Happy Halloween!

October 30, 2008 By 1 Comment

Halloween is one of my favourite times of the year!  Everyone get’s dressed up and little kids look SOOO cute in their outfits!

I always have gone all out decorating our house for Halloween, and year after year I only get about 10 kids.  It’s sad really.  I also dress up, the Cat in the Hat has been my costume for the past 3 years and even though it’s not scary I manage to scare the little kids with my big hat. some are brave enough to touch it.  Last year I couldn’t fit into the actual body of the outfit because I was 5 months pregnant!

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So this year I’m in a predicament.  I want to take my son  out for his first Halloween (to friends and family)  So I probably won’t bother putting that cob webbed stuff all over the trees and I’ll forgo the caution tape, BUT I will still be carving the pumpkins i got at the corn maze!  (all 4 of them)

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Hubby and I are working on two pumpkins tonight (I’ll post pictures later this evening) and two tomorrow with our son.

October 30

I’ve decided to enter our little on in a Halloween costume contest!  So if you feel like voting for him please please do! Click here!

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Filed Under: Babies, Current Events, Mom, Random thoughts

Thinking of getting pregnant?

October 29, 2008 By 3 Comments

When my husband and I talked about getting pregnant, it was more so in passing. We never actually at down and had that discussion. But shortly before our one year wedding anniversary, I though hey I should track my ovulation. Cause.. you never know.

dreaming pregnant

I had always been a very regular woman in terms of my monthly period, so it wasn’t rocket science for a program to figure out when I was supposedly ovulating.  But I needed an “in your face” reminder of the event.

Things you should do before actively trying to conceive:

  1. Take folic acid
  2. Get healthy with exercise and vitamins
  3. Drink lots of water
  4. Avoid excessive amounts of Caffeine and Alcohol
  5. Quit doing any recreational drugs and stop smoking.
  6. Tell your partner to get rid of his tighty whities. Opt for boxers.
  7. Try to relax and enjoy baby making time, don’t focus on getting a job done!

There are many free sites out there to track your ovulation but one site I like because well, it was correct in my fertile times and we produced our son because of it so I would like to share it all with you.  It has a free trial for 45 days.

thinking pregnant woman

Ovulation Calendar – an ovulation prediction program that uses menstrual cycle information to generate your personal fertility calendar, and lets you choose the gender of your baby.

It’s a user friendly package that tracks your cycle, no matter how many days long it is, and it tells you the days to make love if you want to increase our chances of conceiving a boy or a girl.  If you are at all hesitant please download the free trial.

Every day a pop up comes up on my computer telling me my fertility chances today, whether they’re good or bad.

There are other alternatives or accompaniments to this chart, you can buy a basal body temperature reader so that you can see when your body is ovulating and also by taking note in your body’s reaction to ovulation.

Also you can use this chart to avoid pregnancy based on your ovulation cycle.

Best of luck!

Filed Under: Mom

The Parental Job Description

October 28, 2008 By 2 Comments

How many of you would have applied to be a parent if this was the job description?

 
 
 PARENT – Job Description
 
 This is hysterical. If it had been presented this way,
 I don’t believe any of us would have done it!!!!
 
 POSITION :
 Mom, Mommy, Mama, Ma
 Dad, Daddy, Dada, Pa, Pop
 
 JOB DESCRIPTION :
 
 Long term, team players needed, for challenging,
 permanent work in an often chaotic environment.
 Candidates must possess excellent communication
 and organizational skills and be willing to work
 variable hours, which will include evenings and weekends
 and frequent 24 hour shifts on call.
 Some overnight travel required, including trips to
 primitive camping sites on rainy weekends and endless sports tournaments
 in far away cities!
 Travel expenses not reimbursed.
 Extensive courier duties also required.
 
 RESPONSIBILITIES :
 
 The rest of your life. Must be willing to be hated, at least temporarily,
 until someone needs $5. Must be willing to bite tongue repeatedly.
 Also, must possess the physical stamina of a pack mule and be able to go from zero to 60 mph in three seconds flat in case, this time, the screams from
 the backyard are not someone just crying wolf.
 Must be willing to face stimulating technical challenges,
 such as small gadget repair, mysteriously sluggish toilets
 and stuck zippers.
 Must screen phone calls, maintain calendars and
 coordinate production of multiple homework projects.
 Must have ability to plan and organize social gatherings
 for clients of all ages and mental outlooks.
 Must be willing to be indispensable one minute, an embarrassment the next.
 Must handle assembly and product safety testing of a
 half million cheap, plastic toys, and battery operated devices.
 Must always hope for the best but be prepared for the worst.
 Must assume final, complete accountability for
 the quality of the end product.
 Responsibilities also include floor maintenance and
 janitorial work throughout the facility.

 POSSIBILITY FOR ADVANCEMENT & PROMOTION :
 
 None.
 Your job is to remain in the same position for years, without
 complaining, constantly retraining and updating your skills,
 so that those in your charge can ultimately surpass you
 
 PREVIOUS EXPERIENCE :
 
 None required unfortunately.
 On-the-job training offered on a continually exhausting basis.
 
 WAGES AND COMPENSATION :
 
 Get this! You pay them!
 Offering frequent raises and bonuses.
 A balloon payment is due when they turn 18 because
 of the assumption that college will help them
 become financially independent.
 When you die, you give them whatever is left.
 The oddest thing about this reverse-salary scheme is that
 you actually enjoy it and wish you could only do more.
 
 BENEFITS :
 
 While no health or dental insurance, no pension,
 no tuition reimbursement, no paid holidays and
 no stock options are offered;
 this job supplies limitless opportunities for personal growth,
 unconditional love,  and free hugs and kisses for life if you play your cards right.
 
