Y Loves ... Living in a Sandy House

I'd love to share something that Y is loving. I know as a mom I'm always looking for new ideas for him. This summer has been a little rough with the weather we've been having. We've had an unprecedented amount of rainy days! Or maybe being cooped up with a 3-year-old just makes it seem like we've had more than usual? Either way, we've been inside a lot and with my work schedule we don't get a lot of time to go "do" a lot of things. That is one of my main frustrations about my schedule, but alas, that is a post for another day.

So, since we've been inside quite a bit, Y has been playing with his Sands Alive sandbox pretty much every day. My parents got this for him for Christmas and he has loved it from day one. One thing I will say is that although this sand is kinetic and tends to stick together, it does get a little messy. I vacuum the area about 2-3 times per week, depending on the level of play he has done that week. He still has enough sand in there to play with though and I know additional sand can be purchased for refilling.

If you aren't familiar with Sands Alive, it is a compound primarily made of sand and a food grade binding agent. It never dries out, is non-toxic, 100% safe if a kiddo tastes it, and the coolest part is that it molds into any shape. As in you can made a sand "snowball"! Or maybe the coolest part is that it is germ and bacteria resistant? As per the Sands Alive website, it is the only compound that has laboratory proof of no bacteria growing on the sand. That is pretty exciting for anyone with toddlers/preschoolers since we all know what little germ buckets they can be!

I am hopeful for more sun on my days off so that we can venture out to the zoo, playground, or splash park soon. I'd also love to take Y to the pool! I have so many fun summer ideas pinned to my pinterest board (go here to follow me!) that I hope I get to do at least 2 or 3 of them before Summer ends! Any great indoor ideas of 3-year-olds you'd like to share? Let me know in the comments below!

UPDATE: I know this post was drafted in Summer but I wanted to update to say how much we have enjoyed playing with this all year. This is something that Y goes back to again and again! I love that this inspires some creativity in him and we play all sorts of games he makes up - from making me "breakfast pancakes" to being a construction site! Overall one of the best toys we've bought so far! I know they sell a glow-in-the-dark version now. Perhaps Santa will bring him some?

How Social Media is Ruining Me

As if raising a child these days wasn't difficult enough, we get to do in the age of social media! Where everyone is waiting with baited breath to see what you have excelled or failed at with your kid(s) today. Did you take them to the world's best indoor park? Better post 100 pics on Facebook, Twitter and Snapchat! Did they all make hand crocheted hats for their new baby sister? Don't forget to pin that! Maybe you decided to show off their dancing skills by making  a YouTube video of them all singing the latest Bruno Mars hit! Maybe Ellen will bring you on her show. Wow. We are all looking for our 15 minutes and the competition is fierce!

Some days I get exhausted just reading the posts from my mommy friends. And then the guilt sets in. I didn't take my son to the zoo to see the new baby tiger/buy that new cool toy that he needs/take him to see the latest Disney-Pixar film. He'll surely remember this and be scarred for life! These are the moments where I curse the internet and all the negative feelings it sometimes brings.

Not only that, but think of all the time we spend on social media and how much that takes away from the interaction with our children. I know my son has asked me to leave my office to come play on more than one occasion. And you know what I was doing? Looking at Facebook! Que more guilt.

I realized while writing this that I accuse other people in my life of not paying enough attention to me because they are too wrapped up in their phones or tablets to hold a real conversation. This makes me feel like I don't matter to them, like what I have to tell them about what is going on in my life is miniscule in their world of playing the latest Bejewled game or keeping tabs on what so-and-so their virtual friend is doing right now. "But so-and-so always has the funniest updates!" I get it! I understand the need to escape reality for a little while and talk to people who you don't really know. So how about today we strive to find some balance? Let's make an effort give people actual face-to-face conversations, real quality time, every day.

Let's also remember that while it may be a reality for some to keep up with the latest and greatest (for themselves or their kids), we need to make the choices of what is important to us. You know what is best for you long term. You got this!

I'd love to know how you think social media is changing the way you live! Do you think it is better or worse than when you grew up? Do you think it is changing people as a whole? And if so, do you think we will ever be able to hold real conversations over dinner without pulling out our phones?

Is THIS a Mid-Life Crisis?

