Oh Mommy Daze

This one is more for fun and for thought. A list of 11 things you could only learn by actually being a Mom (even though you were warned before).

1) How painful labor really is. Some have a a hard time during labor and most have a horrible time during labor - I fell into the hard time category (thank God)

2) I will never ever again eat a hot home cooked meal.

3) Being a working Mom I do miss some major milestones but it's still just as great seeing it when I get home!

4) Babies go through lots, and lots AND LOTS of clothing, very quickly. It needs to be washed constantly and bought constantly.

5) Getting anywhere on time is basically impossible.

6) After a while you'll start talking in baby unexpectedly - say to a coworker, your significant other, or even a stranger in a checkout line. And the most embarrassing part is 80% of the time you wont even know you've done it.

7) What's eating healthy?

8) My body will NEVER look the same after giving birth.

9) There is no such thing as a "night off" I am constantly thinking about and missing my son no matter where I am. In fact - I don't really want a night off!

10) I can survive exactly 4 months without 7 hours of consecutive sleep - then I need 7 hours of uninterrupted sleep or I'll be one mean lady.

11) My entire world was turned right side up the moment my son was born - best feeling in the world - and it gets better every day.

What have ya'll come to realize being a Mommy?

Love,

PlusPeace

Lyrics for the Walls

Bear and I (unfortunately) share a room. I am doing a total room makeover in a month or so and started designing some wall art made with my favorite children's songs! I am anticipating these to be really really cute and hopefully they will turn out like I want.

I have two ideas:

1) Use cutouts and soft pictures out of magazines to make a collage and then putting the lyrics on top.

2) Painting little watercolor pictures and putting the lyrics on the paintings.

I am leaning toward option 2 although I have no idea how I am at watercolors...hopefully good!

Here are some of the lines from song's I plan to use (I'll have to narrow it down to two or three):

"You'll be my little man, You'll be my lady, You'll be my funny little buddy, Hey hey pretty baby" -Woody Guthrie's Whose My Pretty Baby

"It went 'zip' when it moved and 'bop' when it stopped, and 'whirrr' when it stood still, I never knew what it was and I guess I never will" - Peter, Paul and Mary's The Marvelous Toy

One of each line on this one: "I've got peace like a river in my soul - I've got love like the ocean in my soul - I've got joy like a fountain in my soul - I've got love like a river in my soul" - Elizabeth Mitchell's Peace like a River

"I've gotta shake, shake, shake my sillies out, Shake, shake shake my sillies out, Shake, shake, shake my sillies out, And wiggle my waggles away!" - Raffi's Shake the Sillies Out

"I love you so dearly, I love you so fearlessly, I wake up in the morning so early, Just to tell you" - The Be Good Tanyas' Littlest Birds Sing the Prettiest Songs

That's what I've got so far. Any suggestions are totally welcome. When I have one made I'll post a picture!

Love,

PlusPeace

SPRING!

It's time to cycle clothing again...ugh! Sadly the Goodwill's and Salvation Army's around me do not carry a lot of boys baby clothing (weird) so I've been hunting in Walmart and the clearance sections at Target. Not only is spring here but Easter is just around the corner! Amazing isn't it?

I thought I'd share my thoughts about what to put in an Easter basket for a "First Easter" I know I've already used the Weebles excuse at Christmas but I ended up not getting the Weebles at Christmas because I thought they would make way better Easter basket stuffers - due to their egg-like shape.

So I got:

-4 pack of Weebles (I opened and played with them already when Bear went to bed...they needed a test run)

-4 pack of Playskool Little People. Avoid the one with the girl, boy, nurse and police man. The boy is angry, I mean pissed! He has red hair, a frowny face and angry eyebrows. I accidentally bought this one so I am trying to figure out how to scratch off the eyebrows (nail polish remover maybe? Thoughts welcome)

-Bath toys (if I squish them they fit into 'dinosaur' Easter eggs I found at Shaws)

-My First Bible (got the idea from a friend on WTE - Thanks!)

-Treats! Thinking of animal crackers or yogurt covered rasins...or yogurt covered animal crackers...hehe something home-made probably.

I haven't decided if I am going to get a basket he can reuse every year or do something creative this year and use a summer beach pail (I live on the beach) I think that could be kinda cute.

What are you guys doing for easter (if it is celebrated in your household) I don't know about any of you but I am pumped for ham! Mmmmm...feaster!

Love,

PlusPeace

Wowzers!

