Last week I read a remarkable post on Femina that gave a terrific description of life as a mom. The image of my energy levels as a milkshake quickly being drained by the kiddos is exactly how I feel many days. Check it out.
Lindsay at Suburban Turmoil recently posted a story that made me smile, especially as a mom of boys.
And finally, some old links that I am just getting around to sharing -- Last summer, Adam McHugh hosted a series of guest bloggers examining the task of parenting as an introvert.
10.28.2011
10.26.2011
How I Save
A few of my MOMS Club friends mentioned that I'm always getting free samples and coupons, and they asked me to write down some of my favorite sites for these deals. I wrote a post for that group, and I thought maybe some of y'all would be interested in it as well.
For couponing, I use SouthernSavers.com and FaithfulProvisions.com. They list store sales every week plus coupon matchups. Basically, they do all the work except clipping the coupons! Both sites have Couponing 101 sections to teach the basics of sale shopping.
For samples, I use BzzAgent.com. When you sign up to be a BzzAgent and fill out surveys about your lifestyle, they'll send you products to try. The idea is that you try the products and share your honest opinion about them. It's called word of mouth marketing. In the past three years, I've sampled makeup, gum, virus protection software, and even a smartphone!
A new site I just joined for samples is CrowdTap. On that site you answer various market research questions for certain brands, and you can earn points and cash for answers and activities. Some brands will even send you samples to try -- several people got Old Navy jeans for free. I just joined this one last week, so I don't know as much about it. I am having tons of fun answering the questions, though; I find it's a great activity for when I'm nursing David in the middle of the night. P.S. - If you use this link to join, I get extra points! http://bit.ly/phVo2g
Finally, I love using Ebates whenever I do my online holiday shopping. Stores offer cash back for every purchase you make. I bought a washer and dryer online thorugh Home Depot last year, and I earned $80 back! I get extra cash for each of you that join through my link, so that's cool. Oh, and whenever I shop online through Ebates, I also check RetailMeNot.com for coupons I can use at check out.
Anyway, those are my secret sites! If you have any questions about couponing or sampling, just let me know. I would be happy to answer!
For couponing, I use SouthernSavers.com and FaithfulProvisions.com. They list store sales every week plus coupon matchups. Basically, they do all the work except clipping the coupons! Both sites have Couponing 101 sections to teach the basics of sale shopping.
For samples, I use BzzAgent.com. When you sign up to be a BzzAgent and fill out surveys about your lifestyle, they'll send you products to try. The idea is that you try the products and share your honest opinion about them. It's called word of mouth marketing. In the past three years, I've sampled makeup, gum, virus protection software, and even a smartphone!
A new site I just joined for samples is CrowdTap. On that site you answer various market research questions for certain brands, and you can earn points and cash for answers and activities. Some brands will even send you samples to try -- several people got Old Navy jeans for free. I just joined this one last week, so I don't know as much about it. I am having tons of fun answering the questions, though; I find it's a great activity for when I'm nursing David in the middle of the night. P.S. - If you use this link to join, I get extra points! http://bit.ly/phVo2g
Finally, I love using Ebates whenever I do my online holiday shopping. Stores offer cash back for every purchase you make. I bought a washer and dryer online thorugh Home Depot last year, and I earned $80 back! I get extra cash for each of you that join through my link, so that's cool. Oh, and whenever I shop online through Ebates, I also check RetailMeNot.com for coupons I can use at check out.
Anyway, those are my secret sites! If you have any questions about couponing or sampling, just let me know. I would be happy to answer!
10.23.2011
Milestones
I forgot to mention -
Just before David turned 8 months old, this happened:
Sitting up on his own! Hurray! He's a pro at it now.
Still no crawling, but lots of rolling and spinning around on his tummy. Our pediatrician noted some low muscle tone in David's legs at his 9-month check-up, so we're doing lots of standing practice to help those legs get stronger. Sometimes this involves lots of time in the exersaucer, and sometimes it means a dance party while being supported by Mommy or Daddy!
