Molly & Mommy

NEW BLOG URL!

2010-04-20T18:36:00.004-04:00

Please go to http://mommyandmolly.com to keep up with us :)

Have you heard of Cora?

2010-04-20T12:29:00.000-04:00

Cora is a beautiful Angel Baby who is helping to save lives!

You can read her story here---make sure you have tissues handy.

Now you can help spread the word about Cora and win some great prizes with the help of Baby Dickey.

Find out more information here, entries start at $1.00. Just skip your starbucks for a day and you can donate $2.00!

The Sadie Hawkins Dance, In my Khaki Pants

2010-04-19T15:18:00.000-04:00

I swear the outside video was after the inside one, I wouldn't put a dirty blanket over her head :)

Puppy Love

This would be a cool toy if it worked!

It's "Face"book. Not "Business" book.

2010-04-19T13:39:00.000-04:00

I am by no means declaring myself a social media expert, but I have been wondering lately---what is the point of having your "business" on facebook? By business I don't mean personal business, I mean companies. What is the point of a company being on Facebook?

I see Facebook as a way to ~~stalk~~ keep track of old friends who you may or may not want to keep in touch with. When people invite me to fan things I tend to not pay attention or I fan the page and then never go back to it.

Honestly, it was kind of nice when there weren't companies on Facebook---when it was just groups and college kids. I kind of thought MySpace was the place where one would, how shall I put it..."Pimp themselves out" and Facebook was for, well, social networking.

Another thing---I was considering setting up a fan page for D-Listed through Facebook, but fan pages take a lot of work and it's just one more thing to check during the day (and honestly, I don't have time for it, I really don't). In thinking about it, I thought about how it would be used. Would it garner more attention for D-Listed? Not really, because the people I would invite to be fans would probably already be members. So, I decided against the staple Facebook Fan page for my new venture. I think I can get my point across better on other mom blogs and Twitter.

What do you think? Do you use Facebook to follow businesses or friends or both? I can't see how having a facebook fan page is an effective way of marketing....but maybe I am missing something.

Famous Molly

2010-04-18T21:52:00.002-04:00

http://www.etsy.com/listing/44887643/white-infant-crochet-beanie-with-large-h

http://www.coddleinc.com/

How exciting is that? :)

Diaper Duty

2010-04-17T20:51:00.000-04:00

This is what a diaper change looks like for us, in pictures.

"Clean Diaper tastes yummy"

"I'm over the diaper, I want to roll over"

"You are SO MEAN. Why can't I roll over? I don't want a clean diaper."

"Thanks, Mom!"

"Cya!"

I told you she looked cute today....

2010-04-16T21:40:00.000-04:00

See?

I got a great video of her yelling at me, I'll have to upload it. We've been working on words, but all she wants to do is say "BABABA" and blow raspberries, so she's obviously not there yet!

Random Things about me.......

2010-04-16T17:05:00.000-04:00

I write a lot about Molly on here, mostly because she is my entire life, and it dawned on me that maybe you all would like to know a few things about me? Okay, maybe you don't. Maybe you just want pictures of Molly, who looks incredibly cute today in her khaki pants and onesie. (BTW, does the song "Sadie Hawkins Dance" by Relient K pop into your head when you think of khaki pants? No?), but that's okay. I'm going to share anyway.

1. I love country music (especially Carrie Underwood)
2. I have two tattoos, both of which I got when I was 18 and both of which I don't really like anymore.
3. I love dogs, especially my dog, even though she gets on my nerves. This is her when she was a puppy:

4. I have had glasses since 1st grade. Want to see them?

My father referred to them lovingly as my catwoman glasses. One of our dogs ate them eventually, Thank God.

5. The little monkey boy in the above picture is my brother. He is 21 and is going to college for Safety Management (I think, don't quote me on that). This is him now:

Sorry ladies, the pretty lady in the picture next to him is his long term girlfriend. I think they've been together for 3 years? My grandma was disappointed that he didn't buy her an engagement ring for Christmas (she's 83, she says what she thinks when she thinks it). Besides, he's to young for y'all anyway, right?

6. I believe little girls look like their fathers. Molly looks like her dad and I looked like my dad:

The above picture is me at Molly's age...I look so much like my dad it's kind of scary. I look a lot like my mom now.

6. I developed....early. Get ready for a super embarrassing picture of me at 13. Be prepared to laugh.

I fear I am going to be punished when Molly is a teenager, because I had a BAD attitude. Not that you can tell...hah. I love the bad bangs in this picture. I was trying SO HARD to fit in and all the cool girls had bangs, but my hair was so thick they didn't work on me. Oh well.

7. I spend too much time on the computer, but you all knew that already

8. I am addicted to diet mountain dew. I HAVE TO HAVE it. If I am out, it is a crisis and anyone who is in my path must pay.

9. I love anything pink and pretty.

10. I hate my hair. I wish it were naturally straight and it's not, it's just annoying. I wish it weren't still falling out.

11. I hated being pregnant. I felt like crap, I was HUGE and uncomfortable. My shoes didn't fit and I had to pee all the time. I still have stretch marks all over my belly (I had a strange urge to post a picture of them, but I will spare you).

12. I have weird random dreams about lions and tigers (not bears, oh my). I also have dreams about Vampires, but not the sparkly kind like Edward.

This post is getting long. I'll stop there. Molly pictures to come later tonight...so stay tuned!

Outdoor Park Fun!

