May 14, 2009
I’M MOVING
I’ve got a new home at:
Maintaining numerous blogs is too much work! Time to clean house and consolidate. All my future posts about mommyhood, style, money, parenting, products and more will now be at MommyTriedIt.com.
Hope to see you there!
May 13, 2009
Taking Baby Out = Complaints & Cries
Taking Baby out–shopping, restaurants, errands, etc.–used to be easy. We’d haul her around in her car seat or in the Ergo carrier. Most of the time she’d fall asleep. Sometimes she’d just look at her surroundings. If given a binkie, she was usually pretty quiet.
But not now. Oh no.
Now she turns into a screaming mess within minutes of sitting down in a restaurant. Various things will placate her for short periods of time: gooey finger foods, sippy cups, new toys, etc. But none of these provide entertainment for longer than a few minutes. These days, I can’t make it halfway through my meal before Baby starts to have a meltdown.
The same is true when shopping. I used to strap Baby in the stroller with a toy and binkie, and she’d be quiet and content for most of the shopping trip. I’d be able to browse a bookstore or even try on clothes. But not now. Instead, within minutes of entering a store, Baby starts fussing and crying and whining in her stroller. Nothing appeases her.
Any experienced mommies have any advice? Is this a stage that she’ll outgrow? Or should I resign myself to a life of take-out and Internet shopping instead of restaurant meals and mall stores?
May 12, 2009
Looking Dowdy?
My “fashion” (if it can be called that) has frustrated me so much lately… makes me just want to go back to my ol’ standard of blue jeans and black tees. It might have been boring, but it was safe.
I admit that my wardrobe in my BC life showed a lot of skin. Mostly cleavage, but sometimes leg. You know how some women look sexy in a plain, conservative sheath dress? Not me. I’ve never been able to master the covered-but-sexy look.
Now that I am living AC, I’m trying to cut back on the skin show. But when I’m covered, I feel matronly and dowdy… such as in this outfit:
Seriously. I feel like I have “frumpy mom” written across my forehead. Is it the too-long skirt? The “mom” twinset? The flat sandals? (Yes, heels might have spiced up this outfit. But I was headed out to church and lunch with a baby, which means diaper bag, booster seat, etc. Plus baby. I needed flats.)
I do think it was more flattering with the sweater open, like this:
So what do you think? Should I just toss this twinset into the trash now?
May 11, 2009
Organizing My Bags
(Sounds almost dirty, doesn’t it? Organizing my bags.)
As an organizational freak who loves simplicity, my life is basically bags, pouches, boxes and baskets. If it will store something or organize something, I have to own it. Hubby thinks I have an addiction problem when it comes to baskets, plastic bins and canvas bags. Organizing my purse/handbag to ensure my life stays as easy as possible has been a big challenge lately. But I think I’ve finally arrived at a solution. Here are my two secondary bags and their various contents:
BIG BAG (Skip Hop Diaper Tote): This attractive diaper tote contains all of Baby’s needs, including multiple changes of clothes, thin blanket, diapers, wipes, creams, lotions, toys, binkies, snacks, sippy cups, hat, washcloths, tissues, etc.
SMALL BAG (Aurielle-Carryland Shoulder Bag): This small shoulder bag contains just the bare necessities for Baby, including two dipes, a small pack of travel wipes, and a couple of disposable changing pads.
My primary bag is a WRISTLET that contains mommy’s essentials, including wallet, grocery store cards, epi-pen, and pouch containing Swiss Army Knife, mini flashlight, lip balm, and other small personal items. This is a must have when leaving the house.
I’ve decided that this type of arrangement best suits my needs. If I’m running out on quickie errand–like a short trip to the local supermarket–I just toss my wristlet into my small bag and I have all the essentials for me and Baby.
On the other hand, if I’m out for a full day–such as playgroup, lunch and shopping–then I put the wristlet into my big bag and head out the door with everything I might possibly need to keep Baby happy and comfortable for hours.
So now there’s no need for me to switch around a bunch of stuff whenever I’m changing bags, and there’s no need for me to always be grabbing diapers from the nursery and packing them into a purse. With this system, I have two bags from which to choose: a quick errand bag and an all-day bag. The only thing I have to switch around is my personal purse (the small wristlet). Everything else is already packed and ready to go, and that’s how I like it. Easy. Simple.
