Wife, Mom, Mompreneur, Housekeeper and Cook..Posted: April 21, 2008 at 1:30 pm | byFiled under: Adventures in Mommahood, About Me Ok, sometimes I wonder why I ever get stressed out or tired. Then I write out my list of job titles and remember Most days I love all of my roles..Ok..that is a TOTAL lie! ANYONE who knows me knows that I can’t stand to cook or clean..but I do it. Most days. Well..sometimes. Anyway, you know those days where things just stack up and you are not sure if you should either laugh or cry? That was Friday. Briggs only took a 1 1/2 hour nap (I depend on a 3 hr nap to get my work done! Umm..yeah..wishful thinking. B did not want to play with his toys when he saw the bubble wrap for the Retail Jars come out. Pop..”Sweety - can you not pop the bubble wrap..Momma needs it”, Pop, Briggs..sweety..can you stop please, Pop, “Ok love…here take your own sheet of bubble wrap and pop away” - Yep, I caved for the sake of sanity. I pulled the pacis, bagged them all and started to fill the boxes with tissue paper. Briggs lost interest in the bubble wrap. Pulling tissue out of the box is WAY more fun! We need to leave in 15 minutes. Thankfully..after a few go-rounds with tissue paper going in and then out of the box I got the orders packed and sealed. We have to GO NOW. So..Taylor (the dog) is sleeping and not interested in moving. I grab a dog biscuit and bribe him to come. Beagles can go from dream world to hunting mode in 2.2 seconds if food is in the picture. So, we get B’s shoes on, the leash on Taylor, the boxes from my office –down the stairs and piled by the door. I set Briggs on his way to walk to the car. That takes at least 10 minutes because he likes to explore as he goes. I tie Taylor to the seat belt in the front seat and go back to grab the boxes. When I return Briggs has reached the car - great job bud! Taylor has launched himself into the backseat searching for the stale gold fish he smells - ignoring the fact that he is choking himself in the process. Boxes go in the back seat..pull the dog back into the front seat..wipe my forehead from all the chaos.. And my phone rings. New order..don’t want to ignore it. I say a quick prayer that Taylor will not bark or try to sit in my lap during this call. I take the call, drive to FedEx - unpack the boxes and Briggs. The stop takes 2 seconds but I don’t like to leave B in the car so we all get out - Taylor protesting loudly that he is being left behind. Briggs enjoys his taste of freedom and does not want to get back in the car. Toddler petrification - you know when they get stiff as a board and refuse to bend! Off to the trainer. Why I think I can listen to a training session while keeping my curious toddler out of the water bowl on the floor is beyond me..I really should have scheduled this with my husband! It all worked out in the end - and I have to say that I did choose to laugh about it vs. cry. Sean was sweet and surprised me by making an amazing dinner of Panko encrusted Rock Fish for dinner (yum!) which helped. While he prepped dinner I took the dog for a walk - in the rain - with a glass of Sauvignon Blanc. It was amazingly peaceful to be alone and breath in the cold damp air. I was reminded that I actually do love this chaos. It gives me stories to laugh about and a funny perspective on life.
