Naturally a Mom

Thank Goodness!

2009-05-04T18:13:00.000-07:00

We have finally found a house! Thank goodness! We will be moving in on the 11th of May. We have been travelling and most recently, staying with my dad so getting into our own home will be such a relief. Now we need to start the process of unpacking and making the house a home.

Amira has been starting to try standing on her own. I am so excited and so scared for her to start walking! She's a trouble maker while she's just crawling! I can't imagine the ruckus she's going to cause when she learns how to walk on her own.

Israel is talking all the time and doing so well. We are so proud of him. He's a little ham and loves to play jokes on everyone. He seems to mostly be over his fear of dogs (thanks to Aunt Shea!), but we're still having trouble with loud noises.

Elijah is getting bigger by the day. He's excited to start homeschooling in the next couple of months.

Tomorrow I will be going on a girls night out to celebrate my friend March's birthday. We're trying out Cosmic Cafe which we're pretty thrilled about. We've heard very good things about this restaurant which is all vegetarian. Pretty spiffy stuff. Hopefully, March will like her gift since it is another baking thing and that woman has EVERY baking thing known to man...or woman.

I heart Skip Hop

2009-04-22T13:48:00.000-07:00

My birthday and Mother's Day is coming up and I'm shopping for a new diaper bag as a potential gift for myself. I've been looking around at several different brands, but I keep coming back to my favorite. Skip Hop is the bomb! Seriously, have you checked out their line of bags? They have so many that you're bound to find one that fits your lifestyle and that fits where your baby is in terms of how much stuff you need. You know what I mean...when baby is teeny then you need blankies, extra outfits, diapers, wipes, paci's, toys, band aids, disinfecting wipes, extra clothes for you, and the myriad of other things that are essential to you and your baby's health. Or maybe it's just me that thinks that you need to bring the house with you when you take the baby anywhere. Either way, I have found that Skip Hop always has what I need when I need it.

We own several items from the Skip Hop brand that we have either purchased or very luckily won. I had a Dash that I grew out of and gave to a friend. It was streamlined, attractive, and roomy. It had so many pockets that I could organize everything to my hearts content. I was also able to keep my wallet and phone separated from the baby's things so that my essentials were easy to find. The front flap was magnetic which was awesome and it hung great on my stroller without being bulky.

Two of my absolute favorite items from Skip Hop are the Saddle Bag and the Pronto. The Saddle Bag hangs on the side of my stroller and holds our snacks and emergency disposable changing pads. I also have one in the car that holds more emergency snacks and a small medical case because you never know when the hunger bug will bite or when someone will get a skinned knee. My boys always seem to be tripping over something that we go through a lot of Band Aids. I also keep a Pronto near me. I keep some diapers and wipes and a onesie for the baby in it and that's it. That's all I need. It's perfect for when I just need to run to the store or walk to the park. It has just enough room for the essentials. This helps keep the clutter down. My hubby likes it because he feels it's manly enough for him and he can throw it in the bottom of the stroller and go on his way without the 10 million "unnecessary" things that I keep in my diaper bag.

The bag that I'm using right now is the Duo Double. This thing is like the mother of all diaper bags. It's huge and I love it. We use cloth diapers and this is the best diaper bag that I have found for it. I recommend it to all of my cd-ing friends. I have room for dipes for both kids, my wet bag, wipes, wallet, and everything else I need. Literally, everything else. I cannot stress how awesome this bag is. It's got enough pockets that I can have things compartmentalized no problem, so everything is findable. Having things easy to find is essential when you have three kids ages 4 and under. The bag easily fits over the handles of most double strollers and hangs neatly. It's got these cool clips that allow you to clip the bag itself around the handle bars of strollers so the bag doesn't hang to the ground or drag. You can wear the bag as a shoulder bag, tote, or messenger style bag. I'm short (5 ft) so I like to wear it as a messenger bag and it's easy to move the bag around to my back with no shoulder or back pain. I love this bag!

I'm looking to move on to a more chic diaper bag and I'm leaning towards the Studio tote or City Chic. Both are posh and easy to dress up or down. They're both roomy and the price is comparable. I'm still deciding and of course, I need to hint to hubby that a new diaper bag is on his horizon. I'll let you know which one I decide on and of course, I'll be sure give you the low down on it.

