretty new to our roles, but we were doing our best to make it work.  K was kind of messy, and left her clothes everywhere.  She often stayed up way too late, and seemed to have a need for frequent male attention, often when she was staying up way too late.  Talk about awkward!  In addition, K must have been really thirsty because she drank a lot and left her bottles everywhere (usually Nati Lite, eww).  And sometimes, when she did this, she wet the bed and she once even wet the futon (again, eww!).  Sara and I were new with the roommate scenario and we didn’t always know how to handle K.  Sometimes there were tears; sometimes there was frustration; and sometimes we learned lessons.

Despite all this, Sara and I managed to have a fun and memorable year.   We survived the fall, the winter, and the spring quarters and walked away much smarter than when we arrived.  But when it came to K, we decided we did not want to live with an attention-needing, heavy-drinking, bed-wetting, mess-making roommate, ever again!

Or so I thought…

Fall 2012 was very exciting.  I was embarking on a life-changing experience… I was about to become a Mom.

Denny, one of my best friends in the world, was one of my roommates, and we were about to meet our other roommate aka our daughter.  We call her Kenz.  Denny and I had no idea what to expect with Kenz and we were anxious, excited, and nervous.

At first glance, we loved her!!!  We had a number of things in common (mainly, Kenz was a combination of the two of us) and we were ready to embark on a new journey together in close quarters.

Kenz, the new roommate, took some adjusting.  We were all pretty new to our roles, and we were doing our best.  Kenz, like most babies, was kind of messy, and left her clothes, toys and bibs everywhere.  She often woke up way too late at night, and seemed to have a need for attention from Denny (often when she was up in the middle of the night and I couldn’t figure out why she was crying).  In addition, Kenz must have been really thirsty because she drank a lot and left her bottles everywhere (usually breast milk, eww).  And sometimes, when she drank a lot, she wet the bed, and she once even wet the crib and the couch.  Denny and I were new with the parent scenario and didn’t always know how to handle Kenz.  Sometimes there were tears; sometimes there was frustration; and sometimes we learned lessons.

Despite all this, Denny and Kenz and I managed to have a an amazing year.   We survived the fall and the winter, and we can’t wait for the spring.  We’re much smarter than when Kenz arrived, and despite the fact that I claimed 11 years ago that I would never ever live with an attention-needing, heavy-drinking, bed-wetting, mess-making roommate, I changed my mind.  In fact, not only have I changed my mind, but also I’ve fallen completely in love with this new little roommate. 

So there you have it.   It is possible that the worst roommate in one situation can have the exact same exact characteristics as the best roommate in another situation.  Who knew?  

 And sometimes when you least expect it you uncover yet another connection of how your crazy days as an undergrad prepared you for the real world.   In this case, college kind of prepared me to be a Mom.

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Pictures of the Week *We’ve Come a Long Way, Baby!*

March 6, 2013 by · 1 Comment

Life is about little journeys.  Sometimes the best part of the journey is arriving at your destination (and hanging out with great friends), yet other times you don’t even get close to the destination but you still gain a little wisdom from the ride.

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This weekend, Makenzie and I took a little road trip to Ohio to visit my family and some friends (pics below, we had a wonderful time!)   Denny worked Friday, so the baby girl and I were on our own.  The short three-hour ride is something I once did by myself on a regular basis but I knew a bringing along an almost five-month old could add a fun new dimension to it so I was slightly nervous.  Luckily it went great!  Six hours round-trip and no major meltdowns, injuries, spit-ups or blowouts… total Score!  Granted some women are flying internationally with their kids by this age, so it seems silly to feel so proud that we did it, but I do.

While on the way to Ohio, I started thinking about another journey not too long ago that didn’t go as well…

It was mid-October, and Kenzie was about 10 days old.  Denny had just gone back to work so I was very much looking forward to a fun night out at a neighborhood jewelry party.  The party was literally one house away so it seemed simple to bring Makenzie for a night with some great ladies.  But when it comes to life with a brand new baby (and a brand new mom) simple does not exist.

The party was at 6 pm, and we were up by 5 am so I figured we had ample time to get ready to go.  It literally took 8 hours for me to get showered and dressed while getting the baby fed, dressed, fed, changed, fed, and fed again, but I was still determined to go.  Three more hours later, I had the diaper bag packed (new mom=clueless) and we were ready to walk out the door.