 
NOTE–THERE IS NO RETIREMENT — EVER!!!

Thanks Hollie for sending this!

Filed Under: Advice, Humor, Mom, New Mom

Let’s talk about…. what?

October 28, 2008 By 2 Comments

Since being at home my vocabulary and topic of interests has drastically narrowed.

gossip

Gone are the days where I was someone interesting to talk to. Now my idea of a good conversation is not one that is intellectually stimulating but one that revolves around children.

I told myself that I was not going to be one of those parents who talk non stop about their children, I mean who really cares how many bowel movements your child had yesterday… no one, well maybe your pediatrician.

I remember being part of the “non mom” group one Christmas party a few years back and being bored senseless while women all around me talked about their children. It’s not that I didn’t like my friends or their kids, I just couldn’t relate and I’m sure I had this glazed over look in my eyes.

So now, I try to only talk about my son with other mommies. I do talk about him if my non mommy friends ask, but I usually follow it up with, you probably don’t want to hear about that, and change the subject. Some of my friends who are on the brink of mommyhood will interrogate me for answers and then I’m more then happy to share my two cents.

friends For example, I was at a friend’s birthday dinner the other day and there were women asking about childbirth. I’m pretty sure I was the only mom there (it was a large group so I might not have been) but one girl asked me what sex was like after a baby, “was it all stretched out.” And I’m an honest type of person who doesn’t get offended or insulted by honest questions, cause let’s face it we all have that fear when we have children.

For me, it wasn’t. Now mind you I’ve only had one child and was stitched up afterwards, so I’m sure that helps but honestly it was like being a virgin all over again. And now that I’ve shared that Too Much Information note, I’ll move on.  But rest assured ladies, you’ll be fine, there will be no hotdog down the tunnel happening LOL

Now back to my point, having nothing to talk about. Aside from my blog; which is mostly about being a mom, very little is new in my life. I have come to dread the question, “so what’s new?” To be honest, nothing is new. Aside from the new food I just fed him, the last time he pooped, how many bibs I changed today and how long I got him to nap for… nothing is new.

Tired of looking like an Idiot when people asked me these questions at social gatherings, I came up with a make shift way to divert the question.

So here is what I do, I get the “what’s new question” and then I say, “not much, yes Dom is doing great, have you heard about  ______?”

1) Read the news and then have an opinion on what’s going on. Right now, there are two elections on this continent and lots of controversy. Perfect.bad news

2) Stay connected with facebook or other social networking sites. What’s new with mutual friends is great gossip a social occasions! Unless they all happen to be there, then you’re screwed.facebook gossip

3) Talk about future plans about your house, your weight, your yard, your education. Most people can relate weight loss battles, renovation struggles and future prospects.

lose weight

The bottom line

If all else fails you can play the “kid card” but if you can–avoid it, and unless someone really wants to know, stay away from it!   While children that are yours are cute, and lovely, some people just don’t care.

I remember someone asking me if I did anything else (as in working) besides stay at home with Dominic. I was thinking, am I supposed to? Why should I divide this attention away from him if I don’t need to? For those who don’t have children, it’s the hardest job one has to do, it’s physically and emotionally draining. I had envisioned myself taking courses when I was “off” work, getting renovations done in my house and seriously?… not going to happen, maybe at night when he sleeps but during the day, my son power naps, that means only 30 minutes of rest in between. But I wouldn’t change it for the world.

My husband said to me that I grumble and wake him up when my son get’s up at 5 or 6 am. When he’s finally up for the day after his morning feed, my husband looks over at me and see’s us laughing, smiling and playing together and part of him wishes that he got to stay home with our son.  All of that “animosity” that I had at 5 am just melts away when he smiles at me, after all he doesn’t care how much sleep mommy got last night, all he cares about is that I’m there to feed him, clothe him and give him hugs and kisses.

Filed Under: Babies, Mom

Use what you learn or stay in bed.

October 26, 2008 By 1 Comment

We have all heard of the saying, “you learn something new everyday.” Now it’s probably true, but the truth in the saying comes with what you do with it. We can learn so many things everyday, but if we don’t apply what we learn we might as well have stayed in bed.

What likely happens is that (and for those of you—who like me, love infomercials) we get excited at the time at this fantastic information we’ve learnt and we can’t wait to apply it, but then when we get out of that environment or away from the TV infomercial our motivation is thrown out the window.

Below is a banned Pepsi commercial, it shows application of the a recent learning experience: -How do you apply what you learn?

So my challenge to you is this. Is there something that you have learned recently but have not taken action on? Is there a challenge that you have been facing but cannot seem to overcome a wall in your way?  Take the first step, write it down!!!! The more you see it the more you will do to achieve it.  The next step, surround yourself with like minded individuals. You are only as good as those you surround yourself with. I’ve heard time and time again, that if you take your five closest friends their average salary should most likely equal that of your own.  I’ve also heard the same thing about your friends weight.  If you hang out with overweight people, there is more chance you will be overweight. Now I’m not suggesting not to befriend overweight individuals or cut of friends who don’t make as much money as you as long as they are a positive influence in your life.

You’ve heard of the saying misery loves company? It’s true, how good do you feel about yourself if one of your “friends” calls you and complains the whole time (usually those who do this—always do this, you know the type and probably dread those who call to “dump” on you)— you usually feel crappy afterwards.

Think of this, for negative people, life happens to them.  The positive people create their life. Which do you want to be?

Filed Under: Advice, Random thoughts, Uncategorized
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