Back again

2009-04-18T21:38:00.001-07:00

So we're going to try this blogging thing again. I have been seriously neglectful and I apologize to my blog. So sorry blog. On to another note, we recently got back from a super vacation in California. We decided to pack up and spend a month in Cali. Before you ask, the kids were wonderful during the drive. They were super troopers and I was so proud and so relieved. Thank goodness for the DVD player built into the car. It was a life saver. We had a million snacks also so stuffed faces plus lots of movies equal a non-stressful 8 hours of driving. Yay!

I recently went to another MetroMom's event. Another wonderful Best and Hottest! I have to say that I thought this was the best one ever. All of the products were fabulous. The food was good, the company good, and the wine was good. Plus we got goody bags and an awesome prize to take home. The night could not be any better. I took home a brand new product from Mama Mio called Bootcamp for Tummies. Actually, I haven't taken it home yet because it's not even finished in production! I will have one of the very first ones off the assembly line! How cool is that! I am so excited I can hardly stand it. Good bye jelly belly, hello bikini! Okay, I'm not sure it'll work well enough that I can wear a bikini, but I know that the products will be fabulous because I've used Mama Mio products regularly before and I know their stuff works. I have been dared to take before and after pictures and I will do so. Partly because I can't often refuse a dare and partly because I know there's going to be drastic improvement and I will want to show off the results. I used Mama Mio's Boob Tube while pregnant with Miss Thing and after about 2 months of using the lotion, I went and bought 2 push up bras from Victoria's Secret! Mind you, this was my third pregnancy and I nursed children with these breasts and the product worked so well I had to show my girls off! Anyways, you should check out the Metromom's event calendar since they have a lot of cool events coming up. Next Saturday is an Earth Day celebration at the Dream Cafe in Addison which will be lots of fun.

http://www.metroplexbaby.com/

2009-02-20T08:44:00.000-08:00

The days are flying by and our move out day seems to be staring me in the face. Everyone keeps asking if I'm excited and I admit it...I am not. I'm so busy being worried about moving out and getting this house cleaned and everything that I cannot think past the next week. Yes, I know we're going to California. I'm going to see my best friend and her new baby. We're taking the kids to LegoLand Aquarium (which is a secret surprise for my preschooler!)...but I just cannot be too excited about it. I just want to get through the next week.

Colds, coughs, and mucous, OH MY!

2009-02-18T15:31:00.001-08:00

Well, all three of my kiddos are sick and I'm tired! We're in the middle of packing up our home in order to store in so we can go on vacation and then move into our new home when we return and the kids being sick are a blessing and nuisance. Amira is of course the worst off since she's the baby and can't take any medicine so she's been miserable for days now. And the poor thing can't nurse since her nose is stuffy and doesn't want to eat regular food because she just doesn't feel good. She is so hungry and miserable and I feel so bad for her. She has been falling asleep on me the last couple of days so this sick thing isn't all bad. :) The boys have been sitting in front of the tv for HOURS which I hate, but is actually nice since I'm getting some good packing done. Only the kitchen, a bookcase, and some odds and ends are left! Woo-Hoo!

We've been using some natural remedy type things for the kids colds that have been working really well. We recently got a shipment of Sinupret for kids to try and man, does it work! This is the third cold this season that the boys have gotten and I can definitely see a difference in the length and severity of the colds when the boys take it. Their coughs and runny noses are less and they haven't had fevers or sleep loss from not feeling good. There has been a few majorly blowed noses when a sneeze occurs, but we have our trusty Boogie Wipes for those messes! These are the coolest things ever. I always keep a pack in my diaper bag and I buy them in bulk. Seriously. Amira doesn't mind them either and that's important when wrestling an 8 month old so I can wipe her nose. The boys love the grape scented ones, but I usually buy the regular scent because I get overwhelmed by the grapeness of the grape ones. Plus I worry that Amira will try to eat them since they smell so good. The Boogie Moms have recently come out with a menthol scent that I'm dying to try, but haven't gotten around to ordering some yet. My local Wal-Mart only carries the regular scent. I have to say that I also use boogie wipes for diaper changes in a pinch too. The wipes are really big and I have had disgusting blow outs that have been cleaned up with only 2 of the boogie wipes. Not too shabby.