Then the day took a turn for the worst.  Kenzie had a blowout, followed by a pee that went up her back and into her hair.  Uh-oh.  I was getting nervous.  We only had 15 more minutes and I knew she needed another bath and was likely getting hungry, yet again.  Suddenly, my new mom confidence started to waver.  My mind was racing and I was starting to question myself “Was I really ready to take the baby out during the witching hour?” “What if she starts to cry and I don’t know what she wants?” “What if she screams and everyone looks at me?” And then my lack of mom-fidence completely took over all my common sense… “What if she goes through all the (14) diapers I packed for her?” “How do I carry her across the yard – a car seat, a carrier or in my arms?”  Yep, I was spiraling into an epic new Mom meltdown.  Tears + puffy eyes + smeared make-up = no way I was making it out the door.  Fail!

Perhaps it was the hormones, perhaps it was the sleep deprivation, or perhaps it was just me trying to do too much, but I had to do what any overwhelmed, over emotional Mom would do… text the neighbors and tell them I couldn’t make it because the baby wasn’t feeling good.  Ugh, a lie!  Double Fail!

In the matter of 22 minutes, my 13 hours of prep was undone.  The baby was back in a onesie, I was back in sweats and we were both back in bed.

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Luckily I can look back and laugh now.  And although I didn’t make it to the party 180 feet away a few months ago, I was able to learn a thing or two since then and make it to the playdate 180 miles away.

We’ve come a long way baby, and it was worth the ride!

3_1 Kenzie with Mrs B and Penny

Kenzie meeting Mrs B and admiring the adorable Pennykins!

3_1 Ryan and Kenzie in RnP

Ryan practicing to be a Big Brother!

3_2 Easter egg

Hanging out with the Easter Bunny! Thanks Barry & Linda!

3_2 Kenzie and Aunt Melissa

Someone LOVES their Auntie Melissa!

3_2 Kenzie looking at Aunt Sara

And that same someone loves her Auntie Sara too!

3_2 Nana kissing Kenzie

All cuddled up with Nana

3_2 Playdate

OU friends and some future Bobcats (not pictured: Crosby)

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Maternity Leave from a Quantitative Perspective

January 1, 2013 by · Leave a Comment

Tomorrow is the day I go back to work and spend the day away from Makenzie.  Wow, maternity leave FLEW by!

Tomorrow I have to wear pants that zip.  Tomorrow I’ll be checking e-mails instead of snuggling with my baby.  Tomorrow I need to limit use of the words tummy tums, bum bum and Kenzie Bear. Tomorrow I have to trade having a little fun today with Ellen for having a little staff meeting with my co-workers.

I’ve already been crying at the thought of having to say good-bye to our girl’s sweet little face so I figured I’d keep this light.  And since I need to get back into a business mindset, here is my Maternity Leave Overview from a Quantitative (and slightly guesstimated) perspective

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1,000,000+ lessons learned about life, lullaby singing, parenting, poop consistency, bottle sanitizing…      I can go on for days about this

14,134 minutes spent feeding the babe (this is a fact according to the app)

3200 minutes spent shushing and bouncing and wondering if my baby would ever possibly go to sleep, then when she did go to sleep I stared at her waiting for her to wake up so I could see her baby blue eyes

2640 kisses (at least) given to her little forehead and tummy tum and bum bums

1779 pictures taken of her from my camera

1250 miles traveled to introduce Makenzie to our family

522 diaper changes

$148 spent on Pampers

97 loads of laundry (thankfully my husband did most of them or I’d still be in the outfit I wore home from the hospital)

88 days spent with a beautiful baby girl – I’m SO thankful for this

50 shades of grey… clothing!  (It was maternity leave, friends, get your minds out of the gutter)  Grey yoga pants, sweatpants, t-shirts, zip-ups, hoodies – all cozy clothes are grey!

44 minutes of pushing to meet her

One 31 purse party.  Hey, I had to introduce her to cute bags even if she cried during the entire party, oops!

14 hours of labor

6 amazing people in our lives that are new grandparents again

5 “S”s to make her the Happiest Baby on the Block

4 trips to the pediatrician office

3 Baby’s 1st Holidays!

2 Picky Sticky photo shoots

ONE sweet, awesome, lovable little girl that I’m going to miss like crazy all day

So that about sums it up!

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Thanks maternity leave, you were even better than I imagined (aside from a few mommy meltdowns which they failed to tell us about in birth class).