I have been so busy this week! I currently have no kitchen so we've been switching between going out and cooking in my bedroom - FUN...not. Sorry I haven't posted anything good in a few weeks. Something spectacular is coming very soon!

For my winner - I've been working on your package it will be coming very soon!! =]

Love,

PlusPeace

Oh, Poop!

Constipation-eek! It was terrifying and heartbreaking to see my son so unhappy this past Sunday. I think the number one thing when dealing with constipation is to see what's changed in your baby's diet in the past 3-4 days (depending on how long it's been since the last...you know...stinky) If there has been a recent diet change then that is most likely the cause of constipation (no, I am no doctor but I am basing this on what little experience I have) If it's not too bad here are some steps to try:

-Warm Apple-Prune juice - Gerber makes a small 4oz bottle sold in most grocery stores, so you don't have to buy a giant thing of prune juice. I know warm juice just sounds nasty but it seems to have helped. A tip: Don't overdue the prune juice or you'll have a baby with a tummy-ache and poop everywhere!

-When he cries hold him to your chest upright (gravity can only help at this point) or lay him on his back and rub his tummy counter-clockwise. Trust me the screams and pushes are really sad but there is not too too much you can do.

-Keep your baby in loose clothing - jeans and tight waisted pants are a bad idea. A onesie or romper work best. Also give your baby room to wiggle. Lay a blanket on the floor for tummy rubbing for example.

-If you know what is causing the block, STOP feeding it to your baby. In my case it was a new kind of formula, I immediately went out and got the old kind.

-If the problem doesn't seem to go away in 12hrs or there is something that should not be in the diaper when the time finally comes, it's time to call the pediatrician and they may tell you to use a laxative. But don't use one without your pediatrician's recommendation (Children's Laxatives are recommended for children 2+)

I hope none of you have to experience this, but if you do, I hope this helps!

Love,

PlusPeace

Winner!

And the winner is.....

#20 Rebecca Polsgrove!

Please send me a comment with your email address and I will email you with details! Congratulations and thanks everyone for participating!!! I'll have another giveaway up soon.

Assigned Numbers!

Hi Everyone!

I have the numbers and Bear will choose a winner tomorrow. I typed these exactly as the names appear to me:

1-Angela

2-Kathy Simpson

3-Kenya Hall

4-Kristyna!

5-Christina

6-Jenna Mollan

7-Sandibaker

8-Miranda Pennock

9-Lydia Sparks

10-Christina Maddox

11-Sara D

12-Mason Family

13-Kelly

14-Katie

15-Brajee

16-Kara

17-Weisbeck

18-Brenda Slosek

19-N Toohey

20-Rebecca Polsgrove

21-Michelle

22-Laurie W

On March 14th, Bear will stick his sticky hand in and the number that sticks to his hand when he pulls it out will be the winner!! I will post the person's name or screen name (whichever is visible to me) on March 14th, 2011. That person must comment on the blog (this verifies that it's really the right person)saying "I'm the winner!" and email me,hmpeterson@maine.rr.com by March 20th, 2011. In the subject line please put "Giveaway winner" with your screen name/real name. In the email I will need your shipping name and address, what size shoe your baby wear, and if you would like boy or girl baby kicks. For the "Personalized Surprise Gift for Mom" you will need to tell me a little about your style (what colors you like, favorite outfit, anything about you!)

eek!

I have to go to Boston this weekend but I'll be back to assign numbers on Sunday and winner will be pulled on Monday! Thank you for your patience and participation ladies!!

Love,

PlusPeace

Rice Cereal Galore!

This post was inspired by a friend who recommended this to me! Baby Cereal Pancakes - who would have thought?!

Here is the how to:

1/2 Cup baby oatmeal (or barley or rice)

1/2 Cup flour

1/2 Cup Milk

1/2 Cup Apple Sauce

1/2 Cup Apple Juice

Pinch of Cinnamon

Mix it all together to make a batter and heat a skillet on medium high. Add batter in small amounts and flip when bubbles come through. You'll have silver dollar pancakes for the whole fam!

If you want to eat these as a mom treat later you can refrigerate, pop into the toaster and add a dollop of nutella on top for added yup!

Serves great with bananas or yogurt.

After some research, I also found that Rice Cereal can be used in almost any recipe that requires rice flour! Also as a soup/stew thickener, to make teething crackers and to add a little nutrition to your day, you too can eat it for breakfast =]

Enjoy,

PlusPeace

1st Birthday Bash!