Best and Hottest was the best and hottest!

2009-01-23T09:32:00.000-08:00

I had an amazing day yesterday! My father took the boys for the whole weekend! So it's just my little monkey girl with me. My wonderful friend March took me out to lunch and then we went to see a movie. Yes! A movie in a movie theater! LOL, lame, I know but we were so excited. We saw Revolutionary Road and I don't want to give away the movie, but it was shocking. Such good acting and an amazing cast! But the end result was shocking.

After all of that goodness I had the Best and Hottest event from Metroplex Baby. I came home with a goody bag worth more than $85 and a cool new gadget. It's a first aid computer thing that has all these ailments in it and you tell it what's wrong and it tells you either how to fix it or how to fix it enough until an ambulance can come. It is so awesome and I want to carry it in my purse because I'm neurotic and I know it. Our goody bags were amazing as I said. I got full size hair products as well as limited edition make up items from Bed Head. The kids got some cool little plate sets and bottles...just all kinds of stuff. I'm especially excited about my Mommy Hook which would have come in handy at the movies yesterday because my handbag hooks broke. Now I have a heavy duty hangbag holder so I will never have that problem again. I love MetroMom events!!! You can find out about them at: www.metroplexbaby.com. They have really informative luncheons and super fun events for the kids. A little something for everybody.

2009-01-12T20:40:00.001-08:00

What a wonderful life! I made my second "from scratch" pie crust and it was my first delicious one. How wonderful for my taste buds! How awful for my waistline! My very dear friend March kindly came over and showed me how to whip up an apple caramel pie all from scratch and it was so fun and so rewarding. I think I'm in love (with this baking thing). March has also talked me into entering the Pillsburry cooking/baking contest. Get this...the grand prize winner gets a million dollars! Holy cow! Can you imagine a million dollar cookie? Or a million dollar breakfast roll? It's amazing to even think about. Not that I think I have a chance to win, but how fun to try. I think I will be tagging along with March to these cooking competitions if she'll have me.

I've also started to bake breads quite often. I made a to die for challah with raisins. I was so impressed with myself. I looked at my hands and said "hands...you must be taking lessons while I'm asleep". Of course, I have my trusty bread machine to whip out the bread dough! LOL, I love technology. Anyways, I've started to bake with sprouted wheat flour and it's a learning experience. The bread comes out dense and chewy but not really practical for sandwiches and such. HMMM...maybe something more everyday-ish for...well everyday.

I'll have to post pics of my culinary adventures. Of course that means I'll have to get off my butt and upload the pics from my camera. I think I'll save that for another day.

A new year!

2009-01-04T08:58:00.000-08:00

It's 2009 and I can't be more excited. We have an amazing family trip coming up and lots of outings planned. Israel is talking in (mostly) sentences! Woo-hoo! We are coming out of the cave man phase! And I love smelling his little head...he's so yummy.

Amira got attacked by a window trim yesterday. It fell from a second story window and clipped her thumb and knee. Thank goodness she wasn't leaning forward or it would have gotten her in the head or face. As it is she has a skinned, swollen thumb and a gouge in her knee. It looks like a smile on her knee. My poor little baby will probably get her first scar from this. And then my landlord came over to see the problem and said that it was hard to believe that this thing fell by itself. Are you kidding me? This window is almost to the ceiling of a 2 story house on a support wall with nothing near it. He's always on the edge of being a bad landlord.

Elijah put together half of his gifts from Christmas. He's so smart and a problem solver. I can hear the boys downstairs hammering at stuff. They got a little workbench from my friend Amber and they've been building stuff for two days now.

I made my very first homemade pie crust! It was not bad...but neither was it delicious. Which is all I can ask for. I was thankful it didn't taste like paste! I made a free form fruit tart with it and filled it with peaches, cranberries, and blueberries. Yummy! I was so proud that none of the fruit fell out since I was worried I might not have rolled it out big enough. I just piled all that fruit in the middle and folded the edges over and threw it in the oven. I can feel an obsession coming on! I am determined to make a good pie crust. Plus, since the tarts are filled to bursting with fruit...well, it can't be that bad right? Right.