I've been thinking a lot lately. Perhaps too much. About everything. More specifically about who I am and what defines me. At 33 I feel like things should be lining up much better than they have so far. Like where I am on the mysterious and invisible Life Success Scale is pretty low. Much lower than where I expected myself to be if you asked me at 18 or even 25. So what is going on?

It's me. I've been feeling so much discontent lately about things. And I know the root of the problem lies with how I decide to process and deal with these "things". For example, I know I need to make healthier choices so that I can live a long life with my family and also so that I can potentially add to my family. I have been recently diagnosed with Poly-cystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) and I've been informed that this is the root of my infertility, slow weight loss, and potential for type 2 diabetes in my future. I'm sure future posts will include more information on PCOS, but at the moment I haven't wanted to ask Dr. Google too much. Why? Because sometimes Dr. Google makes things worse! I'm taking one day at a time to lose some weight, make plans for a possible second baby, and get myself on a healthy track. Trying to stay positive. Trying not to dwell on the fact that if someone would have diagnosed me years ago, maybe I would have taken better care of myself. Or at least known what to expect.

This is not the only aspect of my life that I am not content with. And don't get me wrong, my life is pretty great. I have a lot to be thankful for and I am thankful every single day. But I've been coasting for far too long and I think that is where the feelings of discontent are stemming from. So interwebs, I'm turning off auto-pilot (since it has gotten me nowhere).

Is this how you define a mid-life crisis? I have no idea - I've decided I'm not in the middle of my life, yet!

Anger Management

Today I needed some anger management. I was running some errands this morning and got behind a big truck going up a really big hill. And behind the big truck was a smaller truck carrying tires, which made me a bit cautious since I figured if he hit a bump those tires could bounce out. The big truck had its 4-way flashers on and was going up the hill off on the shoulder so that theoretically cars could pass it on the left side, but the tire truck didn't have the umph to do that. So I waited patiently behind these two trucks.

Up behind me flies this Stupid jerk in a blue pickup truck (henceforth referred to as JF for jerkface). He rides my tail the entire way up the hill and then as the big truck is making a left turn FLIES out on the shoulder to the right and passes me and the tire truck. And before the JF passed us, the truck had turned and we all started moving. So someone who apparently though JF was a genius (clearly they were WRONG) in a little clown car (actually she was in the kind of car that I always thought looked like a turtle, like a hatchback. I don't know, I have a vivid imagination maybe) attempts to fly out around us on the right side (and may I remind everyone, you don't pass on the right side - where are the police when you could really use them?) but her turtle car (let's call her BS for, well, the BS she was trying to pull) couldn't actually perform like the JFs pickup truck, so she ends up cutting me off. I blew my horn at her like I have never blown it before. And you know what BS did??

no?

you can't guess?

Well BS gave me the finger!! How RUDE! What right did SHE have to give ME the finger? I only beeped at her...

Well then I swore loudly. With baby Y in the car. Thank goodness that he can't understand what I was saying. And then I said loudly "You BETTER be glad I don't have a rock cuz it would be comin right through your back window BS!!" And then in my head I threw a rock at her. And then I imagined I was in a big tank and just rolled right over her puny little car. And...

And then I realized I have road rage. Boy, do I have road rage! So I've added staying calm when people like JF and BS are being JFs pulling their BS for the sake of my baby boy and my blood pressure. Nothing like a little self realization on the way to Target, huh?

I leave you with a picture that made me smile:

A fresh start

I've never needed a fresh start in my life more than I do right now. The baby is 5 months old and it is time for me to step back into reality! I've been living on the processed crap in my cupboards and Pepsi for 5 months. I've been running around in circles attempting to make sense of the chaotic mess my house has become. And I've let myself and my health go completely out the window. So Friday I decided to take a step towards getting myself back:: I cut off 5 inches of hair. It felt great! I felt like a human again!

And I know it's a small step, but I took one.

Stay tuned for more small steps as I try to find myself under all this mess...and yes, one of my goals is to work on being less critical of myself.

Really?

