Muddling Momma

29
Dec
2013

Getting My Head On Straight

It’s been awhile, hasn’t it? It’s not from being lazy, it’s been the crazy holiday season! I have lots of posts and update swirling around my head, but a mix of my ADHD being out of control and Mike going through a bout of ‘Milestone Madness’, it’s been difficult to sit down and do what I WANT to do, which is write.

A quick, 144 character, Twitter style update until next time:

new year org, sleeping when possible, snuggling the baby, kissing the husband, playing with new toys, ready to be back to ‘normal’, say tuned!

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Happy Holidays!

categories: Being Mom

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Friday 5 – My First Link Up!

categories: Being Mom, Product Reviews

I’m linking up with Joy over at the Sowell Life for Friday Five, my first link-up! It seems like a fun way for bloggers to get to know each other and for me to have a bit of a writing prompt since I have had some creative writing blocks when it comes to writing about mommahood.

For this week’s 5, here are 5 things I didn’t expect when it came to becoming a mother:

1. I thought I was going to be the kind of mother who could run errands with my baby and just bring a diaper, wipe and bottle. In reality, I am carrying an overflowing diaper bag with 2 changes of clothes, a book, my carrier, 3 pacifiers, etc, etc, etc. I get it. I’m ‘That Mom’.

2. I thought it would be hard to give my baby to someone else to hold and snuggle. I know this time is so short and I thought I would be selfish and want to keep it to myself as long as possible. Well friends, after a few hours of snuggle time (while multitasking life) I would hand him to the janitor at the Dairy Queen across the street. First of all, I need a break. Second of all, he is my pride and joy (cliche, but true) so seeing him with other people and their reaction to him [more like noticing how amazingly perfect he is] makes me happy.

3. I knew being a momma would be life changing, but not like this. Life has gotten hectic and my head has gotten muddy, but damn if this isn’t what I am suppose to be doing right now. Everything seems to have fallen into place and fits perfectly.

4. It’s not as bad/hard/exhausting as people said when I was pregnant. Yes, there are sleepless nights. Yes, sometimes the crying is a bit much, but it just wasn’t that difficult for me. Perhaps we have a good kid, or perhaps people giving ‘advice’ and sharing ‘war stories’ is God’s way of setting expectations.

5. Being a momma automatically puts you in a club with instant friends. I have a lot of Facebook friends (I worked for a global association for a long time, so a lot of my ‘friends’ are actually members) and many seem to be coming out of the woodwork by commenting or liking my status. It’s like they are seeing me in a new light – just like I am seeing myself in a new light. If I knew having a baby would expand my circle, I would have had him a lot sooner!

There you have it – my first link-up!

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A Little Christmas Q&A

categories: Unrelated

I follow Heather over at Desperately Seeking Sanity and she did a fun little Christmas ‘survey’ and since I am struggling a little with the holiday spirit, I thought I would play along. I hope you will too!

1. What do you love most about Christmas time?

Presents. Just kidding. Well, sort of. I love giving presents. The hunt for the perfect, thoughtful gift that will really make someone I care about happy. I also really love all the traditions I grew up with and now the traditions that are coming around now that Mike is here.

2. Do you celebrate the holiday in style or is it bah-humbug for you?

I’m not totally sure what constitutes ‘in style’, but let’s go with that! We’ve had out decorations up for quite awhile and I love, love, love the glow of all the lights. I wish I could leave them up year round and not be considered redneck. Garland in June? Come on Martha Stewart. Make it work.

3. Are you leaving anything out for Santa this year so he remembers to leave you presents?

Yes. Preferably something of the boozy variety.

4. What is the gift you’re most excited about GIVING? (It can be to your kids, another family member, etc – remember to be discreet if they read your blog.)

Since this is Mike’s first Christmas, all his gifts are exciting! Since we are an ‘interfaith’ family, we celebrated Hanukkah which was early this year. We got him a bouncy center and he ADORES it. So we were really excited about that. I am a little excited for S’s jammies which we are exchanging on Christmas Eve (like my family always did!)