To Dine or Not to Dine?!Posted: April 15, 2008 at 11:27 pm | byFiled under: Cool Product Reviews, Adventures in Mommahood Yesterday I was faced with this very question and found myself laughing a bit at just how much my husband and I have turned into THAT couple in the 16 months since our son was born. What am I talking about? Eating out in places other than Red Robin, Q-doba and Chilis with a child. My husband had a bit of a rough day yesterday so Briggs and I piled in the car to surprise him at work with a snack and a hug. It was pretty close to quitting time so he decided to come home with us. Having that extra time is always a treat so we were thrilled - and my hubby started to feel better. After a quick stop at Target and USPS (yep, I got your orders out in time Our fav restaurant - Jaks - was down the street. Normally there is a 3 hr wait but it was Monday. We were feeling festive and in the mood to have a nice meal. Armed with 3 Sippi Grips to tether the toys and cups that threatened to become projectiles at any moment, a glass of Rutherford Ranch, and our now fraying copy of “I love you Stinky Face” we sat down to a wonderful dinner. Our son was an angel! Ok, to us he was. :) I can’t speak for the couple next to us celebrating their anniversary or the business meeting going on but oh well. But we were very proud of him! I run the line on this one. As a singleton I would have basically been horrified with myself - looking down my martini glass and scoffing. Now that I have a sweet angel of my own I am not ready to give it ALL up..I mean..I can only have SO MANY crispy chicken salads with a balloon tied to the back of my chair. We left pleasantly full (Ok, I was STUFFED
3 confessions 1. Our little angel was in fact allowed to play with Dad’s Blackberry during dinner as long as he did not call 911 (again) 2. I was a total dork and took this photo with my Blackberry at dinner because I was so excited to be out..yep..I am that Momma 3. I felt WAY BETTER after we ran into our sweet friends - with their 2 1/2 year old on the way out. We are not the ONLY ones who get it..I knew they were our friends for a reason Great Article on Mompreneur - Ingrid CarneyPosted: April 11, 2008 at 2:54 pm | byFiled under: Articles of Interest I read this article this morning on my Blackberry as Briggs was building with his blocks. I was pondering a few of the business strategies I have been working on and loved the spark of energy Ingrid’s story brought me! It is not all fluff and fun - it strikes an honest cord that I found to be so helpful from a person farther a long the path of starting a business! Enjoy! Modern Mompreneur: Ingrid Carney Transforms a Tube Top Into a Must-Have for MomsWomen always ask Ingrid Carney how she came up with the idea for her product, the BellaBand, a simple-yet-ingenious elastic band that allows pregnant women to gracefully wear their favorite clothes as their bellies expand. Like so many creators before her, Ingrid says that necessity was the mother of her invention. “I was newly pregnant and my belly popped,” says the mom of two daughters, Isabel, 6, and Sasha, 3. “I wasn’t big enough to fill maternity wear yet there was no possibility of buttoning my pants.” Out of desperation, she reached for an old tube top and found that it did the trick. Click here to view the rest of the article: http://modernmom.com/working_mom/article/1914/P2/ (0)commentsI Love You, Stinky FacePosted: April 9, 2008 at 3:08 pm | byFiled under: Off the shelf - what I am reading Yes, you were probably thinking “Off the Shelf - What I am reading” was going to be a category filled with business books and enlightening material. But then you would have forgotten I have a 16 month old son
I Love You, Stinky Face by Lisa McCourt was one of the books waiting on the bookshelf for Briggs when we arrived in Florida last month. I grabbed it when I saw the title because I love it when I can find a book that makes Briggs AND me chuckle. What I got was a complete and wonderful surprise. Yes, the book is funny - but- the sweetness and love that actually comes through is incredible. The story is a series of questions from a little boy to his Mom after she has said “I love you my child”. The boy asks “Would you still love me..if I were a big scary ape?” or a “super smelly skunk?” or a “terrible meat - eating dinosaur” and it goes on. Each tie Mama not only says she will love him but answers with a witty way that she would take care of him no matter what he needed. My favorite is when she answers that she would love her son if he was a bug eating alien by packing his lunch every day with the best bugs on the planet and write a note in his bag that said “I love you my little Greenie - Bon Appetit” That is sweet. The illustrations by Cyd Moore are so detailed and sweet. On one side they show a Mom and her son laughing together. The other side shows what a Meat Eating dinosaur with a plate full of the best hamburgers in the world piled in front of him, or a big ape, or a scary swamp creature and his mom always there..always taking care of him. This book puts a smile on my face every time I read it. I smile when I give B a big hug and say “I love you Stinky Face” in just the right voice. This book reminds me of the fun and joy in every day childlike interactions and how important they are - not just for the kids..but for us Mommas too! You can find this book at small book shops (support your local stores!), Amazon or just about anywhere else you buy books. Lisa McCourt has written other Stinky Face books all illustrated by Cyd Moore. Our adventure du jour is the bookshop to go buy them! Have a great day - hug your kids - love you hubbies - call your Mother (and your Mother in Law too) Erin Pacifiers: Are they good for your baby?Posted: April 7, 2008 at 3:37 pm | byFiled under: Articles of Interest
Hi Everyone! - recently rearranged my site so that the articles I feature are all on my blog vs. a page on my site. This is one of the articles I found crucial not only in my research phase of Lots 2 Say Baby - but as a Mom looking for answers! I hope you find it as helpful as I did! http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/pacifiers/PR00067 Pacifiers: Are they good for your baby? For many parents, pacifiers are must-have baby gear. Here are the pros and cons, plus pacifier do’s and don’ts.Babies are born wanting to suck. Some even suck their thumbs or fingers before they’re born. Beyond nutrition, sucking is often an important method of self-soothing — a comforting, familiar and calming mechanism in a new world.That’s why many parents rank pacifiers as must haves, right up there with diaper wipes and baby monitors. But are pacifiers really OK for your baby? Although the answer to that question is often debated, the American Academy of Pediatrics gives pacifiers the green light throughout baby’s first year. The prosFor some babies, pacifiers are the key to contentment between feedings. Consider the advantages:
The consOf course, pacifiers have pitfalls as well. Consider the drawbacks:
Pacifier do’s and don’tsIf you choose to offer your baby a pacifier, keep these tips in mind.