2010-04-15T13:54:00.000-04:00

Now that the weather is nice out, Mols and I love to get outdoors and walk/play...etc. Today we had fun sitting outside, talking (babbling on her end) and hanging out with the dog. Molly is a troublemaker and very inquisitive indoors, but once outside she is a completely different child. She just sits there and looks around like a little doll (this is not evidenced in the below video, but it is true, I swear)

D-Listed Mom Blogs

2010-04-14T14:08:00.002-04:00

I created a site for those of us who want a place to find other Mom Blogs without having to vote for who is best. Check it out here:

http://www.d-listedmomblogs.com/

Make sure you join---you know you want to!

Love in an Ergo

2010-04-13T21:36:00.001-04:00

http://www.albeebaby.com/ergo-baby-carrier-in-heart-rose-with-solid-pink-lining.htmlAt the Recommendation of LCW, I bought an Ergo. Molly LOVES it. I still use my other wrap (This one, by sugar sweet baby), but the Ergo is quick to get on and off and easy to put her in.

Check it out:

She's happy as a clam. I love baby wearing. There's nothing better than cuddling your baby close to you while being about to do other things.

ETA: This is the Ergo I have, for those who asked: http://www.albeebaby.com/ergo-baby-carrier-in-heart-rose-with-solid-pink-lining.html

The Great Outdoors, Blocks and Ruffle Butts

2010-04-13T00:50:00.000-04:00

I recently received a Baby Bella Maya diaper cover to review and I will do so soon, but I just wanted to show you all how incredibly cute it is:

It looked so cute under her dress...love it!

Anyway, I bought Molly some Haba blocks because they were on sale on Totsy and I had a credit, and she LOVES them. Check out what she does:

"I like to cuddle with my blocks, mom"

"I'll show you, stack of blocks! Just wait a see what I can do!"

"Take that!"

"And That!"

Everytime I stacked the blocks up she knocked them down. I was trying to show her the colors/numbers/animals and she took the blue block, jammed it in her mouth and crawled off. I guess she showed those blocks who was boss!

This may sound ridiculous coming from me because I am not a "big" mommy blog per say, but I have had a few people ask me for advice about blogging/getting followers/html....etc. Would you all be interested if I wrote about my tips? I may do like a mini series on it this week or next. Let me know what questions you have and I will answer them, Dear Abby style.

Thanks for reading!

The Crawling Camera Avoider

2010-04-11T21:23:00.000-04:00

I have a hard time getting good photos of Molly as of recently, because the above is what she does. I've tried everything (besides duct taping her little booty to the floor) to get her to stay in one place, to no avail.

I was SO EXCITED when she first started crawling, encouraging her and showing her what to do. Now I wish she would slow down and take time to smell the roses every once in a while! She's a crazy person.

She spent most of the day crying today because a) she didn't feel well & b) we were visiting people and she is not a people person. My dad makes faces at her, and she apparently is not a fan of his faces because she screams as loud as one can imagine a child screaming when she sees him. This is not the response I would imagine when a child sees their grandparents. I always thought babies had this "intuition" and somehow knew who their family members were---apparently not. At least I know she will never wander off with a stranger, she clung to me like white on rice today.

Oh, and here is reason number 1892103472408.2 that I need more sleep- I was reading through old posts and realized I've said "We have fun, can you tell?" like 6 times in the past week. Did you know that Molly and I have fun? Can you tell?

Anyway, I wanted to show off her new hat that I got from Mimis Babies, a wonderful chick that I met through twitter. Isn't it cute?

I hope you all had a great weekend :) I didn't even realize today was Sunday....

My Random View on Mommy Blogging

2010-04-11T10:25:00.000-04:00

I think sometimes we all get too caught up in numbers.

How many page views do I have? How many unique visitors? How many followers? How much time do they spend on my site? What ranking am I on Top Mommy Blogs? How much money did I make from my affiliate programs?

You get the idea.

I am concerned about my blog stats just as much as the next person. I check them every single morning and it is my goal to see my numbers go up everyday. I even try to carve out and hour each and every single day to visit other Mommy blogs and comment. I try to find blogs I have never visited before--and usually I end up loving what I find.

At the end of the day though---what is really important in our blogging? All of those numbers? Or the recognition that someone read what you had to say and either agreed/disagreed with it?

I would honestly take comments over pageviews/followers anyday. Just having followers doesn't meant they read your blog. I am guilty of this--I follow a blog, meaning to come back and then forget all about it.

Here's what I want out of my blogging:
1. Comments. I want people to tell me how smart and beautiful and magnificent I am---or I want them to tell me I am a dumbass. Either way it's recognition that they read what I had to say and formed an opinion on it.
2. The ability to remember things as they happen. I didn't buy a baby book. I wanted to, but I forgot, and quite honestly I probably wouldn't have remembered to fill it out. With blogging, I can keep her pictures and memories all in one place---an even share them with the world!
3. An outlet for my "feelings". When I am sad or had a bad day and I write about it, it makes me feel better. Sometimes I even write posts that I don't post just because it makes me feel 100x better to vent my feelings on the keyboard.

Would I love for you all to shop at Giggle, Amazon and Photoworks through me? I'd be lying if I said no. Would I love it if I got an email asking for a company to pay me to place an ad on my site? OMG. I would probably fall over dead in my chair.

Right now I am happy with listing Etsy shops for free and making people happy. In fact, make sure you check out the Etsy shops I have listed at the top of my blog---they have some GREAT stuff and the sellers are wonderful people.

Thank you for reading this post and for reading my blog. Every single person who visits my site matters, but I love you even more if you leave a comment (Just kidding, kind of)

Molly Blogs

2010-04-10T19:00:00.000-04:00

Hi GuYs,

Itz mE, MolLy! After All thiS is the Molly AND Mommy Bloggy right?