5. What is your all time favorite Christmas movie?

Almost anything on Lifetime. Or ABC Family. I remember watching The Christmas Toy on VHS that my Momma taped one year, probably in the late 80s, and watching all the dated commercials year after year. Thankfully I found it on DVD this year! I also love Snowglobe and Dear Santa. Cheesy, festive and fun.

6. What is your all time favorite Christmas song?

Oh good question. I am not a huge Christmas music fan. I would have to say … now that I think about it, I have a few. Who Would Imagine (a King) by Whitney Houston, I Won’t Be Home For Christmas by Blink 182 (because I know the words) and anything on the Kenny Rogers and Dolly Parton Christmas album.

7. If given the opportunity, would you participate in an “Ugly Sweater Party” and what would sweater would you wear? (Peruse one of the internet or even in your own closet and show us!)

I don’t have ANY ugly sweaters! At least I don’t think so. I would probably wear this one because I could wear it again:

8. Have you started any Christmas traditions this year that you plan on carrying forward?

This is our first year celebrating Christmas as a family for 3 (and a dog). We are carrying on the Christmas Eve jammies, opening gifts in the morning and having a dated beagle ornament and a family ornament. Our first Christmas as a married couple, we went to Bull Run Festival of Lights and so far we’ve kept that up.

9. It’s Christmas morning….what does it look like outside where you live?

Mid Atlantic weather! VA stinks. Never a white Christmas. It could be 70 degrees, or 10. Sunny or cloudy.

10. You just found yourself standing under the mistletoe….who comes up to give you a kiss first?

The dog since he is usually hovering 🙂 And then S!

So there you have it…

How about you? Consider yourself tagged. And if you play along, come back here and let me know so that I can be sure to check it out!

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Wordless Wednesday

categories: Wordless

Wordless Wednesday

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High Chair Chef: Baby Food Made Easy

categories: DIY, Health

I’m not going to lie, I had some guilt about not trying harder to work out our breastfeeding situation. Not because of the bonding and such, but because of the financial end of things. Formula ain’t cheap! And guess what, neither is baby food, which is why I decided to make my own. I’ve heard great things from non-hippie mommas about how easy it is and how much they are saving. Turns out 1 pouch of food is about $1 if you catch it on sale. Multiply that by, let’s say 4, which is a days worth of food – so $4 a day, multiply by 30 days in a month …. yikes.

I had a few books on how to make baby food and did my fair share of Googling and I had a really hard time finding something that really dummied it down for me. Through some trial and error, I think I’ve found my baby food makin’ groove.

You really don’t need anything too fancy to get started. When we decided to make our own food, we researched some of the name brand, baby food specific kitchen gadgets and they seemed like regular products with the word ‘baby’ added and a higher price tag. Thankfully, we got a really nice Cuisinart food processor/blender for our wedding and it was just collecting dust.

When it comes to steaming, my Sister in Law uses the kind that goes into a pot, I opted to pick up an electric steamer for $20 at Walmart. To each his own!

First, decide what’s on the menu. Tonight is carrots (even though we had a terrible experience a few weeks back after eating carrots)! I used a 1lb bag of frozen carrots that were on sale for 99 cents. They steam for about 20 minutes.

Next is the fun part – pureeing! Some foods are hard to get super smooth so I just add some water and it helps smooth it out a little bit. Otherwise, I try to give it to Mike to see if he likes the texture and if not, I thin it out with formula before he eats it.

Once it’s done pureeing, spoon or pour it into ice cube trays (these are from the Dollar Tree), cover with foil and freeze overnight.

The next day, I pop out the cubes (this is strawberries and blueberries I made the night before) and put them in a Ziploc baggie with the food and the date it was made. Apparently the food can stay frozen for 3 months in the freezer, then thawed in the fridge (without formula added) for 3 days.

Every night, I pull out a variety of frozen food and put it in a plastic storage container to thaw in the fridge. My Mother in Law sent us a variety of types to try. I like the small OXO containers, but they tend to be pricey so we stick with the GladWare sauce containers.

There you have it! Of course some foods, like apples and prunes, are a pain in the neck to make so we buy that food already made. But it is possible to save quite a bit of money and make healthy food for your kiddos.

