Monday, December 29, 2014

Mommy Confessional #1

I totally handed my baby girl to my husband under the pretense that I had to go to the bathroom, grabbed my kindle, and read in there for fifteen to twenty minutes...with chocolate in hand.

(I didn't really have to go to the bathroom.)

Balancing Act

Being a stay/work-at-home mom is not as easy or glamorous as many would like all of us to believe. Today, for me, is a prime example.

Miss E decided that 5:30am was a wonderful time to wake up today, and that spitting up all over herself, as well as my bed spread, after eating (and before I had three seconds to burp her) was also a great time. So, before 6:00am I had already done a complete outfit change on E and had a load in the washer and decided to eat breakfast since I was up and wandering around my house already.

And was E tired after all this activity? Of course not. So the day began. I think sometime around 8:30am she finally crashed for a nap, and then baby food making began! :)

Yes. I'm making my own baby food as much as possible because I am on a tight budget and it is SO MUCH CHEAPER than having to buy it. I'll explain it more in a follow-up blog. :)

Peeling, cutting, cooking, and pureeing sweet potatoes, green beans, pears, and butternut squash took some time, but there was some downtime - which I filled with feeding E, who had woken up during the food prep process, and grew a few inches and out of most of her clothes during her nap. OK, so she didn't grow that fast, but it has happened in the last week or so.

Down to the baby dresser!

Time to move out all the 3 and 3-6 month onesies and bring out the 6 and 6-9 month clothes. (FYI, E is four and a half months old - yay for tall genetics!) And of course, are any of them washed? Maybe five things. One of which went directly on her and a mini photoshoot kind of happened. I'm a photographer...mini photoshoots spontaneously happen. How could you resist the smiling face of your own adorable babe?!

So the baby's laundry I washed yesterday is now moot and has to be packed up instead of put in a dresser, and there is now a follow-up load of laundry to the comforter. Time to puree more food and switch out what is in the freezer and get that laundry going again!

There was another nap for Miss E in there somewhere - I think in between lunch and the new load of laundry.

A (post nap) feeding and I had to pick up one of the daycare kiddos from preschool for my mom (runs a daycare in our home) - yay G! He's a pretty awesome kiddo!

Post pre-school run brought on the folding of the first dryer load! I love looking at all the 'new' clothes she gets to wear now!

Dinner happened! So glad tonight was not my night to cook... E got some baby oatmeal and fresh squash and a taste or two of applesauce. After which I sat down on the couch and was trying to figure out why I was so tired...oh yeah, I' had been running aroung for twelve hours. Woot!

My hubby and I caught up on some DVR stuff and finished folding up clothes. We are the epitome of romantic. ;)

He crashed around 9:00 and E followed suit at around 9:30. After tucking her into her crib, I took the liberty and luxury of a SHOWER! :)

Then it was time to get to work...at 10:00pm. I had six photo orders, laying on my desk, mocking me, waiting to be packaged for shipping. Honestly. the photos were begging and pleading to get away from the baby drool and spit that was moving closer and closer to my desk. ;) Not to say anything about the pictures waiting not so patiently on my computer to be edited. The editing was going to wait, but the mail was going to be ready for the morning.

Two Facebook distractions, six orders, and one blog post later it is now 11:25pm.

I'm not complaining at all when I say this, but it has been a long day and I think Mommas (and Daddas) everywhere need to get those precious hours of sleep in - that 5:30am (or 4:00am...or 1:23am) wake-up call comes way faster than any of us would like.

For all those parents staying at home and raising those babies and working - GO YOU! and For all those parents working outside the home and raising babies - GO YOU, TOO! We can do this! :) Sleep and stay caffeinated, my friends!

Tuesday, November 4, 2014

I bought boy clothes for my little girl.

I did it and I would, have, and will do it again!

I have no personal vendetta against the color pink, but seriously, little girls should have clothing options outside pastels and pink and outfits dripping with lace and bows.

If you are a pink loving momma, awesome - seriously, I'm happy for you! - I'm glad the clothing market is catering to your needs. Now before some of you rage at me about the fact that there are non-pink/pastel girls clothing, I know! I have seen them and purchased them with glee and delight. My point is that, especially in the teeny tiny sizes, there are not a lot of non pastel/pink/lace/princess options. Thus my trip to the other side of the aisle.

I confused many a family member with my baby registry when I was pregnant. I had found out and informed the masses that I was having a girl, and then they saw BOY CLOTHES on the list of things I'd like to have. 

Aunt: Did you know there are boy clothes on your registry?
Me: Yes.
Aunt: ...but you're having a girl, right?
Me: Yes...?
Aunt: Did you do that by accident?
Me: Nope. I thought the outfit was super adorable, so I registered for it.
Aunt: Oh, okay. I was confused.

First, what does it matter that I registered for boy clothes? There is no law, THANK GOD, that states girls have to wear ONLY girls clothes. Second, thank you for having the decency to ask me to my face. Seriously. I'm sure she asked other people first, but at least I was directly asked. But still...who cares which side of the aisle the clothes comes from?

I have seen this issue/complaint pop up several times on social media, and I'm glad it is being addressed. Clothing companies are listening to their customers and are finally addressing the fact that maybe not everyone wants shirts doused in glitter or lace or pastels. Girls like saturated colors, sports, science, super heroes, construction (etc.), too!

So, if you want to buy that "little boy" outfit for your little girl, GO FOR IT! I applaud that social conventions and gender stereotypes don't restrain you. (I also applaud that parents that wanted to buy the "Doc McStuffins" costume for their son because he wanted to be a doctor for Halloween - go you!!!)

I would like to think that my daughter will be well rounded in not only what she learns and is introduced to, but that her wardrobe will also be well-rounded with dresses, jeans, princess/pirate/ninja/butterfly/dragon dress up clothes, and shirts from both side of the aisle.

I also feel this way about toys, but I'll save that for another day.

Keep on being the best parent(s) for your kiddos! :-)


Thursday, October 23, 2014

Welcome!

Welcome to our crazy little corner of the world!

We are Monika and Elisabeth - some of the funniest, caring, creative, goofy, kid-loving people you will meet.

After reading, laughing with, commiserating with, and being inspired by other blogs like Baby Sideburns and When at Home, we decided we wanted to take a leap and join the blogging momma world - with our own little twist of course. In addition to the day-to-day mom life, we also like getting crafty with art projects and food. Oh, how we LOVE our food. No, we are not "Martha Stewart" or and of the food or cooking channels, but we can do some stuff.
(Randomly, there is talk going on for a cooking show type vlog ('video blog' for the less than tech vocab savvy). Stay tuned to see when that launches.

This whole thing is going to be crazy - in probably every sense of the word.

Our husbands think this is a great idea. We shall see how long that sentiment lasts. ;-)

Welcome to our journey of raising our kiddos, keeping up with life, and having some fun in the process.