The bottom lineThe decision to use a pacifier — or not — is up to you. Let go of any guilt or pressure as you learn what works best for your baby. (0)commentsWhat I am reading these days..Posted: April 6, 2008 at 11:31 am | byFiled under: Off the shelf - what I am reading Ok, so as I was thinking about what to write about. It has been forever and mostly because we got back from our trip and we had the busiest week of my life catching up on orders, taking care of B and just for the fun of it - redesigning our office space. That meant new furniture to put together old furniture to Craigs List and a WHOLE LOT of boxes in our living room! Sometimes we can have awful timing ANYWAY I digress. I have been trying to read a lot more lately and have found a lot of awesome books and magazines - that were NOT Us or People! See, I made this goal to read more for a few reasons..1. I am growing this little business of mine nicely and want to be sure I am staying ahead of my game. There are a ton of great business books out there that have been a huge help and reading. 2. To stave off Mommy Brain as much as possible! 3. To give my hubby and I something to talk about OTHER THAN teething, poopy diapers and pacifiers All this being said I am not exactly reading all day. It takes me forever to finish a book but oh well..I call it “taking time to have it all soak in” vs. who has time!? I was hesitant to share any of this with you in case my updates on books gets a bit thin but you know me..when I find something that I love I have to pass it on! Ok..Ok..enough back-story explaining that yes I can in fact read :) Let me share some of it with you. This is not your Momma’s mag! Here is the description I snagged from their “About Us” page. It is SO true! About BeEBeE Woman is a dynamic new woman’s magazine for active, hardworking, educated women—either at home or in the office. BeE Woman is the first woman’s magazine devoted to personal finance, politics and lifestyle. It conveys what so many women are: enlightened, empowered, engaged, inspired, and striving for financial independence. Each issue our writers will convey complex information in an informal tone, discuss personal finance opportunities; give short and concise information on political issues around the world; and initiate discussion on the many dimensions of women’s lives. BeE Woman will make these subjects enjoyable by raising the design expectations above that of other magazines with this content. Yesterday, women could not find this combination in any other magazine. Today, there is BeE Woman. I found this little gem waiting in line last night at the Grocery Store (ice cream, wine, and teething biscuits - strangely the same combination as much of the rest of the line!). Jada Pinkett Smith was on the cover - LOVE HER. I had never seen it before so I grabbed it to read while Sean finished watching the Basketball Game (sorry Hap about UNC As I settled in to check out my find I was excited to be holding something other than a “beach read” like I had been reading while in Florida. The first section summarizes 2-3 world events that we need to know about. I found myself devouring information on the issues surrounding Ethiopia and Eritrean, elections in Georgia and the demonstrations in Myanmar (formerly Burma). I will admit that I spend more time listening to “Silly Songs 3″ than NPR these days so the update was nice! Other articles on buying a second home and working well in a business partnership promise to be just as enlightening. (The game ended so I have not gotten to them yet) This magazine publishes smart and well written information in an easy casual way that makes staying informed a pleasure. It is not a stuffy business journal or a mindless gossip mag. It is the voice of our population - smart, funny and creative women - following their own path with all of the joys, bumps, and scrapes along the way! To subscribe or learn more about Bee Magazine go to their website http://www.beemag.com/index.shtml All the Best Erin |
) I had 4 large orders to pack and ship, drop off at FedEx and get to the Dog Trainer by 4:00. Stay Calm Erin - you can get it all done. B can play in the office, the dog trainer can wait if you are 5 minutes late. You will get it all done.