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Mike: 6 Months

categories: Dear Mike

Mike Mike –

When did you become a 6 month old? You went from sleep, poop, eat, snuggle, sleep, poop, eat, snuggle to a bouncing, solid food eating, laughing, Baby Einstein watching, teething kid. I laid in bed with you this morning and told you how much I loved you and how waking up to you every day is a lot like Christmas morning – having me excited about what new, fun thing would we have to see or do. You promptly yawned in my face.

I have a feeling this post will take a few days to write since you refused to nap on your 6 month birthday, things are busy at work and you are keeping me busy in the evenings. At some point I have to sleep right? You don’t seem to agree. You fall asleep around 8PM, then wake up at either midnight or 4AM for a small bottle and a snuggle. I don’t mind so much, because I sit in our rocking chair snuggling you and catch up on ‘our’ favorite podcast, the Mike O’Meara Show. He had a baby a month after you were born and it’s fun to hear his stories and think back to those experiences. I would say for the most part, I don’t get frustrated when you are up at night. Sure, I am tired, but it isn’t forever and I will miss the weight of a baby, MY baby, in my arms. It’s our time.

You had your 6 month check up and Miss Joanna confirmed what we already know – you are perfect! 28 inches long and almost 20 pounds. That would explain why you are in 9 month clothes already. I wonder if this indicates a future line backer or a point guard?

Here’s how your month went:

You are obsessed with electronics already. You want anything with a battery in your hands or in your mouth and when it doesn’t happen immediately, you let the world know you are NOT happy. We can be snuggling in bed and suddenly you get my iPad in your line of vision and you don’t stop reaching. Perhaps because we FaceTime with Bubbe, Grandma and Grandpa and play games on it. But also the remote, our laptops, our phones … I can only imagine what technology will be when you are a teenager. Your dad and I are excited to say, ‘back when I was your age …’

Your first Thanksgiving! You were a champ, through all the pictures, food, family and excitement, you were your typical chill self. Of course you were seated between Daddy and Uncle David during the meal and you promptly poured applesauce in your lap while no one was watching. You were quite tickled with yourself!

Your First Hanukkah! Hanukkah was early this year, so it overlapped with Thanksgiving. Bubbe and Great Aunt Phyllis came to see you the weekend before for a lunch and you loved the attention. Daddy and I picked out a bouncy toy for you to sit in and it is by far your favorite past time. Bubbe got you some books, and Aunt Phyllis got you a cool push toy that makes noise. You will really enjoy that when you are trying to walk.

We were really excited to get our Christmas tree up this year. I really love the lights and the glow and I was certain you would too – I was right! You will be doing something else then suddenly remember it’s there and just stare at it before going about your business. I am sure next year will be a challenge when you are a little more mobile.

You met Santa Clause: And you weren’t scared! Our community hosted a holiday event and we took you and Charlie to see Santa. You were curious, but ultimately unfazed. Charlie, freaked out for the first time since we’ve had him. I’m so proud of you considering you are probably at the age where strangers make you nervous. Especially strangers with lots and lots of facial hair.

The biggest challenge this month were your teeth. Or ‘toofers’ as I like to call them. You have 2 pretty white teeth coming in on the bottom and they are NOT making you happy. You are chewing on everything – wood, plastic, hands, everything. We’ve gotten you lots of different things to chew on and I think it’s helping, but it is no fun to see you unhappy.

The good news about the holiday season is spending lots of time with your cousin Mollie. She loves to crawl circles around you and you love just watching her. It won’t be long before you guys are splashing around int he pool and riding bikes together.

Well sweetie, as I predicted, this post took me 4 days to finish. But that’s okay because you’ve kept me busy and happy. You amaze me everyday.

I’ll eat you up, I love you so,

Momma

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Wordless Wednesday

categories: Wordless

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Influenster Rose VoxBox Review

categories: Product Reviews

It’s time for a Influenster VoxBox review! I always love getting these boxes and playing around with all the products. This time around it is the Rose VoxBox. I was pretty happy with my goodies, here’s what I thought. Oh, and don’t forget. Influenster provided the products for free, but the thoughts are my own.

