Spring Has Sprung

In our house... spring has sprung friends.
Spring has sprung.

The Gift of You

When people I love have birthdays, I like to tell them that "I'm happy they were born." What I really mean is, "I'm happy you have affected me. I'm happy you have made a difference in my life. I would not be the same without you." I try to be sure to tell them this on their day. I've said it before, and I'll say it again, I love a birthday.

So today, is Daddy's day. The day Daddy was born. A day that had nothing to do with me but totally affects me. Wouldn't it be cool if we thought every day had the potential to affect the rest of our lives? Wouldn't you wake up with the birds pulling back your covers and a little click in your heels? We should all live that way... with the belief that someone will be born today and that certain someone will totally affect our life in a positive way one day. Talk about making the world a better place.

This day in particular is special to me now but in a way it always has been. Because it gave me the gift of you before I knew what a gift you were.

Where I Wanted To Be

I've been having some out of body experiences lately. You know those? So weird man. Like...

"Is that my hand making a peanut butter sandwich for him? My hands look old. Is that an age spot? Is that really my kid sitting over there eating his breakfast before he goes to school? Is that my reflection in the door taking her to ballet? Did I waddle like this when I was younger? Am I really 34? So... I'm not 14 then? Really? Weird."

Sometimes it just all hits me and I guess that I can't digest it so I start to question the reality of my life. "So you're telling me that I've really been married for 11 years? To him? Well good for me, he's hot. And those 2 kids are mine? Yes, those two fighting over there- the Big one and the Lil' one? And so I guess next you're gonna tell me that..." Well, you get the gist.

Is this a mid life crisis? I'm not sure. What I am sure of is that if the answers to all of these questions are yes then I am where I wanted to be all along.

A Problem With That

I've mentioned before that Lil' has a style all of her own. I let her rock it for the most part. And rock it she does. There's this look...

Which makes me think of this...

And then there's this...

 

Which makes me think of this...

and I've got a real problem with that.

Another Day in the Jungle

Well since it's Daddy's birthday month, I let him pick the winner. He said that he's always loved sugar cookies and Capri Suns so Kim, you are the winner! Congratulations!

For Lil's Valentine treats, I'm going to take this:

and glue this on it

and then all the Mom's at her school will think I'm the "with it" one and I'll be the Valentine card winner. Just another day in the jungle.

Yep, A Giveaway!

The good people at Publix are having the Great Deals on Great Meals event from February 10 thru February 16th. I decided to take advantage of an offer that General Mills sent to me. They gave me one $25 gift card to Publix and one to give away, as part of the MyBlogSpark program.

So, from 2.10 - 2.16, stop by your local Publix to take advantage of the great savings on some of your favorite brands. During the event, visit GreatDealsonGreatMeals.com to download $9.50 in coupons.

Since I've got  to come up with some treats for Big and Lil's Valentine's Day parties as well as snacks for Big's basketball team this weekend, I'm really happy to have this Publix gift card! You can have one too. Just post a comment below and tell me what you like to take when it's your turn to provide snacks for kid's game. Winner will be announced Wednesday!

I know what you're thinking... "A giveway?" Yep, a giveaway!

Mystery Solved

When my sister-in-law was pregnant and about to have my sweet Miss E, I emailed her a list of things that I thought were important to have on hand. I've gone back and searched for this email more than once over the past 2 years and I want to post it for future reference. Please disregard the raw humor/language. Sometimes you gotta get your point across. You know? Here goes:

The book was Secrets of the Baby Whisperer. Seriously, it saved me. I read it before, and then used it all during the first 6 months for both kids. Sorry I haven't mentioned it before.

Here are some things for your drawer:

qtips
vaseline or aquaphor. Good for flaky skin that will come when she's about 2 weeks old
alcohol swabs (belly button)
wipes
diapers
butt stuff
baby lotion
powder
passies - mams, nuks, silicone and latex
hand sanitizer - You will have to use this so much so get something that smells good like sweet pea from bath & body. Sweet pea is a sweet baby smell
fingernail clippers - I never used these on them until they were older. I just bit them off myself. That is ALOT easier than trimming.
thermometer - Get a good butt one and then switch to an ear when her ears grow a bit
medicine dropper
mylicon
gripe water - Have to go to baby boutique for this - helps w/ gas and I would go back and forth between this and mylicon
nose bulb sucker
mittens if you'll use them for fingernails

For you afterwards: lasinoh for nipps. Also, cooling gel pads for breasts (put them in frig for an extra chill - LIFE SAVER). Nursing pads. Epson salt to soak your hoo-haa. Ask your mom or somebody else if there are any other tricks to chilling a flaming hoo haa. I didn't have a flaming hoo-haa cause I had a c but I've heard the flaming hoo-haa isn't fun.

Also: just in! Heard about these nursing strips you can get that tell you if your milk is too toxic for baby after you've been drinking. I think these are it. Wish I had these back then... Milk Screen:
http://www.upspringbaby.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=1&products_id=2

For some reason, the absolute best thing in the world to me when I was nursing was Cran-Grape and Frosted Shredded Wheat straight out the box. Mom said it was hers too. Weird I know but trust me. Nursing makes you sooooooooooooo thirsty. Be sure to always have water nearby when you do it cause you will want it. Make sure you have plenty of tupperware and stuff to be able to save food. I didn't and missed the boat on left-overs. You will not want to cook!

Alright I'll shut up. Hope this helps. I'll let you know if I think of anything else. Love you

Flaming hoo-haa mystery solved.