Ack! I can't believe the last time I posted was last November! That is just terrible. So much has happened in my life since then and the biggest of these is the arrival of our precious little boy on Valentine's Day! He has been taking up most of my time and last week I started working again part time, which is a lot harder than I imagined it would be. Thank goodness I have a great family who is willing to help me get the time in that I need! During my time off with the little man, I did a lot of thinking of things I'd like to blog about and I have a short list of topics that are interesting to me (at the moment at least, you all know I'm a bit, er, flighty!) and I also have a few bzzkits (become a bzzagent - no I don't get anything if you do, but if you are like me and love trying new things for FREE, then you should check it out!) that I just received and plan on doing a review of those as well as some things I've discovered with the new baby. I can't promise I will be posting everyday or even every week for now, but I do want to check in once a month at the very least. I miss blogging.

Burt's Bees Natural Solutions for Sensistive Skin

I'm a BzzAgent and you should become one too. Here's why: You get to try new stuff for free! How cool is that?
So the latest Buzz Campaign I was able to participate in was the Burt's Bees Natural Skin Solutions for Sensitive Skin.

My skin is pretty fair and I get a lot of redness and sometimes get tight and itchy from certain harsh products. I was super excited to get to try this new line for several reasons:
1. Burt's Bees Natural Skin Solutions for Sensitive Skin is 99% natural and since I am pregnant I've been being a lot more mindful of what I put on my skin.
2. I already love the Burt's Bees brand and I'm addicted to their chap stick.
3. I was looking for a moisturizer since winter is quickly approaching.

As part of the campaign I was sent a full size cleanser and Daily moisturizing lotion to try. Do you like the kind of cleanser that is very creamy? Then I suggest you give this cleanser a try. It left my face feeling soft and moisturized - no tight cheeks for me! It was also effective at removing my makeup, but not all of my eye makeup. I typically need to use an additional product for this anyway, so it was not a deal breaker for me. Let's face it, eyeliner and waterproof mascara can be a pain to get off.

What I liked most about the cleanser was the consistency. What I disliked about it was it did not really help clear my skin any more than any other product I had been trying. But again, I am pregnant so my skin has been doing things it has never done before! I think for someone with normal skin and some sensitivity this product would work great.

As for the moisturizer, it comes in a cute little pump. I feel that it gave me just a bit too much product in one pump, but then I started using it on my dry spots and on my neck, so if you do that, its practically the perfect amount. Again, since I am pregnant, I think this was even a little too much moisture for me. My skin has been more oily than its ever been. Normally my skin is combination. Now that the weather is changing though I notice that my skin is getting less oily. So I think under normal circumstances this moisturizer would be perfect for me.

Have you heard of this new skin care line from Burt's Bees? Let me know if you've tried it and what you thought about it. If you are curious and want to try something from the new Natural Skincare Solutions Sensitive Skin line, go here and print a coupon to save $2.

Now that you've got a glimpse of what it is like to be a BzzAgent, why not sign up yourself? Just go to BzzAgent.com and check it out!

Trick or Treat!

The Muffin Man and His Oven - baking up a little Blueberry muffin that will be ready in February! Why a blueberry muffin you ask? Because baby is a boy!!

And I would like to note that white has never been a flattering color on me. I should have gone with gray and done a stainless steel oven OR better yet, black!

Hope you all had a safe and happy Halloween!!

Oh hi!

So I kind of have a big announcement to make...
And I've been debating on whether or not to share this on my blog, but I figured what the heck.
Yep, that's a cheesy self baby bump portrait! My baby bump at 15 weeks and 3 days. I'm umm *slightly* bigger than that now at 17 weeks and 5 days. You could say I really "popped" over the last week, but alas, I don't have a pic for this week. Hopefully I will get dressed in some real clothes and take a nice photo - er - have someone else take a nice photo of me and Photoshop it so I look cute.
So to recap - I'm having a baby in February and I take really bad pictures of myself. :)

Pictures in paradise

I know. I know. I am the most inconsistent blogger on the blogosphere! But I hope you'll forgive me! I just wanted to share some photos from my long awaited vacation to Hawaii. We went there on our honeymoon and made a pact to go back in 5 years to celebrate our anniversary. Well, we made it happen. And by we I mean my husband because I wasn't willing to spend the money, though I had NO problem spending some when we got there. Anyway without further ado, I give you beautiful Maui:

Humuhumunukunukuapua'a (aka reef trigger fish)

This is me jumping in the clouds at 10,023 feet in elevation on top of Haleakala. I know, I'm a dork but I couldn't pass up the fun photo op.