Rimmel London Scandaleyes Retro Glam Mascara

I am always on the look out for mascara. It tends to be the only product I wear on the regular besides moisturizer. I like long, thick lashes like every girl and this actually worked! I felt like my lashes were more prominent and made my eyes pop. I might make this my go-to mascara!

Kiss® Gradation Polishes
Fancy nails seem to be all the rage these days and I am so hard on my nails I rarely get manicures. And when I do it’s nude polish to prolong it’s life. This product made fancy nails stupid simple. I wasn’t a fan of the color, but when I posted it on Facebook and Instagram, my followers were fans (follow me!).

belVita crunchy Breakfast Biscuits

I’m not really a fan of ‘biscuits’, I prefer a protein packed breakfast or a doughnut. But I’ve picked these up before for S. and he’s been a fan. I do like these for a filling snack. I will usually grab one on the way to work and it keeps me going. It’s not on my weekly ‘staples’ list, but when it’s on sale, I always grab a box.

Dr. Scholl’s® For Her Cozy Cushions

My name is Jackie and my feet are funky. Cute, but funky. They are cute, but chubby, so finding shoes sucks and there is rarely a need for me to use insoles, so these are sitting in my sock drawer. I do pull them out every so often and wish I could use them. They are so soft, a lot like the inside of Ugg boots, which I can’t wear either.

Lindt LINDOR Milk Chocolate Truffles

I’ve never had a Lindt truffle before! Just kidding. I’ve had a ton because they are SO good! So. Good. I love how creamy and smooth they are. I don’t even have to review these because no one reading this blog thinks they are gross. I can almost guarantee that.

There you go! Have you tried these products? What do you think?

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For the Cinema Deprived Folks

categories: Been There Done That

I went to see Catching Fire with Mike! Yes. An adult movie. With a 5 month old. And no mean glares!

Before S and I got married we went to the movies all the time. After we got married, we went less often, but it was still something we enjoyed. In fact, we saw quite a few movies right before Mike was born. I would be lying if I said I didn’t miss seeing movies in a theater. Enter The Angelika Film Center located in new Mosaic District in Fairfax, VA.

My UU friend Rebekah mentioned that she went to a ‘cry baby’ showing of a film when Miss Vin was just a few weeks old. My ears perked up and I did some quick research. Theaters around the country realize that parents want to see movies and don’t always want to pay for a babysitter. Or stay-at-home parents need something to pass the cold days. When Rebekah invited Mike, our mutual friend Jessica and her little one Miss Sarah, to join her to see Catching Fire – I couldn’t say no. I love me some Peeta.

I was a little anxious – what if Mike cried? What is he pooped? What if he acted like a BABY?! But the rational side of me knew it would be a theater full of babies who cry and poop, so away we went. I made sure I had bottles, pacifiers, my Baby K’Tan and wore my teething necklace. In reality I seriously over packed.

When we walked in, I had Mike in the wrap and we were greeted with dozens of women pushing strollers, drinking coffee from the ‘gourmet snack bar’. We got our tickets and went up to the theater. Sidebar: If you go to the Angelika, all seats are assigned. Which is really nice!

Inside the theater it was like a parking lot of strollers and parents chatting. The lights weren’t out, but dimmed just enough to see the movie, but not enough that I couldn’t find a bottle in my diaper bag. Also, the sound was lower than usual, but it wasn’t noticeable right away.

Mike was very curious about everything – the babies around us, the screen, the lighting fixtures …. he had his bottle, I went to change his diaper and he snuggled right in and slept the rest of the movie. A pro! And yes, babies around us were fussy, but as any momma will tell you, if it isn’t your baby, it’s just background noise. No one was hysterical or fussy for long. I left feeling rejuvenated and like an adult who did an adult thing.

Here are my tips for a cry baby movie:

Pack accordingly, but don’t over pack. Bring the usual stuff (diapers, bottles, etc) and a small toy and pacifier
Wear your baby. Seriously, I saw so many wraps and it makes sense
Bring a teething/nursing necklace, I like these
Prepare to miss some of the movie to walk a fussy baby or change a diaper

I only got one good picture from the event – Jessica needed to use the bathroom before leaving, so I got to hold Miss Sarah. Mike was quite smitten!