Hope to see you again soon!

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Mommy McBlog’s 12 Days of Giftmas

December 12, 2012 by · 1 Comment

Mommy McBlog’s 12 Days of Giftmas!

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Festivus and Boxing Day are just around the corner and what’s the holiday season without gift lists?  Since I’ve been a Mom for a whopping 68 days (a pro, right?) I thought I would put together the Mommy McBlog 12 Days of Giftmas!  Whether you are about to become a Mom, whether you know a Mom, or whether you just want to waste 10 seconds of the next 12 days, this list is for you!

Mommy McBlog’s 12 Days of Giftmas is just like Oprah’s favorite things, except I’m not Oprah and the studio audience won’t get any gifts (sorry, but I haven’t made enough millions from this blog yet).

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DAY TWELVE  –  Diapers & Wipes

Going to a shower and not sure what to buy? Go with diapers and wipes! They are the LBD (little black dress) of the infant world. Practical, necessary and always in demand!
Still not convinced?  Still contemplating buying your Mom-to-be friend a little ducky outfit?  Think about this… have you ever heard a Mom say, “My baby never even wore all of the diapers in their closet”?  Heck no!  When it comes to a nursery, diapers are a hotter commodity than a Furbie on Black Friday in 1998.
Now that you’re convinced diapers are the way to go, check out the Pampers with the Wetness Indicator.  They are my favorite and I’m pretty sure Makenzie thinks it’s cool when she can make her diapers change from yellow to blue. Click here to buy them today.

We Love these Pampers in the McGee house!

We Love these Pampers in the McGee house!

PS The bonus part of this gift is that you don’t even need to wrap these. Stick a bow on the box, and you can head right over to that baby shower!

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DAY ELEVEN – Notecards and stamps

Looking for another practical gift for a Mom-to-be?  Give her some cute note cards and a book or two of stamps.  I’m pretty sure every Mom in the world has “Write Thank You notes” as an item on her To Do list (especially after the shower).  And in the rare case that this new Mom has time to find the gift list, then write the note, then address the note there is a strong likelihood she won’t have a stamp.  Yep, been there, done that!  And when this new Mama is tired, hormonal and unable to mail an already-late thank you note, there is a likelihood that a tear-filled meltdown will ensue.  Again, been there, done that.

So, help a mama out and do her the favor of saving her from a meltdown (and actually accomplishing an item on her To Do list).   I promise she will thank you!  If you don’t believe me, check your mailbox…. you’ll have the note in there to prove it)!

Thank You... for the Thank You notes!


Thank you for being a friend, travel down the road and back again. Your heart is true your a pal and a confidant.

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DAY TEN – Fisher Price Rock N Play Soother

I picked this item based on my daughter’s love of her bed!   Lately she’s been sleeping like a champ (hallelujah!!) and I somewhat attribute it to the Rock N Play Soother.

Some other fabulous points about this product:

  • During the first nights home from the hospital it can sit right next to Mom’s bed for midnight feedings (I was easily able to toss cookies to Makenzie from the comfort of my bed – babies eat those right?)
  • It folds up easily for trips to grandparents (please remove baby first before folding & packing)
  • Very lightweight to move with one hand while holding the babe in the other hand (I bring it in the bathroom while I shower, I bring it in the family room while I’m downstairs and I bring it to the bar while I’m taking advantage of happy hour specials )
  • It’s adorable!  I don’t know of any cribs that have bunny ears on it.

If they sold an adult version of this, I’d be sleeping in it right now instead of blogging, but they haven’t made one yet.  However, you can find a Rock N Play soother for your little one at Target of Babies R Us!  Sweet Dreams to your baby, and Cheers to you (it’s 5 o’clock somewhere)

A baby's version of a Simmons Beautyrest

A baby’s version of a Simmons Beautyrest

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DAY NINE – Leg warmers and headbands

If you’ve ever seen adorable chubby baby thighs you know why I love them, and Makenzie’s are definitely the cutest little baby legs I’ve ever seen.  They melt my heart!  When I put her in pants, they are covered up so I love dressing Makenzie in leg warmers.  She stays warm and I get to peek at her cutie thighs all day.  Win, win!  We buy ours at www.babylegs.com and if you like them on Facebook can take advantage of their great promotions (perfect for stocking stuffers)!