I is not FeElling to wellZ today, but I waNtEd to right a post for my 7 month birfday.

I wuv my MoMmy vewwy muchly And it makes ME happy that She writEs an enTire blog dedicated to YourS truly!

In Celebration of mY birfday, I wanted to TelL you all how much I preciate you all complimenting My cuTeness. I knows I is cute, but ur CoMments make me smile When mY momMy reads them to Me.

I HurT my nosE today, I LikE to exPlore things and WhiLe I wAS PLaying I scratched it. It hurt vewwy badlY! SendZ me some E-Kisses. I wuv KiSses (atLeast I have A OneSie that Sayz so!)

ThaNk You AgAin for readiNg!

LovEs and Kisses,

We have fun.

2010-04-09T21:31:00.000-04:00

Can you tell?

The Hate List

2010-04-09T14:52:00.000-04:00

I feel like being hateful today, so here are some things that I hate.

1. Passive Aggressive people. If you are going to say something, just say it to the person you want to say it to.

2. I hate that my hair is still falling out, 7 months after giving birth.
3. I hate that I can't stop eating chocolate. I could, I guess. But why would I want to? I am still breastfeeding so I am able to eat all the things I can't normally eat because my metabolism sucks. But I really want to lose 15 more pounds. It's a vicious cycle.

4. I hate that my dog licks her lips like a mad woman. I love my dog, but that is seriously the most annoying noise ever. Like nails on a chalkboard.

5. I hate that I have to renew my tags for a year but I am only going to have my car until August.I think I might just not do it at all.
6. I hate daytime tv.
7. I hate my phone. It's a Droid Eris and it pisses me off to no end. It's touch screen sucks and somedays I want to throw it into a wall. Or maybe run it over with my car. Or both.
8. I hate money and credit cards and credit card companies. Do they really think calling you every hour on the hour is going to get you to pay them if you don't have the money to do so? Here's how that conversation goes when I answer not knowing who it is:
Me: "Hello?"
Bill Collector: "Hi this is Widget co, you owe us 20 billion zillion dollars. Would you like to make a payment today?"
Me: "No, I wouldn't, I can't make a payment today"
Bill Collector: "Is there a reason you have fallen behind on your bills?"
Me: "Yes, I got laid off over a year ago and had a baby and I am on unemployment"
Bill Collector: "Oh, well can you schedule a payment?"
Me: "No"
Bill Collector: "Well can you borrow money from a friend or family member to make a payment?"
Me: ::Click:: ::Adds number to list of numbers that phone sends directly to voicemail.

But no matter how much I hate random things, or how wrong things are going in life, all I have to do is look at this face:

And everything is okay. Even if just for a moment.

The tale of a laundry basket and lots of links (Oh and Leapfrog Lily)

2010-04-08T21:34:00.000-04:00

Leapfrog Lily got peed on today, it was an unfortunate event. Molly has developed this keen ability to roll over, no matter what position she is in, stark naked and take off crawling. Today Leapfrog Lily got in her way and was punished for inhibiting Molly's crawling. She has been rinsed and will be back in the game tomorrow, thankfully. I can't imagine not being able to hear her sing the numbers song for the 20,000,000th time.

Lots of Links are fun to smash. Molly smashes them into the side of her jumperoo, onto the dog and on the side of her Pack N Play. She also eats them and throws them at things. Today we put the lots of links in a laundry basket and Molly tackled it and knocked the links out, but instead of playing with them she put the laundry basket over her head and laughed as hard as she could.

If there were a cover for a book, the below picture would be it. The title of said book would be "A Girl and Her Laundry Basket, A Love Story"

In the above picture you can see Leapfrog Lily in her former state, pre pee.

In the below picture, you can see mischief in true form:

We have lots of fun together.

Things that are yummy

2010-04-08T14:11:00.000-04:00

Boxes, Head Butting and Crazyness

2010-04-07T19:09:00.000-04:00

Let me start this post off by apologizing for the amount of sponsored posts lately, but if you were getting $15.00 to write about something cool, fun, exciting...etc you would do it too, right? RIGHT? I do cherry pick what I write about so hopefully you don't think I've totally flaked out on you.

Anyway, I have some fun stories from the past few days about Miss Molly.

Here are the things Molly is currently enjoying:

-Her convertible carseat box. It's full of clothes currently, but she loved it when it was empty, she crawled in and out of it, hid behind the flap and laughed her little booty off.
-She played with an empty Mike and Ike box for 30 minutes yesterday--this made her happy as a clam
- Currently she is beating on an empty fiber one box. Loves it.

Can you tell she can't get enough of boxes?

Her newest thing is head butting me and then screaming as loud as she can because aforementioned headbutting hurts like hell. She also takes dives off of furniture and pulls herself up on the jumperoo, which results in me pulling her off of it which results in more screaming. I swear, she is going to be a tomboy and is going to be one of those toddlers that loves to play in mud and eat worms.

She has also discovered her tongue, as evidenced by the below picture and previous pictures:

She also thinks that tupperware is a drum, which I find hilarious.

Oh, and I've decided (as I tweeted earlier today) that I need botox, more sleep or both. I also need to get out more often, because I don't style my hair and I wear pjs all day.

We have fun together--can you tell?

Do you need a "Date Night"?

2010-04-07T16:30:00.003-04:00

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of 20th Century Fox. All opinions are 100% mine.