May 9, 2009
Did I finally find the *perfect* bag?
Maybe. Maybe.
It feels perfect.
Lots of mommies are fans of Skip Hop diaper bags. They’re reasonably priced for the quality (I own their Saddlebag), but they only have one or two styles that look more like a purse and less like a diaper bag.
And if I spend too much $$ on another bag, Hubby will probably cut up my credit card.
Then I found the Spark by Skip Hop Scoop Tote Diaper Bag. It cost $35, which is a very reasonable price for a bag. Some of the best features: attractive, lightweight, metal feet, lots of pockets, and stroller straps for hanging on stroller handle. One con is that the quality isn’t the best… it’s not the same nice quality as a regular Skip Hop bag. I suspect that, with daily use, this bag will need replaced in 6 months or so. But by that point I’ll probably want a different bag anyway!
This is a big bag, in my opinion, bigger than I usually carry… but unfortunately it’s the size I need right now (especially since I am starting to tote around snacks and sippy cups). Below is my video review of the bag, and it includes all the stuff I currently have packed in this bag.
Why do empire tops make me look preggers?
I’m a classic “apple,” so I carry any extra pudge in my midsection. When I’m down to my ‘fighting’ weight, I prefer tops that hug my body and show off my curves. But AC, my belly never recovered. So I’ve been resorting to empire shirts in an effort to hide my tummy flab.
Yet, for some reason, these shirts always make me look about 6 months pregnant!
What do you think? Anyone have a suggestion for a shirt that will disguise a tummy without adding volume? (I sometimes wear structured button-down shirts, but they always make me feel a bit stuffy…)
May 7, 2009
Just call me the “bag lady”
Seriously. I am still obsessing over the “perfect” Baby & Mommy bag.
Although my last choice was acceptable for a short period of time, it quickly became overstuffed. These days, I need to carry more than just a diaper and a package of wipes. I also must carry a variety of toys to keep Baby’s interest, as well as snacks. And I see sippy cups in the near future, too…
I figure I have two choices:
- Find a mid-size purse for my stuff plus the bare essentials–dipe & wipes–for Baby, plus carry a bigger diaper bag for all the other Baby stuff
- Find a new, bigger bag that will fit everything for me and Baby
I told Hubby that my problem is simply this: I prefer to travel with the smallest bag possible, but I also want to carry enough stuff to be prepared for almost any situation.
It’s starting to look as if I’m going to have to carry a diaper bag as my main purse, mostly because of the awesome organizational features of most diaper bags (Hooray for pockets!). But I absolutely HATE this idea, because diaper bags are typically clunky, ugly, heavy and big. I am currently exploring options, but haven’t found an awesome standout contender yet.
May 4, 2009
Traveling With Baby
In a few weeks I will be traveling with Baby… my first time ever away from the house for more than a few hours.
I am already obsessed about the various aspects of Babyhood outside of the convenient (and carefully Baby-planned) layout of my home. So far I’ve worried about…
- Sleeping arrangements (How will Baby sleep in Pack N Play?)
- Finding and making organic homemade baby food
- Washing/drying Baby clothes
- The consequences of too much disposable diaper use
- My lack of control over other people’s behavior (What if someone eats peanut butter and then touches Baby’s lips?)
- Security/safety (What if we travel through bad neighborhoods?)
I guess I am kind of a worrywart.
Ok… I am a super big worrywart. But this is mostly because I am a control freak, so I worry about all the stuff I can’t control (which happens to be almost everything in life).
Off too worry some more…
April 29, 2009
“Mommy’s Helper”
I am planning an engagement party for my brother and his fiancee. This week is “crunch” week, and I’ve got a ton of stuff to do (make favors, cook food, make decorations, etc.). So today I hired a “Mommy’s Helper” for 3 hours.
She’s actually my (very responsible) 18-year-old niece. Mostly her job entailed keeping Baby entertained while I did party prep, but she also helped me do some of the favors when Baby took a short nap.
The cost? I paid her $10 per hour, which is pretty steep for a “Mommy’s Helper.” But I trust my niece, and I wanted Baby to get used to her in case we use my niece as a real babysitter in the future.
From Shots to Sugar Cookies 