I'm definitely grateful for both of my healthy boys. They are learning to play and laugh together, which is one of the most amazing things to experience. We have a lot of silly in our house these days.
Just before David turned 8 months old, this happened:
Sitting up on his own! Hurray! He's a pro at it now.
Still no crawling, but lots of rolling and spinning around on his tummy. Our pediatrician noted some low muscle tone in David's legs at his 9-month check-up, so we're doing lots of standing practice to help those legs get stronger. Sometimes this involves lots of time in the exersaucer, and sometimes it means a dance party while being supported by Mommy or Daddy!
I'm definitely grateful for both of my healthy boys. They are learning to play and laugh together, which is one of the most amazing things to experience. We have a lot of silly in our house these days.
10.05.2011
Need
Thanks to babysitting grandparents, Paul and I had a date night on Saturday. With the kids sick all week, I definitely needed a break and some time out of the house. However, I had picked up the cold as well, and I resembled a zombie instead of a fun date.
First we stopped by Celebrate Nashville for some dinner. I grabbed some Greek food, planning to get a tasty chocolate dessert on my way out of the festival. After all, a sick girl needs her chocolate to survive the evening. I was considering Maggie's Mobile Slab, but they didn't have the brownie sundae for which I was pining. A search of food stands turned up no acceptable chocolate at all.
We decided to head to our next destination, Bridgestone Arena for the Predators game. After a fruitless search through the concourse for brownies (cookies just weren't going to cut it), Paul brilliantly suggested we hit the Patron Platinum Club and sit down for a nice dessert during the first period. (Let me make sure he gets full credit for this -- he was willing to MISS PART OF THE HOCKEY GAME to make sure I got my brownie.) Unfortunately, the club is now a all-you-can-eat buffet, with no a la carte dessert option. It sounded great for another time but didn't fit our purposes. We walked around both club levels in a fruitless (brownie-less?) search for something to fill my craving.
Giving up, I decided that chocolate frozen yogurt with M&Ms sprinkled on top was going to be my best bet. Paul and I headed up to the 300-level and grabbed a gargantuan cup of chocolate yogurt. I took the yogurt, turned around, and came face-to-face with the BROWNIE CART OF AWESOME.
"OH, NO! THEY HAVE BROWNIES!" I shrieked. The guys running the cart weren't sure if they should laugh or run away.
After a quick detour to grab cash from the ATM, I returned to claim my brownie prize...only to discover they also had hot chocolate! and fruit smoothies! Best Bridgestone Arena concession stand ever! I went for 2 out of 3 and grabbed a brownie and hot chocolate. The smoothie would have to wait until next time.
I thought I would be sending Paul and Ian to most of the hockey games this year while I stayed home with David. But now that I've found my friends at the brownie cart? We'll just have to see about that....
(No, I don't get out much. Why do you ask?)
First we stopped by Celebrate Nashville for some dinner. I grabbed some Greek food, planning to get a tasty chocolate dessert on my way out of the festival. After all, a sick girl needs her chocolate to survive the evening. I was considering Maggie's Mobile Slab, but they didn't have the brownie sundae for which I was pining. A search of food stands turned up no acceptable chocolate at all.
We decided to head to our next destination, Bridgestone Arena for the Predators game. After a fruitless search through the concourse for brownies (cookies just weren't going to cut it), Paul brilliantly suggested we hit the Patron Platinum Club and sit down for a nice dessert during the first period. (Let me make sure he gets full credit for this -- he was willing to MISS PART OF THE HOCKEY GAME to make sure I got my brownie.) Unfortunately, the club is now a all-you-can-eat buffet, with no a la carte dessert option. It sounded great for another time but didn't fit our purposes. We walked around both club levels in a fruitless (brownie-less?) search for something to fill my craving.
Giving up, I decided that chocolate frozen yogurt with M&Ms sprinkled on top was going to be my best bet. Paul and I headed up to the 300-level and grabbed a gargantuan cup of chocolate yogurt. I took the yogurt, turned around, and came face-to-face with the BROWNIE CART OF AWESOME.
"OH, NO! THEY HAVE BROWNIES!" I shrieked. The guys running the cart weren't sure if they should laugh or run away.