When I first saw this trailer:

For Date Night Movie with Steve Carell and Tina Fey I laughed so hard. The best line is "We're going to get whacked off!" I loved Steve Carell in the 40 year old virgin and Tina Fey in Baby Mama (which I have probably watched atleast 2 dozen times), so this movie is going to be awesome! It comes out this Friday, April 9, 2010 and hopefully the hubs and I can leave the girl with a babysitter to go see it.

In case you don't get the gist of the movie from the trailer, it is about a couple who go on their normal weekly date (which this day and age is an amazing feat in and of itself) and end up in a world of trouble because they pretend to be another couple to take a restaurant reservation. They get taken into a back alley, held at gunpoint, manage to get away, end up in a car chase, break and enter someones apartment....and much more, all while maintaining their sense of humor and love for one another.

Make sure you watch the trailer and check out the movie this weekend! It is sure to be a memorable "date night" for you and your loved one!

Photoshoot Fail

2010-04-06T21:47:00.000-04:00

"I don't want my picture taken, I'd rather eat my shoe, TYVM"

"I really don't like shoes"

"Ahhhhh!"

She was NOT in a photo mood today. Oh well, there's always tomorrow!

All I need are votes and some new clothes.

2010-04-06T19:10:00.000-04:00

I have no problem with shameless self promotion, in fact I encourage it when it's all in good fun. That's why I am going to ask you to vote for me on Top Mommy Blogs if you have a moment. If you like my blog, vote. If you don't, that's okay too. It doesn't hurt to ask, right?

Here...I'll even make it easy (Click it):

Now that we got that out of the way, let's talk about the fact that I wore shorts yesterday. Awesome right? I exposed my exceptionally pale legs to well, nobody, but that's not the point. The point is that they were Maternity shorts.

::Pauses for gasps::

Wearing Maternity shorts 7 months post partum, in my mind, basically screams "I AM A FATASS" to anyone near and far who will listen. I didn't go anywhere yesterday and nobody saw me, but I still felt fatter than I did when I was in high school and people made fun of me for being a chubster (in my pre-anorexic days), only I was one doing the making fun yesterday.

I looked online today to find some shorts in my size, since I refuse to wear the maternity shorts again. I didn't wear them while pregnant, so why should I now?

I found this outfit and fell IN LOVE with it:

The shorts are just long enough to cover my strategically placed cellulite and they are just...adorable.

However, they are EIGHTYFRICKENDOLLARS. For shorts! Are you serious? I may sound like my mother here, but I never pay full price for anything. I also searched high and low for ones like them and couldn't really find anything.

This is the most random post ever, isn't it?

Anyway, I leave you with what you actually came here for, pictures of Molly!

Is a Vacation in your future?

2010-04-06T14:00:00.000-04:00

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of St Augustine, Ponte Vedra & The Beaches, Florida. All opinions are 100% mine.

I've never been to St. Augustine, Ponte Vedra & The Beaches, Florida, but after visiting this website: http://www.romanceliveshere.com/ I would love to go!

Imagine:

Does that look amazing? It does to me! Especially after the Ohio winter.

Why would one want to go there? Well, why wouldn't you? It's away from the hustle and bustle of Disney and is nestled in the most relaxing environment you can think of. Looking for a family friendly vacation? A romantic getaway? A learning experience? You can find it all here!

If I were to go there, we would stay at the famous SawGrass hotel and we would visit the following:

Ripley's Believe it or Not
Fountain of Youth
Fort Matanzas

We would also go shopping on St. George Street and take a trolley tour. If Molly were older, we would definitely do a Ghost tour!

One cannot forget the beach, as I am always up for sunning my buns! I used to be supertan back when I was younger, but that was due to fake tanning. You can get any better than real sun on an amazing beach with a cool drink in your hand!

I would also make sure to visit the hotel spa and get a massage/mani pedi. I had a pedi on my honeymoon and haven't been able to find a place that rivals a spa experience yet!

Make sure you check out http://www.romanceliveshere.com/ and start planning your trip today!

The best toys are not toys at all....

2010-04-05T13:22:00.000-04:00

They are Rubbermaid Bins. She is not happy today unless she is asleep or in a Rubbermaid bin.

Alrighty then. What girl wants, girl gets.

Would you like to save up to $600.00 a year?

2010-04-05T08:00:00.000-04:00

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of PBM Products. All opinions are 100% mine.

I breastfeed but if I were to formula feed, I would definitely use Parents Choice formula. I was given Similac at the hospital and have tried supplementing with that (Mols wouldn't drink it), but if I were to make the switch now I would need to get new formula, and I would buy Parents Choice.

I went to the Parent's Choice website and used their savings calculator to determine how much money I would save if I were formula feeding and using Parents Choice formula over the Similac Advance Earlyshield formula.

Here are the results:

If you click on the above picture you can see that I would be saving $509.56 a year by using Parents Choice formula over Similac. What's amazing is that Similac and Parents Choice are basically the same thing! I took this from the FAQ on the Parents Choice Formula site:

Are infant formulas regulated?

Yes, infant formulas are strictly regulated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to ensure product quality and safety. All infant formulas, by law, must meet or exceed high standards set by the FDA. As a result, no brand of formula is better than another. All formulas sold in the US meet the same rigorous standards to provide complete, balanced nutrition.

Are store brand baby formulas as good as national brand baby formulas?

Absolutely.

If you formula feed and use a name brand formula, you should definitely check out the savings calculator to see how much you could be saving by using Parents Choice. You'll be glad you did!

After you check out the site, leave me a comment and let me know how much you could be saving as well! I am interested to know what others could be saving.