Purple ruffle legwarmers with a peek of chubby baby thigh :)

Purple ruffle leg warmers with a peek of chubby baby thigh 🙂

If you’ve met my daughter or visited our blog, you’ll know that we love headbands just as much as leg warmers!  They add the perfect touch to her outfits and we have fun getting her dressed every morning when she has matching accessories.    Amazon offers tons of headbands and hair accessories, or you can buy them at pretty much any baby store.   Enjoy!

I think she has a future in headband modeling

I think she has a future in headband modeling

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DAY EIGHT – Smartphone

Smartphones for smartmamas!  You might not be able to add this item to your Babies R Us registry but it’s a must have.   I’m not sure I would have survived being a Mom so far without my Samsung Galaxy S3.

Thanks to the contraction app we knew when we needed to go to the hospital.

Thanks to the Facebook app, we introduced Makenzie to the world.

Thanks to the breastfeeding app, Makenzie gets fed.

Thanks to the camera, we’ve been able to document every single day of our daughter’s life.

See where I’m going with this?   If I didn’t have a smartphone I would have delivered our daughter in the backseat of a cab… she would be hungry and undocumented… and you would all still think I was pregnant.

So before you pop out that babe, pop into your cell phone store and pick up a smartphone.

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DAY SEVEN – PickyStickys!

I LOVE LOVE LOVE these!   It’s such a fun way for a new Mom-to-be to watch their little one grow and change each month.  Rather than ramble on about these, check them out yourself 

Guess who LOVES their monthly photo shoot?!?

Guess who LOVES their monthly photo shoot?!?

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DAY SIX – The EASY Method

Number #6 is not something to be wrapped up under the tree, it is a gift of knowledge.

When Makenzie was first born I remember feeling overwhelmed at the uncertainty of each day.  I was always scared to leave her side for more than 5 because I had no clue what was next on her baby clipboard of fun (yes, I do love Danny Tanner still).   As a type-A person I felt I needed some type of loose schedule to better anticipate her needs.  After some quick google searches I found the EASY method, and we’ve used it ever since.  Here it is… learn it, love it, tattoo it on your arm!   It made our lives much EASY-ier now that we know it and I hope it can do the same for you.

E – Eat.  Yum yum, num num, oink oink, chowing down, you get the picture… just feed that babe!

A – Activity.  Bust out the playmat, sing songs, give that baby a bath, play Charades, twirl a baton, sing Karaoke, etc. etc. etc.  The goal is to keep the baby stimulated and happy.  This can go on for 15 minutes to 2 hours depending the age of the baby.

S – Sleep.  Naptime already??  Hell yeah!  No explanation needed for this one, time for the little one to close those eyes.

Y – You time.  Yes, this is true.  There is time for You!   Don’t believe me??  Say it with me… time for Y-O-U.   Just don’t spend too much time processing this because your little one might be ready to wake up already.  Take a few minutes to nap, shower, blog, whatever makes your happy!

Lather, rinse, repeat!

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DAY FIVE – A Little Bling goes a Long Way!

Need a sentimental gift for a new Mom or soon-to-be Mom this holiday season?  Go with a bracelet or necklace with the baby’s initial and a stone or charm!  My sister got me a beautiful “M” necklace with a little pink stone in honor of my favorite girl.  It’s a great way to treat Mom to something nice and meaningful (major bonus —  she doesn’t have to lose the baby weight to enjoy it, yeah!)

Check out this Fabulous etsy vendor to customize your gift today!

Bird Necklace - Personalized Jewelry - Hand Stamped Mommy Jewelry - Sterling Silver Necklace - Mama Bird

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DAY FOUR – Photo Shoot Gift Certificate

Pictures of our sweet baby girl just a few days old… priceless!!  This is a GREAT gift to give to a new Mom.   All we had to do was to call the photographer, have the babe ready for photos, and we ended up with beautiful shots of our little girl.  See below if you don’t believe me (PS  I’ve heard that if you fail to have the baby calm when the photographer shows up, the pictures still end up good)

pink hat color

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DAY THREE – Nipple Shields

Ah, what’s Christmas without your blogger friend bringing up an awkward topic like this?!?  Yes, nipple shields made the #3 Mommy McBlog Giftmas spot.  Curious about why these made the list?  First, imagine the tackling that takes place in the NFL… now imagine the tackling that takes place in the NFL if the players did NOT wear helmets.  Ouch!   Do you see where I’m going with this?  Nipple shields might not be the most glamorous gift, but the breastfeeding recipient of this fine gift will thank you!