We loved snorkeling and this honu (turtle) swam right by us, IT is was really cool! Actually we had two turtle encounters, but hubby had the camera for the other one and therefore there are no pictures of it.

Best sunsets ever!!

Update

Just dropping in to leave a brief update. Sorry I've been MIA for a while. Life gets in the way of this blog a lot hahaha.

So on Friday I am getting my kidney stone removed. Doesn't sound like a ton of fun and it is four days before hubby and I leave on our big vacation. The doctor assured me that all would be fine, so I am confident in his abilities. They use a laser which makes me instantly picture a scene from Star Wars going on inside my bladder. Weird.

So as for this awesome vacation - stay tunes next month for pics! I plan to take a ton. And maybe even a video? We are celebrating our 5th wedding anniversary and this is probably our last vacation just the two of us. So this is a special one and the first vacation we've really done just the two of us since our honeymoon. I am so excited!!!

Baby making isn't so easy for all of us

Today I feel bummed out.
I haven't told any of you this yet but we have begun the process of starting a family. Sounds odd saying things that way, right? I mean under the perfect circumstances there wouldn't really be a process. Just a bit of planning. Well, from the events of the last six months, this is definitely a process. I didn't know how much I'd want to share here on my blog, but writing about my feelings and experiences is just so therapeutic, I can't afford not to share. Plus, maybe some of you will have some advice.

If you are not into gross woman talk, you can (and should) stop here. You've been warned.

So the most obvious step in starting a family was for me to stop taking the pill, so I did in October. I did not get a period after I stopped. So I went to the doctor thinking, it can't really be this easy, can it? Nope. I had to take a dose of Provera to bring it on (this was December). Then I had to wait and see if I got my period on my own after that time. No luck. The doctor determined from this (and a few ultrasounds) that I am not ovulating on my own. So he prescribed me another dose of Provera (early March) and the lowest dose of Clomid. I was told to test for ovulation using ovulation predictor strips. Today is my cycle day 19. They told me if I did not ovulate by day 18 to call. So I will be calling today and probably getting the higher dose of Clomid, in hopes it will work. I wish there were some natural way to get my body functioning. And I also just wish it would hurry up and function already! In the big picture, six months is not that long and everything takes time. And actually I have made some really good changes in my life in that time - I've reduced my caffeine intake, I have lost a couple of pounds (don't get too excited its literally a couple of pounds haha), I have increased my exercise and I've increased the amount of water I drink everyday. So I guess all this waiting hasn't been in vain, it has all been a chance for me to grow.
Have any of you used Clomid? Any luck? Any advice? Please share!! And thanks for reading!

Drugstore FAIL

Anyone else caught a cold this winter? I'm suffering through one now. Bleh! I've been drinking tons of fluid and taking vitamin D on top of my normal multi-vitamin. I sent my hubby to the drugstore. It was a major fail. He bought the wrong kind of Advil, which I can totally get over, but he also bought lemon-scented Vick's. I didn't even know there was such a thing! I think I'll be taking it back for the normal version. Unless someone out there has tried it and thinks it smells good? I just have this idea of it smelling like furniture polish. Not so good. Sad too because I love slathering myself in it when I'm sick. Guess the best way to get what you want is to do it yourself. *sigh* Even if it means exposing the CVS employees to my cold and myself to whatever the rest of the sick people in CVS have. Ooooh but on a good note I can get the Covergirl lipstick I've been wanting with my coupon from the PG insert! Don't worry I won't use it until I am germ free. :)

What do you do to feel better when you are sick? Any tricks I should try?

Pretty Profound

I got a new cell phone over the holidays, but that is not what this post is all about. With my phone (which was free!) I was able to download all of Taylor Swift's albums (also free!). And I have been listening to them like crazy.
I knew all of her songs that were on the radio, but while listening to her new album I found a new song that I feel is pretty profound (well part of the lyric is anyway).

From her song Never Grow Up:
Take pictures in your mind of your childhood room
Memorize what it sounded like when your dad gets home
Remember the footsteps, remember the words said
And all your little brother's favorite songs
I just realized everything I have
Is someday gonna be gone

Does that resonate with anyone else right now? Is anyone ever ready to "grow up"? I feel like with all the things my family has been going though lately it just really spoke to me. I am so blessed to have three of my grandparents and both my parents and my in-laws around me. With my mother-in-laws surgery and her soon-to-start cancer treatment, it gave me a big dose of reality - Everything changes and everyone that surrounds me right now with love will someday be gone from this world. It lightens the burden though to know that someday I will see them all again. There will be many tears and a lot of patience until that day (and patience is NOT one of my virtues) but it will come!