A new Best and Hottest event from Metroplex Baby is coming up and I'm hoping that I will be able to go. Mike is going to a concert that same night and I really want him to see the artist so I'm going to give up my MNO if I can't get a sitter. He is going to see KRS-One and he is stoked. I'm crossing my fingers that I get a good number at the Best and Hottest. Last time I got the last number (98), but I still got a wonderful prize! A Queen of Sheba doll from Madame Alexander! She is beautiful and even Mike liked her since she had the Lion of Judah on her and she's from Ethiopia. How perfect for this family! If you've never been to a MetroMom event then you need to go. They have the most fun, wonderful events in the D/FW area. Tickets are usually reasonable since they include lunch for the mom and we always get goody bags! I'm a sucker for goody bags.

A barrel of monkeys need to be emptied and played with so I am off to do my duty!

Fabulous exhaustion

2008-12-25T22:20:00.000-08:00

Oh, how this year has flown by. Can you believe today was Christmas? What a wonderfully exhausting day.

Elijah woke up as early as usual and was disappointed to have to wait for his brother to wake up before diving into presents. As soon as he heard stirrings he was racing upstairs to get his little bro up and out of bed. Up jumps mommy to rescue her crying monkey. Down we run when we hear daddy stir. The chaos ensues. Paper was everywhere and the boys barely got done looking at one present before they moved on to another. Funnily, Israel got so excited with his Diego rescue buggy that he had no more interest in opening any more presents. Of course, he wanted nothing to do with his new clothes or his new shoes. In fact he was very insulted that we even bought him new shoes because he loves his Diego shoes. "Go, go", he says. Mike thought his lowrider K'Nex set was awesome and thankfully, HE liked the shoes I got him. What can I say? Your priorities change as you age! LOL

My lovely husband got me a sweet smoky eye makeup set with a tutorial since I have mentioned that I can't do my makeup super fancy like in magazine pictures. And as an added bonus, I got a gift card to Sephora which is one of my favorite stores! Sweetness! However, I will not be braving the mall for a few days so I will have to wait to peruse the golden aisles of face candy. I prefer not to be trampled while I shop. Isn't it so sad that being trampled is conceivably a literal danger these days?

The rest of the day was spent with Mike's family and their family which was lovely, but exhausting. I completely pigged out and had a tummy ache...but was totally worth it. Super sweet tea and chocolate cake all the way baby! Amira got several cute outfits and one yellow and white dress in particular was absolutely beautiful! We have all decided that shopping for little girls is so much fun!

Oh...it's 12:30 AM on the 26th and that means it's my mother's birthday. Happy birthday mom. I love you and miss you every day.

Missing you

2008-12-18T14:06:00.001-08:00

My boys went to my father's house today and while I miss them, I can't help but breath a sigh of relief. I need a little relax and rejuvinating time. Plus I would like the one on one time with my Amira. She is trying to type along with me and I'm spending almost as much time deleting letters as I am typing them.

I know the boys love going to their Grumps and Nanne's house and I know they are well taken care of, but I always feel like I don't know what to do with myself. Should I sleep or read a book? Or go to the mall and actually get to spend time in stores that I want to go in? But if I go to the mall then I'll want to spend money and that's not a good idea right now. Hm...

I guess I will work on my first major sewing project: a Christmas dress for Amira. Elijah picked out the material and I'm lining it with soft, fluffy flannel so it's a little warmer for her. I've made pillowcase dresses, blankies, and one nursing cover so hopefully this won't be too hard. However, I've never used an actual pattern and I'm slightly intimidated.

I'm also really excited to start learning about eating raw. While this may not be an "all the time, every day" thing for us, I think it will be really healthy and fun to learn about. We try to not eat a lot of meat so this is a natural kind of direction for our family to take. Is it just me that thinks it's disgusting to eat meat off a bone? Blah.

Argh! Amira is trying really hard to help me type so I need to change activities...

Free Sinupret Giveaway!

2008-12-18T10:56:00.000-08:00

I received this e-mail today and am so excited to try this product! I currently give my children crushed echinacea in water or Emergen-C when they have colds. The crushed echinacea is so gross and my boys are troopers when they take it, but now there's Sinupret which is 100% natural and organic AND cherry flavored. I will be receiving some of this product for free and so can you.