The best 9.99 you’ll ever spend (or spend on a stocking stuffer for a friend you love)

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DAY TWO – The Five “S’s”

We. LOVE. These!   They helped us survive the first few weeks as parents.  Not familiar, here is the overview…

Dr. Karp’s Five “S’s” For Calming A Fussy Baby – As he explains All babies are born with an automatic ‘off’ switch for their crying called the calming reflex and using these 5 S’s can help turn on the calming reflex

 Swaddling

Side/stomach position

Swinging

Shushing

Sucking

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DAY ONE – Momfidence

 “Momfidence” AKA  Mom confidence!!

Think about the “Mother Knows Best” phrase.   It seems great until you become the Mother.  I think back to October — suddenly I was holding a crying Makenzie in the wee hours of the night and thinking, Why the heck can’t I calm her down?, Who authorized ME to take care of her? and Where is this kid’s Mother??

Mother Knows best

It’s not that hard to go without sleep, and it’s easy to change diapers and love a baby forever, but it is almosr impossible to ALWAYS know the right thing to do.  I felt terrified the first time we took Kenzie out in public because I was worried she would have a meltdown and I’d be left clueless of how to calm her down.  I could just imagine all the angry shoppers whispering to each other “Can you believe that mother doesn’t know how to calm down her child?”  “What kind of mother is she?”.  Yikes, what a terrifying thought!!  I still sweat profusely in large groups or in quiet places for that same reason.  And I’m sure this feeling continues – did we baby proof the house enough?, did I give her the right advice about that boy?, did I prepare her enough for college?…

So for this Christmas, find that special Mom in your life and give her a hug, give her a pat on the back, or give her some supportive words!  It will be WAY more appreciated than you’ll ever know!  Momfidence is indeed the gift that keeps on giving.  One size fits all, gift reciepts are not needed, and you can even skip the fancy wrapping!  🙂

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Pin this!

November 27, 2012 by · 4 Comments

Once upon a time, I had a love affair with Pinterest.  We spent tons of time together… I started deeply into Pinterest’s Website and poured my heart and soul onto my PinBoards.  We spent late nights together and we spent relaxing Sundays snuggled up on the couch.  Our Someday seemed so bright…

Or so I thought!!

Ever since Makenzie entered the picture, Pinterest has never treated me the same.  Granted, I don’t have as much time to dedicate to the relationship, but I feel a bit betrayed.  And sometimes I even feel that Pinterest is trying to make me feel like a bad person.

I can’t tell you how many times I log onto Facebook to see other Moms boasting about their new homemade wreath made from Scrabble tiles, or their amazing mandarin salad served in a glass jar with a homemade label using festive tissue squares.  Really Pinterest?  Just because I don’t have time to construct a crib from paper mache doesn’t mean you should move on so quickly.  And to the other Moms crafting their hearts out, HOW do you find time to do it??

Perhaps I’m slightly jealous of the other Moms spending so much time with my old flame, but I think it’s time to share my new version of reality.

Introducing FINterest… for Moms who actually want to FINish something.

This specific FinBoard is entitled

Reality! 

Health & Beauty
SHOWER, a cheap and easy craft project to maintain your sanity and your marriage. Grab a washcloth from the linen closet (or dirty laundry if need be) … it doesn’t matter, just get your butt in the shower before crying begins!

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Crafty Time
GIFTING MADE EASY… Wow your friends by wrapping their holiday gifts using the bags under your eyes. You don’t need to leave the house for these, they can easily be created when your little one enters his or her growth spurts.

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Entertaining Time!
YUM! Oops, did you run out of time to bake those cookies using your grandmas recipe? Pick up some festive Oreos and call it a day!  (Can be served with breastmilk if needed – just make sure Jr. isn’t hungry before you share the supply)

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And the Finterest Season Favorite…

Deck the Halls!
FESTIVE AND FUN, As a busy Mom you barely have time to sleep let alone create a fancy themed tree. This year use everyday products from your home to decorate the tree.  (Don’t worry Once your guests have some egg nog they won’t even notice that your breast pump tubes are being used as garland.)

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With Christmas just a few weeks away, let’s toast to non-stressful holidays and realistic To Do Lists!!

Happy Finning!

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