We blow with the wind

2010-04-03T20:44:00.000-04:00

When I was younger, my mom, brother and I all went to seaworld and I lost my favorite hat on that windy day. Thus, I completely understand the look on Molly's face in the above picture, like "take me inside, NOW".

She dealt with the weather for a short amount of time:

But was over it after about 10 minutes.

Today I read The Cat in the Hat to her and she paid absolutely no attention to it. I never realized what long book that is, especially for someone with the attention span of a goldfish (I am referring to myself and Molly).

I have a dilemma that maybe you all can help me with. I think I have mentioned it before, but it is something I need to do and have been talking to LCW (http://www.wakingupwilliams.com) about.

Molly has no schedule what-so-ever. I want to get her on one but I also don't want to be a slave to the schedule. I don't mind that I can't predict her naps or her feedings, but I do mind that sometimes she decides to stay up until midnight, wake up twice during the night and then be up at 6am for the day.

How does one break a 7 month old of their self imposed "routine" and get on a set schedule? I think it won't be easy at this point, but I need to do it. I really do. If not for anything else but my sanity.

Happy Easter to those who celebrate!

Just Chillin'

2010-04-03T12:03:00.000-04:00

Great Clip from the Today Show

2010-04-02T13:39:00.000-04:00

I loved watching this---it's all of the toys you should get for your baby at different ages. Check it out:

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

Here's my favorite from the video---how pretty is this? :::Swoon:::

Who Needs a Drum....

2010-04-01T21:51:00.000-04:00

When you have a wipes box? I have been dying to get Molly one of these:

But she'd rather play with her wipes box and I am afraid I will spend $20.00 for no reason.

She had a TON of fun with her wipes box today--almost too much!

We also went outside and hung out together with Shelby. She loves to be outside, but we didn't stay out for too long because I need to get her some sunscreen so her beautiful skin doesn't get burnt!

I got Molly some books yesterday and we read them together. She loves the touch and feel books, especially this one:

It has a super hairy super soft chimpanzee---she loves to just leave the page open and touch the chimpanzee. I also got her "Are you my mother", which she has managed to chew part of the cover off of already. Luckily I noticed she was eating it before she managed to nom on it too much.

Oh and I had a "Bad Mom Moment" today. Molly is a super fast crawler and usually has a mission as to where she is going. Today she was crawling full bore towards the wall and I was thinking that she was going after the air conditioning vent, so I just watched her. Instead, she got distracted and crawled right into the wall! That caused instant tears and I swooped her up and cuddled her. She has a tiny bruise on the side of her head that is a reminder of it though---it breaks my heart! Poor Molly.

Other than the minor crawling fender bender, we had a good day over all. She's currently sleeping on her own (big win on my part) and she was very happy for most of today.

Happy Friday to you all! Hopefully you have the day off and can spend it with your little ones.

PS--- I have a new ad on my blog (yes, this is shameless self promotion) but if you sign up for Photoworks through it you will get 50 free prints---it doesn't get better than that! Look in the right corner if you are interested.

I Kind of Love Vampires

2010-04-01T17:23:00.000-04:00

So, I have an obsession with the show Angel....so much to the point where I had to watch the entire season online because I didn't want to wait for the next show to be on TNT.

If you've never seen Angel, it has this hottie in it:

Yum, right? Okay....maybe not your taste...maybe THIS vampire is more your speed:

I watched Twilight and Twilight New Moon today, and I have to say I am hooked. I cannot wait until the next one. Do Bella and Edward get married? Does Bella become a vampire? I MUST KNOW. I am resisting the urge to google and find out the answer through book spoilers.

So, yeah. I love vampires. Do you love them too? Molly loved the wolves in New Moon. I was telling her that they were puppies and she was smiling/laughing. Shelby felt the need to bark at the wolves, which was funny.

So....LOVE. love. love. Twilight.

Have you signed up for Swagbucks yet?

2010-04-01T14:09:00.001-04:00

If you haven't, you should. I have been given the opportunity to give you all an incentive to sign up! From now until April 7, if you sign up for Swagbucks and use the code: AlissasCode (Type it exactly like that) you will get 60 bonus swagbucks! How cool is that? Sign up here: http://bit.ly/7XFxhS

Here's how Swagbucks works & how I use it:

1. Use their search engine and randomly win "bucks" throughout the day (I have it set as my home page)
2. Install their toolbar and win a random number of bucks everyday just for being logged in (I refresh mine every morning)
3. They give out random codes throughout the day that are worth a certain number of bucks (I follow their Facebook page to see if people are thanking TSG "the swag guy" and if they are, that means there is a code out)
4. Go to the special offers section for the no obligation special offers. You win bucks for visiting that section everyday as well (I do this first thing every morning)

I have been a Swagbucks member since December and I use it to get either $5.00 Amazon gift cards or $5.00 Paypal cards, and I have earned about $300.00 worth of prizes so far. It's worth it to atleast check them out!

Again that code is: AlissasCode (Type it just like that) and you can sign up here: http://bit.ly/7XFxhS The code is for new members only.

Good luck, let me know how you like it! I am sure you will love it!

Today in Pictures

2010-03-31T21:20:00.000-04:00

"Can I have this hat, pretty please?"

"We are only leaving if I can drive, Mom!"

"Ahhh, it's nice out! I love my new hat. Too bad you wouldn't let me drive though"

Sunglasses, Crawling and Tears

2010-03-30T22:20:00.000-04:00

I love that Molly is mobile, but I also hate it at the same time because I have to watch every.single.little.thing. she does. She LOVES electrical cords and knows how to pull the plug in out of the computer, so everytime she sees a cord she crawls to it, which is not good.

