Foodie PenPal

I have mentioned this program in the past, but this was my first month participating. Let me tell you, this was an awesome experience! Shopping for my pen-pal was fun (once I figured out what to buy), but getting my box was even better!

I  was incredibly lucky to get paired up with Sarah from South Korea for my first go around. I think this was truly what this program was meant to be about- opening your mind to completely different things that you might not have the chance to ever try. I don't see myself in South Korea anytime soon so at least I get the opportunity to try some of their popular snacks.

In my initial email to Sarah, I expressed my nerves about being paired up with her. For some reason, I thought they ate alot of bugs over there and I wanted to make sure she knew that I was not THAT adventurous! I know this isn't the point of the program, but I didn't want to be disappointed in what I received since I felt like I put some good effort into my box! Luckily, Sarah was a great sport and sent me an amazing box with only one bug related item in it!

Onto my goodies! Sarah sent me soooo much but my favorites so far are the "Beatles" that are actually like skittles, Korean rice and the Yakgwa, which is a traditional flower cookie served on special days. Not only did she sent me great stuff, but her note gave me a numbered listing of what everything was (since it wasn't always written in English!) and sticky notes with the corresponding number on each item! I got great food, and learned a little something something in the process!

She also sent me some spicy Korean red pepper flakes that my husband is dying to try and chop sticks to eat my authentic raman noodles that she sent. Much better than our crap!

Here is my disappointing picture- I didn't realize until it was too late that my pic was blurry! We have already tore through this box so there is no opportunity for a retake!

While I had a great time doing this, I will not be participating again in the near future. All of my disposable income is going to Christmas right now so there ya go. Also, while this is supposed to be only a reasonable $15 investment, it quickly inches up to $25-$30 with shipping factored in, and that's just not something I am willing to do each month! I might do it again next year but if not, this experience was a great one!

I'm a Participator!

For those of y'all who know me, you are probably wondering what that title is all about. Of course I am a participator- I go to my company picnics and sing at the Christmas parties. I like to talk and I do it well (and often) ! But what you may not know about me is that I have not always been that way.

New Beginnings

I think I might be back- again. If you have been following me, you have (hopefully) noticed my absence. I love writing my stories, and I hope I can get back into the groove of things, but if I learned anything from this lull it's to not have any unrealistic expectations!

Sippy Sippy

A few weeks ago, Tommee Tippee sent over 2 sippy cups for me to try out with T. We have used their bottles since the first day he took a bottle because A) the wide nipple base totally seemed more boob like than any of the other bottles I saw and B) they just looked cool. I don't know if it's because T was just such a chill baby, or if they really did perfectly mimic our nursing sessions, but he had no problem going between me and the bottle.

Booty Working Overtime

Oh, the woes of my poor baby's booty. As you read in my earlier post, we have been dealing with major constipation this week. And in a sick twist of luck, the rest of T's school is dealing with diarrhea. After changing his fifth blow out diaper today, I have accepted the fact that T has succumbed to the bug. This poor kid, I tell ya. I just want him to have normal, human poop. Is that too much to ask? So far, the only thing affected is his stomach- no fever, grumpiness and his eating and drinking habits haven't changed, so I guess I can be thankful for that. Gotta count your blessings, no matter how covered in poop they may be!

Milk DUD of a Grandma

Let me preface this by saying, my mom is a lifesaver. T's first few weeks of life were tough- we dealt with healing from a c-section, jaundice, whacked out hormones, lots of crying and just general crap that comes with the territory. No one can ever prepare you for how the immense, completely life altering change that bringing a baby home will make you feel, and I sucked ass at the whole new mom thing. I will pat myself on the back and say I did a kick ass job of taking care of him and not blaming or taking out my feelings on him, but I sucked at handling myself in the process. I cried, I snapped, I yelled, I cried some more, and probably made my husband question ever decision he ever made when it came to choosing me to mother his children. Hell, I questioned every decision I had made. I looked at Big Poppa one night and asked him what the hell we had done- did we really think this through? Did we really want this? It was a dark time, and I do not look forward to repeating this with any future children.

It's the Little Things....

Baby boy has been dealing with some tummy issues. He was sick for a week, puking every time he drank milk, so we decided to pull him off the stuff. We started it back up about a week ago and his little tummy has been messed up ever since. Last night was the kicker, and even though it was one of my worst nights as a parent, it was one of Big Poppa's best. He showed me once again why T and I are the luckiest people in the world.

Growing Up

I am scared of the future. You know how everyone says that kids grow up so fast, and they wonder where the time goes and other stupid sayings you usually ignore? I normally just nod my head and smile, but today I really felt those words. It was the scariest, most gut turning feeling I've ever had.

My baby boy took a nap WITHOUT A BOTTLE.

Alone

It's 11:35 at night, and I am finally alone! I took T over to the beach for the day, and saying it's been a long day is an understatement. The main reason we went over there was to hang with my bro who was in town for the weekend, and normally day trips aren't this draining. This particular one found me taking T over an hour away from home all by my lonesome because Big Poppa is still working 7 days a week. It also came after I have spent alot of unscheduled, out of the ordinary time with T, from the storm shut down to going out to lunch yesterday and then watching the first Alabama game of the season. I love doing all of this fun stuff with him, but as anyone with kids can tell you, doing anything off schedule can  make for a long, hard day for Mommy! It also makes me CRAVE any time alone, even if its 5 minutes in the bathroom. Normally I have all night once T goes to bed, but he has a cold so getting him into his crib is much more work than I am willing to do right now. I set the pack and play up in our room and he slept until almost 9 this morning and that NEVER happens!