After a quick detour to grab cash from the ATM, I returned to claim my brownie prize...only to discover they also had hot chocolate! and fruit smoothies! Best Bridgestone Arena concession stand ever! I went for 2 out of 3 and grabbed a brownie and hot chocolate. The smoothie would have to wait until next time.
I thought I would be sending Paul and Ian to most of the hockey games this year while I stayed home with David. But now that I've found my friends at the brownie cart? We'll just have to see about that....
(No, I don't get out much. Why do you ask?)
10.02.2011
Sick Week
The kids had their regularly scheduled cold viruses last week, so we were stuck at home every day. Lots of Yo Gabba Gabba, reading, and snuggles kept us occupied for awhile, but by Friday we were all a bit stir-crazy.
Ian took the craziness to new levels, announcing to me, "I'm going to hit David."
I looked at him in surprise. "What? Ian, why do you want to hit David?" I was glad that David was safely napping upstairs.
"Daddy will take him to the doctor. And Ian, and Mommy, and Daddy, and David."
"But why do you want to hit him? Are you mad at him?" I asked.
"Because Daddy will have to take him to the doctor. And Ian, and Mommy, and Daddy," he replied.
Realization dawning, I probed, "Ian, do you want David to go to the doctor because you're bored and want to go somewhere?"
"Yeah!" he replied.
I carefully explained why we don't hit people, and Ian and I discussed some other things to do if we're bored or agree. "You know, buddy, if you get angry and feel like hitting someone, you can always hit something soft like a pillow or the couch. Since you're bored, would you like to color?"
"Mommy hit Ian, and Ian hit David, and Daddy take us to the doctor, everybody!"
Oh, dear. This wasn't going well.
"Ian, honey, please don't say that I hit you. I mean, if I ever DO hit you, or if anyone hits you, it's important to tell someone. But if I DON'T hit you, then please don't tell people I did."
"Mommy hit me, and Daddy hit Mommy, and Ian hit David, and everybody in the car, go to doctor!"
I sighed in defeat. "Ian, would you like to go outside?"
"Yes!!!!" Ian exclaimed, and we played happily for the rest of the afternoon.
Ian has had several adventures this weekend, including trips to Celebrate Nashville and Hip Zipper, so we haven't had a return of the hitting conversation. But I can tell lots of discussion and Mister Rogers episodes are in our future. And hopefully, no more colds (heh, if only!).
Ian took the craziness to new levels, announcing to me, "I'm going to hit David."
I looked at him in surprise. "What? Ian, why do you want to hit David?" I was glad that David was safely napping upstairs.
"Daddy will take him to the doctor. And Ian, and Mommy, and Daddy, and David."
"But why do you want to hit him? Are you mad at him?" I asked.
"Because Daddy will have to take him to the doctor. And Ian, and Mommy, and Daddy," he replied.
Realization dawning, I probed, "Ian, do you want David to go to the doctor because you're bored and want to go somewhere?"
"Yeah!" he replied.
I carefully explained why we don't hit people, and Ian and I discussed some other things to do if we're bored or agree. "You know, buddy, if you get angry and feel like hitting someone, you can always hit something soft like a pillow or the couch. Since you're bored, would you like to color?"
"Mommy hit Ian, and Ian hit David, and Daddy take us to the doctor, everybody!"
Oh, dear. This wasn't going well.
"Ian, honey, please don't say that I hit you. I mean, if I ever DO hit you, or if anyone hits you, it's important to tell someone. But if I DON'T hit you, then please don't tell people I did."
"Mommy hit me, and Daddy hit Mommy, and Ian hit David, and everybody in the car, go to doctor!"
I sighed in defeat. "Ian, would you like to go outside?"
"Yes!!!!" Ian exclaimed, and we played happily for the rest of the afternoon.
Ian has had several adventures this weekend, including trips to Celebrate Nashville and Hip Zipper, so we haven't had a return of the hitting conversation. But I can tell lots of discussion and Mister Rogers episodes are in our future. And hopefully, no more colds (heh, if only!).
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