I put sunglasses on her today, which she was not exactly thrilled about but she did tolerate them. I think once I took her outside she realized their necessity, as she was waving her arms in front of her face seeing how they looked different through the glasses. It was hilarious.

She's still a little sick, she threw up once today and then screamed bloody murder. She also doesn't understand the concept of keeping herself dry and warm since she's sick, as she dumped an entire bottle of water on the floor and then proceeded to sit and crawl in it, until I realized she had dumped it when I went to pick her up.

I have been busy promoting my Macaroni Kid site, which I am super excited about. If you want more details about what Macaroni Kid is, please feel free to email me (ahartzle@gmail.com). I am very passionate about it, although I don't want to go into a ton of detail in a post.

Also, I'd like to ask for thoughts and prayers for a girl I went to school with. She lost her little girl who was born 3.5 months too soon. I am forever thankful for my precious girl, but my heart breaks when I read about people who lose their children.

When the dog bites, when the bee stings.....

2010-03-29T22:21:00.000-04:00

When I'm feeeeeling sad.....I simply remember my favorite things--and then I don't feel....sooooooo bad.

In case you're wondering, Molly doesn't much care for that song. She was crying (almost all day today, for NO reason at all) and I sang it to her, she looked at me like I had 10 heads and started screaming over me. Right now, however, she is not screaming. In fact, she is happily pulling on and trying to rip my hair out (and eat it) all while laying on me and saying "AHHHHHHhhhHHHh OOOhhhahhhhhhahah".

Her new obsession (aka a "favorite thing") is pulling the dogs hair. It's to the point now where Shelby hides or runs away when she sees Molly coming. Molly thinks Shelby is funny and crawls after her like a crazy woman.

I've been trying to write an article (I have three I need to finish) and I have been working on the same one all day long, to no avail because I am either doing one of many things:

1. Chasing Molly and removing things from her grip
2. Trying to keep Molly off of the keyboard so I can attempt to get something done
3. Trying to get Molly to sleep so that I can get something done and listening to her scream and fight it and then immediately wake up when I set her down.

Don't get me wrong, I love spending time with Molly, but she is SO much work right now. I need like 10 hands and 3 of me to keep up with her!

I am a bad driver

2010-03-29T10:13:00.001-04:00

I wrecked my car last year when I was about 4 months pregnant, which was totally depressing and scary at the same time. It caused a LOT of damage and I have to say I had total sticker shock when I found out how much it was going to be (thank God for insurance!).

I was given a chance to check out a site that allows you to get estimates on Auto Repair and Damage. (http://repairpal.com) Their slogan is "We Take the Mystery out of Auto Repair." Instead of taking your car to multiple places to get an estimate, you can enter all of your information online and get different quotes from local shops without having to leave your couch, which is so nice. As long as you have accurate information about the damage to your car, your quote should be quite accurate.

The site also has answers to FAQ's about cars. I am the queen of leaving my gas tank cap unscrewed, which can trigger the check engine light. On http://Repairpal.com, you can go to "Check Engine Light" and read about every possible reason why the check engine light might be on on your specific car.

I need my brake pads replaced, so I looked that up. Here is what the site came up with for my specific issue: http://repairpal.com/brake-rotor-replacement. They tell you how to talk to the shop workers and explain things so that you understand them.

Also, if you're looking for a new car, you can check out ratings and review for a specific vehicle on this site as well. Say I want to get a 2005 Chevy Silverado, I can easily look up that model and get the information I need about that truck: http://repairpal.com/chevrolet-silverado_1500-2005.

If I lived in Dallas, I could look it up and find specific auto repair shops in that area and learn how the weather could affect my vehicle. See example here: http://repairpal.com/dallas-auto-repair

I highly recommend using http://repairpal.com if you are looking into buying a vehicle, need a vehicle repaired or just want to look up a problem you are having with your car. It is a very helpful site, and I will definitely be using it in the future.

Feeling Better...Kind of

2010-03-28T21:35:00.000-04:00

Molly has been sick for the past few days which has totally and completely sucked for the both of us. Yesterday it was to the point where she was crying and I was crying and I didn't know what else to do for her. We've been downing pedialyte (which tastes pretty good, btw) like nobody's business and tonight her fever was finally down to 99.1, which is the lowest it's been in days.

We even managed to have a fun bathtime, complete with splishing and splashing and giggles!

Oh, and we had smiles for a little while too, when she didn't want to be held.

We made it through our first illness! Now I can only hope there will never be anymore.

Kissimmee---A Dream Vacation

2010-03-28T20:32:00.002-04:00

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of Kissimmee Tourism. All opinions are 100% mine.

Have you ever been to Kissimmee? I've been doing some research on it and it looks like and amazing place to go. I've gotten a lot of my information from this website: Kissimmee
I've been to Disney World several times but I don't think I've ever been to Kissimmee itself, atleast not that I can remember. I really want to plan a family trip, and if we were to go to Kissimmee I would LOVE to stay at the Radisson Orlando Celebration Resort, as it has shuttle service to the theme parks and a pool; it also looks like a gorgeous resort.

Since Molly would be along for the fun, I would love to visit Sea World. She would love all of the sea animals and she LOVES water. She would be in heaven!

I would also love to take Molly to all of the Disney parks, but especially Animal Kingdom! She would love all of the animals and the rides. Also, Magic Kingdom caught my attention with "The Barnstormer at Goofy's Wiseacre Farm" I think there would be a lot of other children there for Miss Molly to interact with.

Also, I would have to take her to the Cinderella castle and on the ride "It's a Small World", as that was my favorite ride as a child.