 

I'm Back.....

I am so glad to be back! I try and get a new post in each Friday, but I am little late this week. My life has been busy, and the inspiration lacking but oh well- onward and upward, I say!

 I actually have another blogger to thank for my story inspiration today. I finally took a "me" day, and booked my Mother's Day Day-Off (5 months late) and enjoyed a day at the Spa. I used to do this every few months, but its been over a year since I have been! Rich girl problems, I know (I don't even know what that means, and I'm not rich, but go with it). When I say Spa, you probably think of things like massages and facials and all that jazz- not me. I'm cheap, so I pick the cheapest service (pedicure) and just sit in the quiet room and read for the rest of the day. The spa attendant kind of gives me the stink eye all day, like shes never seen a girl sit, alone, in the corner and read her e-book for 6 hours. But I don't care, because I'm just a bad ass like that.

Fail

I have really been slacking on my blogging duties! First, I had a sick baby and now we are dealing with a hurricane! It's not bad where we are, just alot of wind and rain, but it caused daycare to shut down so we have been trying to figure out how to work AND take care of a kid.

 

I hope to get back to my writing soon, because I really enjoy it! I also have some great products to review- Tommee Tippee sent me some sippy cups, Calmoseptine sent me some diaper rash lotion and Aquaphor sent me an awesome sample pack! I cannot wait to write up my reviews- they are some really great products that I think my fellow  moms will really enjoy!

 

So stick with me, I'll be back soon!

She has Redeemed Herself!

I’m not sure why, but I feel the need to offer back stories before each of my posts so here is the one for today- I love celebrities and anything related to them. That’s just how I am. I subscribe to Us Weekly and read People.com (because I’m too cheap to subscribe) and watch a lot of TV. It’s my thing, don’t judge me.

Big Grips iPad Case

Welcome to my first product review! One of the main reasons I began my blog was to talk to other parents and find great products that I might not have found out about otherwise. In full disclosure, I have approached these companies and asked to test their products. Some have ignored me, some have sent me samples, and some have sent me not only a product to test, but a product to giveaway! Big Grips is one of those companies and I am so excited to give you my incredibly valuable opinion on this awesome product!

First Day of School

Little background- I love a good celebration! I memorialize everything. That doesn't mean I go all out, or expect something big for every special day, but I try to celebrate the day/occasion with happiness and excitement.

(I even have 3 anniversaries that I actively celebrate- dating, marriage and wedding. We had Big Poppa's grandfather marry us about a year before our actual wedding so that he (BP, not his grandfather) would be covered under my insurance. We had been together 7 years and knew it was just a matter of time. To add to the funny story- we weren't even actually engaged yet. We got married in May and he proposed to me on his birthday a few weeks later. But I digress.)

Home

Ahhhh, home. I am finally here! This weekend has been something else. Big Poppa left for the hunting camp Friday night, which got me all kinds of excited because that means I would get some one-on-one, uninterrupted time with my computer. Unfortunately, I OD'd on birth control pills (bet you didn't think that was possible, did cha'?) and ended up sick as a dog, puking in the bathtub. The very same one I was bathing in. And since BP was gone for the night, I was also the very same one who had to clean it up, which I couldn't do because the vomit STOPPED UP THE DRAIN. I always thought it would be a better idea to puke in the tub because you wouldn't have that nasty toilet water splashing up in your face but as it turns out, tub drains are made for water and toilet drains are made for chunky puke. (Bet you're glad you stumbled upon this tonight, huh?) Lesson learned. So that was my Friday night.

Note to Self

World Breastfeeding Week was last week. I don't know about you, but that's a pretty big deal in our house! Well, no it's not but it should be. It should be a time for Big Poppa to celebrate me and what I so selflessly did for the first year of T's life. (Did I lay it on thick enough you think, because I am waiting for Big Poppa to shower me in praise and Cookie Company cookies and Victoria's Secret gift cards!)

Lessons Learned

This past weekend, I was a part-time single mom. Trust me when I tell you, it sucked! Big Poppa has to work weekends for the foreseeable future so I will be T’s sole caregiver until about 2:30 each day. “He’s just a little baby”, you say; “How much trouble can he be?”, you wonder. Honestly, he’s really not that bad- the bad part is that I. NEVER. GET. A. BREAK. Before you even think it, yes he does nap. But he will nap for 30 minutes in his crib or 2 hours in my arms. Can I be more productive if I place him in his crib? Yes. Can I watch more TV if I hold him in my arms? Obviously. Soooo arms win every time.

Starting Young with the Ladies

T will be attending his first dance today. You know T- he can get a lil rowdy but I think the 10am start time might mellow him out a little. I just hope peer pressure isn’t an issue today- it can be tough to resist at any age. I can hear it now- “It’s just a sip- this non organic milk will rock your world”, “Come on, a couple teething tablets won’t hurt, just put them under your tongue and you’ll wonder how you ever lived without them”. I hope he doesn’t corrupt too many kids.  

Front Seat Diva

While en route to get blog notebooks today (office supplies are a shared passion of ours), I told Holly I perform concerts whilst driving. Who doesn't? Well Holly, thats who. So who's with me?! How many front seat diva's do we have out there?

Big boy!

Could he be any cuter? This makes all the stretch marks, mystery pregnancy rash, hormones, love handles and all the other fun associated with procreation worth it. Wait- no it doesn't. But he (along with his daddy) did teach me the meaning of true love and happiness so I guess I'll let the body dysmorphia slide