So I see a lot of mom's with babies born around my son's age are starting to think about first birthday bash plans! Many of us don't have a ton of time (or energy) to plan a huge extravaganza. I thought I'd share some ideas with all of you!

Planning a party/picking a date -

Something to take into consideration is who you want to invite (how large the party will be) and how many of them will be traveling. I wouldn't jump to send out invitations quite yet but if you have a lot of guests use a social networking site that many of your guests use (yup...facebook) and make a private event saying "save the date!" with just the date and maybe a cute picture of your baby. Wait until 3 weeks before the planned party to send out your invites.

Location -

A public park with a playground, the beach, you (or a relative's) house or backyard are all great ideas for a 1st Birthday. I wouldn't go all out booking a children's play-land, hall or a room at the YMCA. There will be alot going on as is than worrying about reservations.

Picking a theme -

Yes, it's your baby's very first birthday and it will be a memorable one no matter what but don't waste a good theme like pirates, princesses or a kids movie - they will want to pick those themes at an older age. Here are my suggestions:

Gender Neutral

Primary Colors - Red, blue and yellow plates, forks and napkins are easy to find. For a cake make a small round cake for baby red frosting, blue writing and yellow candle (see below for my cake theory) and a bunch of cupcakes for guests with frosting in primary colors. If you want to do an activity for the older kids at the party do a bean bag toss or twister!

Boy

Summer Bugs - This is Bear's birthday theme. I am making a little layer cake that looks like a wagon for Bear and little cupcakes for the guests that look like grass with cute little bugs. Blue table cloth with green plates and forks. I'll have a red wagon for presents to go in and doing pictures in the wagon for all the kids.

Girl

Little Cupcake - Have a large cupcake for baby and little dainty cupcakes with light pink frosting on doilies for the guests. Ivory tablecloth with pink cups, plates and forks. Have everything be pink and pretty (or use purple) The older kids can decorate their own cupcake with gel coloring.

baby's first birthday will be all about cute pictures and memories. I have an idea that baby should have his own little cake because who doesn't love seeing a picture of a little one year old with handfulls of cake and a huge frosting covered grin. Let him go wild with his own little cake while you or a friend go crazy with the camera.

For the food (conveniently) Bear is born in the early summer months when the air is sweet and warm. A BBQ is a wonderful idea cut up chicken ahead of time and put in freezer baggies with marinade. Depending on how far in advance you make them you can either freeze them or refrigerate until you're ready. Also dice peppers and onions and freeze as well. When you cook this you can either skewer for kabobs (easy for guests to grab) or just cook in tinfoil on the grill. Burgers and dogs are fun but a pain in the butt to keep up with when there are a bunch of hungry guests. Potato salad is also easy to make ahead of time and a big bowl of punch or lemonade and water will do fine for drinks. Some good flavor to add to skewers are button mushrooms and greek olives - yum!

This is all pretty simple, still easier said then done but it's nice to have an outline of what's going to happen ahead of time.

Good luck and feel free to post suggestions!

Remember to apply for my Nifty Thrifty Giveaway (deadline to follow is this Friday) To follow click the link on the right and follow the directions!

Love,

PlusPeace

Play Groups!

I've confronted the fact that I simply can not hold Bear back because I can't be there for everything. He went to his first Bouncing Babies Playgroup at my local Library today and (according to his Popy) had a blast! He even met a baby girl born on the same day as him!

Some of us work full time, some part time and some are stay at home moms, no matter what your situation you can't be there every moment - even though we all want to be! This might require taking initiative in finding places for your baby to interact with other babies. If you can go with your baby that's fantastic! It will give a chance for both of you to meet new families.

Some great places to look are your local Library, YMCA, Churches and checking to see if there are any Mom-to-Mom groups in your area. Since my dad get's to take Bear to the Library and my Mom takes him to the day care during her Bible study I looked for ways for my baby and I to spend time together outside of the home and founf Mommy and Me Swim Lessons at the YMCA! I am totally psyched for these classes. They offer them during the day, mornings, nights and weekends which is amazing - I chose nights so we can go after work.

The YMCA does charge but there are bunches of groups that do not charge anything!

I will let you all know how it goes and what to expect and prepare yourself for after the first one.

Don't forget to click the "follow" button on the right of my blog to be entered for a chance to win in my March Nifty Thrifty Giveaway!

Love,

PlusPeace