And as for growing up, it might be inevitable that things get complicated and that you get hurt by others, but you also get to experience love and kindness from others as well as being able to share your own love and kindness! So be sure to live today and hug your loved ones a few extra times. Appreciate what you do have and what you will have one day!

I'm a meanie :o/

Today I am irritated. At myself mostly. I just want to be a better version of myself and yet I am feeling like there are so many things I need to change that I don't even know where to begin.
And I'm also irritated at myself being irritated. I had a friend call today and complain about some things that are so minor. This happens a lot. I don't mind listening to her problems, but there are days, like today, when I want to stop her and say "Is it my turn now?" I know everyone is dealing with something. We are all just trying to live life, right? We all have day-to-day struggles. But not this girl, she thinks she has minute-to-minute struggles. And if she could step back and look at the big picture, she would see that everything she worries about is small stuff. And little to none of it warrants a phone call or conversation about whether this person should worry about it. And yet it happens over and over and over again. And I'm irritated that I feel like a bad friend for finding this behavior so annoying lately. I guess its just because I have so many more responsibilities lately. And the fact that I want to surround myself with people who help me be the best version of me. And I'm starting to doubt that she is really one of those people.

The year ahead for me

If you asked me today, which you didn't, but I'm going to answer anyway, 2011 feels like it will be one of the hardest years I've ever had.

My mother in law has to have chemo for ovarian cancer. She is scared but putting on a brave face. I am also scared and want to be the best daughter I can be. We have one of those unheard of close relationships. I have no doubt that she will get through this, but it is difficult to deal with the heavy realities that dealing with any major illness brings on. Her surgery was very successful. They removed a volleyball sized mass from her ovary (they did a complete hysterectomy) and feel they got everything. So the chemo is pretty much a preventative measure they are taking. We are blessed to have such a wonderful prognosis. But the bottom line here is that she still has to go through the fight of her life and we have to stay strong and support her through it all. I just hope I am able to keep it together for her and for my husband. Right now I'm not so sure I can.

On a more positive note, I've made a few goals for this year. I think I will leave them to another post - there is much to get finished today and if I keep typing it will never get done!

One More Sleep Til' Christmas!

Happy Christmas Eve everyone! May your Christmas tomorrow be "jolly and joyous"!

Bless us all!

So this might be a movie with puppets, but I love it so much! This song is especially powerful if you listen to the lyrics. Sit back and enjoy a clip from the Muppet's Christmas Carol.


And no matter where you are or what you are going through this season, may you be blessed.

Prayers Needed!

Hello everyone!
Sorry the posts have been few and far between.
Its been a rough week for my family and we could sure use some prayers. Mark's mom is having surgery next week to remove a mass/tumor they found on her ovary and uterus. We are all a little frightened by this whole thing. (Ok, so I am really frightened) We are hoping that they can remove all of the mass and that it is benign. The doctor suspects is may be ovarian cancer. I hate that c-word. We are trying to take this one day at a time and stay positive until we know exactly what is going on, but it can be so hard.
We are trying to plan out meals for my in-laws post surgery and also attempting to get all the Christmas decorating finished as well, plus continue our normal routines (and bake cookies...I always bake cookies!). Do any of you have any easy nourishing recipes that I can make that might freeze well? I was thinking I'd start with some lighter meals like soups for the first few days and then do some casseroles of some sort. Any guidance is much appreciated. Why does it seem like these things always happen around the holidays?
Next post will be happier, I promise! I have a duck hunting trip to share as well as some knitting projects I have done. And I'm learning to crochet!

Christmas Giveaway Extended!

Hey everyone - just a super quick post to let you know about an awesome Christmas giveaway happening right now. (insert me juming up and down and clapping) Go check 5minutesformom to see the list of all the awesome prizes you can enter to win. And please let me know if you do so that I can be excited for you!! YAY!
Also, check the button on the sidebar about Under the Tree - what a great cause!