On the Kissimmee Site (Kissimmee ) it mentions that a trip to Kissimmee could easily be an all shopping excursion, and since Molly is my shopping "Partner in Crime" I could go for that! We have so much fun together. I would want to visit the Mall of Mallenia and the numerous flea markets that they have.

If you're interested in planning a trip to Kissimmee, I highly recommend you check out the Kissimmee website and get started making your itinerary today!

Coupons.com---New Coupons This week

2010-03-28T09:04:00.000-04:00

There are some GREAT coupons this week---I just had to share:

$3.00 off any Huggies
$1.00 off Folgers
$1.00 off Scott Paper Towels
$5.00 off Leapfrog Tag Reading System (and then Target.com has a printable coupon for $5.00 off any leapfrog purchase of $30.00 or more, so you can essentially get $10.00 off a Tag system)

There are a ton more, check them out here:

Sunny Day

2010-03-27T22:14:00.000-04:00

I love you, little girl

2010-03-26T18:13:00.000-04:00

This slideshow design generated with Smilebox

Projectile Vomit.

2010-03-25T23:37:00.000-04:00

No-one ever said motherhood was pretty.

Molly was sound asleep today and I went to set her down and she woke up, per usual. I went to get a piece of chocolate (me=chocoholic, if you read often you should know this by now), and all of a sudden Molly started gagging.

Me, not thinking, I looked at her like "Why are you gagging, that's strange?" and she proceeded to projectile vomit all down the front of me and onto the floor. Like, the entire contents of her stomach and then some.

I got her changed and she was perfectly happy and wanted to bounce, which isn't the best idea when you've just puked, you know? So, I hung out with her and she started gagging again, so I ran and let her puke into the sink. As I am holding her, I am bawling because I don't know what to do for her. I felt so bad, because she doesn't understand what throwing up is.

She finally stopped throwing up and is now half asleep in my lap. She hasn't eaten yet and I want her to eat, but I don't want her to puke again. She did drink some water, which is a good thing.

Poor Molly. I don't think I am going to sleep well tonight.

Rub a Dub Dub....My Tooth (Teeth)

2010-03-24T21:42:00.000-04:00

So, we have three teeth. Technically, we have one tooth with two more poking through. Can you say "Ow, poor Molly?" Because she is NOT a happy camper.

Her pediatrician tried to tell me that teething doesn't hurt them and that the only thing that really happens is they drool more. Now, I am not a doctor or anything, but I am someone who notices patterns (who doesn't?) and she gets horribly fussy and acts like she's in pain right before she gets a tooth. So, I have deduced that teething=pain, which is what everyone thinks anyway, right?

Oh, and if the pediatrician doesn't believe me, she can talk to my BFF Rose (aka Lindsey) to ask her what she heard in the background of our phone conversation today. It was like someone was torturing my poor child, only I wasn't even near her.

Anyway, I digress and leave you with two amazingly adorable pictures of the gorgeous soon-to-be child model, also known as my daughter.

Little Big Girl

2010-03-23T20:18:00.000-04:00

She crawls, has two teeth, pulls herself up on things.....and the latest thing is growling, which I am trying to convince myself is the predecessor to talking.

Stop growing up so fast! I'm not ready yet!

What is/isn't a toy.

2010-03-22T20:41:00.000-04:00

Dear Molly,
We need to have a discussion, because frankly, you are spoiled with toys. You have so many that you could donate half of them to orphans in China and you would never miss them. I would never donate your toys, though, because I want you to PLAY WITH THEM.

Below is a rundown of what is not a toy. You should print this off an keep it as a reference.

Wipes Box=Not a toy
Diaper Bag=Not a toy
Mommy's Cell Phone=Not a toy
Lap top= Not a toy
Lap top cord=Not a toy
The dogs tail= Not a toy
Diapers=Not toys
TV Remote=Not a toy
Shoes=Not toys
Water Bottle= Not a toy
Magazines=Not toys

I think you catch my drift. You know what are toys? The things mommy hands you to play with. Please play with them and don't crawl over to your diapers and tackle them like a football dummy.

See below for a great example of you playing with a toy (not exactly the way it's meant to be played with, but hey, it's a start)

Thank you for making me laugh endlessly everyday. I love you very much.

Love,
Your milk cow mama

Alvin and the Chipmunks DVD---Release 03/30/2010

2010-03-22T05:28:00.001-04:00

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of Alvin and the Chipmunks. All opinions are 100% mine.

If you grew up in the same generation as me, chances are you watched Alvin and the Chipmunks. Well, they now have a sequel out to their movie! How exciting is that? I loved the first movie. It took me back to my days of watching cartoons with my brother. We had so much fun together.

If you enjoyed the Chipmunks as a child, you will love this website: http://www.munkyourself.com You and your children can turn yourselves into chipmunks! I had so much fun playing with the site--Molly loved it too!
You and your kids can go to the following website for More Munk Mayhem.

"Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel" is available on DVD, Blu-ray and Digital Download on March 30th, 2010. It comes in a Double DVD Pack that includes "The Squeak Along" Bonus Disc, with more music, mayhem and all-new singalongs! It's double the fun, for the same price as one disc!

You should totally get this DVD, it will be a movie you can keep and share for years to come. Your kids kids will even love the chipmunks! In fact you can buy it from this very post! buy it now

Check out the websites I mentioned and let me know what you think. You won't be disappointed, I promise!

I guess it makes sense.....

2010-03-21T20:06:00.000-04:00

Molly was born at 3:33am, so it only makes sense for her to stay up until 3AM, right?