Here's how:

Are you curious about safe alternatives to OTC children's cold and cough products?

If you answered YES, then we want you to start a buzz in DFW about Sinupret for Kids (and pick up some freebies for yourself)!

What is Sinupret for Kids Syrup?
· A scientifically tested, 100% plant-based, organic and gluten-free remedy, safe and nontoxic for children ages 2 -11 which supports healthy sinuses, respiratory functions, and immune systems
· Now available in the US, Sinupret for Kids has been recommended by German physicians more than 3,500,000 times to their patients. Dr. Sears, renowned pediatrician and best-selling author endorses it and uses it on his own children

If this product excites you and you are willing to give 30 FREE wellness kits to friends, family, co-workers who live in the DFW area at a predetermined time contact Nicole today to qualify as an Influencer!

**There is NO selling, no follow-up, no need to keep track of anything.
Once you qualify, you will also receive your own FREE amazing eco-friendly gift bag including samples and offers; children's goodies; free copy of the "The Healthiest Kid in the Neighborhood" by Dr Sears, and exclusive access to Dr. Sears (information forthcoming).

Please email nicole.liebnick@grow-productions.com for more information about this product. Please also tell her that I told you about this promotion so she knows I'm trying to do my part to help!

Introduction to blogging!

2008-12-11T19:50:00.000-08:00

I've been having so much fun blogging for Crunchy Bunch that I thought I'd start a personal blog for myself. Genius idea right?

So here's an update on family life so far...

Amira is rolling all over the place and starting to sit up on her own. She will be 6 months old in a matter of days and I can't believe it. How quickly time flies. Everytime I look into her eyes I am blown away by her beauty. And I'm not just talking about how absolutely adorable she is. She has the most beautiful personality. She is so happy and so easy going. She wakes up a few times at night to eat, but she never screams. Just slightly disgruntled cries and very quickly nurses and passes right back out. She's been rolling over since she was 3 months old and now is sitting up at 5 months. Luckily she never had colic and we are almost out of the danger zone for SIDS with no problems. What a wonderful way to end my "baby days".

Israel is a little 2 year old rascal. He is currently on a food strike, but I am hoping that it won't last long. It's already been 2 days so he should start eating more again soon. We shaved his head a few weeks ago and his handsome little face is revealed! He has the biggest, most sparkly long lashed eyes I have ever seen. He looks like a little Who from Who-ville. Israel likes to play tricks and the toy of obession at this point in time is anything Star Wars (or as he says "War Wars!").

Elijah got a letter from Santa today and couldn't believe it! His face got red from blushing and was so excited. He loves getting mail and everyday asks if he got any. How cute is that? We do craft time every week and I get so impressed with his craftiness. Jah can draw so well and we're so proud of him everytime he cranks out a drawing. Our fridge is about to topple over from the weight of his art hanging on it!

We got the word that our landlord wants his house back so we are starting the hunt for a new house. So annoying and SO stressful...and expensive. We would really like to find a place where we wouldn't have to move for a few years. That shouldn't be hard right? Wrong. It's so hard to pack and move and unpack a house. Especially when you have 3 kids underfoot. And it never seems to fail that after a year or two, people want to raise the rent on you. Then you have to pack up and move again in order to keep the same rent payment. I'd also like to find a place where the landlord wouldn't mind me gardening in their backyard. I'd like to plant veggies or something with Elijah. What a good homeschooling lesson! But, of course, people don't want you tearing up their yard. Anyways, I could rant about renting all day long. We will move on. (ha, ha, literally!)

Mike and I will have been together 6 years in January. It's crazy how time flies. We're trying to weather this economic crisis that America is finding itself in. Hopefully it won't affect us too much, but we''ve definitely been seeing a decline in appointments. It's a hard time for everyone right now. *shrug* What can you do but keep on trucking? Anyways, I am really excited to move forward in the next phase of my life. I am excited about being able to give my kids my undivided attentions and watch them grow. When I was pregnant I always felt so tired that I couldn't always get down and play with them when they wanted. Or do craft time or go for walks. Now I know I can do whatever they want (within reason) and not have to worry about having to pee or other pregnant related stuff like that. YAY!

My fingers are now tired so I will sign off and save some for another day!