Okay, maybe that isn't at all logical. But, seriously, she didn't nap from 2:00PM yesterday until 3:00AM this morning when she went to bed. Why? I don't know. I'd ask her but all she does is grunt at me like Forrest Gump in the scene where his principal...ahem...had a midnight tea party with his mom.

We napped from 9-1230 today and from 2:30-4:30, and sleep begets sleep. right?

I can only hope.

Pack N' Scream

2010-03-19T20:28:00.000-04:00

I am trying so so hard to be a "good" Mom and transition Molly out of sleeping on me for naps and with me at night. As much as I love cuddling with her, it's best for both of us that we do this transition now so that she's not still sleeping in my bed at 16 (okay, maybe that's an exaggeration, but that's what the voices in my head are saying "Transition her now or forever lose sleep!")

Anyway, this transition has resulted in lots of screaming. See the below pictures. I've been letting her attempt to "play" in her pack n' play as well, because she's crawling all over the place and is into everything. I found her trying to eat my shoe yesterday and that was enough for me to set up the Pack N' Scream.

She tries to claw her way out of it. She screams after being in it for 5 minutes. If I put her in it to sleep, she wakes up screaming. She made it an hour last night before she started screaming her little head off. Just now she started screaming as soon as I set her down.

Give me warm thoughts in hopes that I can turn this:

Into this:

Tasty Thursday

2010-03-18T19:20:00.000-04:00

In college we had "Thirsty Thursday"-- more so in Grad School than in Undergrad, because we didn't have class on Fridays (which was AWESOME).

Today I am going to tell you about the things Molly likes to eat. Which, quite honestly, may only be exciting to me, but that's okay.

Molly LOVES:

Pears
Applesauce
Bananas
Squash
Prunes (although she will not be eating them often--can you say "EW!")

Molly LIKES:

Green Beans
Carrots
Peaches

Molly HATES:

Peas (I didn't like them either...they needed salt, but you can't salt baby food!)

That is the array of solids we have tried thus far.

Here's how I know she likes something-- she tries to grab the spoon and feed herself. If she kind of likes it she will let me feed it to her, but won't feed herself. If she hates it, she closes her mouth and won't let me give her any of it. I tried the peas like 3 different times and she did this all three times. The peas must be pretty bad, considering she tries to eat paper.

Pictures to come soon of her eating solids! For now you'll have to settle for these precious pics from St. Patty's day:

Also, I guest blogged over at the Work at Home Woman today---make sure you check it out and let me know what you think! http://ow.ly/16PLI5

First Playdate

2010-03-16T17:31:00.001-04:00

Molly had so much fun, but I think she was a bit overwhelmed! She was worn out after about an hour of "playing" (aka crawling around and blowing raspberries) and slept for 2 hours after her date!

On a side note, Molly LOVES pears.So, even though peaches were a big fat fail, pears are a win. I even like the pears. They are quite tasty.

This Week is National Poison Prevention Week

2010-03-15T18:54:00.000-04:00

I received this email from Maureen at Old House Web and thought I would share it with you all:

I am the editor for oldhouseweb.com. Did you know this week is National Poison Prevention Week? According to the EPA, over two-thirds of homes built before 1960 have lead paint in them. Lead is a serious hazard which can impact brain development in children and create reproductive harm in adults. I recently came across your site and thought your readers could benefit from the surprising article featured on The Old House Web about lead in old homes. There are some good tips on where the lead is, what you can do to protect your family and links to resources. http://bit.ly/cGyQCo

Check out the link and find out what you can do to protect your child. This especially hit home with me since Molly is crawling now.

What Molly would wear if she were able to pick her own clothing

2010-03-15T17:54:00.000-04:00

Can you tell I had fun playing dress up with her today?

Sharing is Caring

2010-03-15T13:55:00.000-04:00

Most of my readers are Moms and once you become a Mom I have found that you look for all kinds of different ways to save money. I didn't even have a savings account before Molly, and now I try to sock away as much as I can "just in case".

So, when I found the site Billshrink.com I was super excited, because it's a site that allows you to enter what you currently pay for different services and then shows you how to save money on those items.

For example, I used their Best Cell Phone Plans feature and found that I could be saving $45.00 a month if I switched to T-Mobile instead of Verizon. Check out the cool comparison chart below:

You can also use this site to find the best rate on Savings Accounts/CDs, Credit Cards and the cheapest gas stations on your commute. It also looks like their starting to use it for "Business Use" as well as they have a find the best business credit card feature (http://www.billshrink.com/?appMode=business)
Take a look at the site and let me know what you think! I am having fun playing with all the features :)

My view right now

2010-03-14T11:38:00.000-04:00

Yes, she's napping on the floor, but I don't have the heart to put her away from me while she naps yet. Molly is a mommy's girl (hence the blog title---MollyandMommy or MommyandMolly) and has been napping on me or not napping at all, so it's kind of a big deal she's napping on her own right now.

Whilst Molly is doing well, Mommy is not doing so well. I've mentioned it before although it's not something I talk about a whole lot---I have PPD and am on Zoloft (generic Sertraline, but it's the same thing). I'm not sure what's going on with me but I have been just...down lately. I cry over everything. I cried yesterday just looking at Molly because she's just so pretty. In tweeting back and forth with Blair (only the best blog ever) she suggested I call my doctor.

My guess is that Zoloft isn't doing enough and I need something different, but with breastfeeding I think I only have a couple choices, and I am not ready to give up breastfeeding yet. To be quite honest, I don't think I could formula feed. Girl has never had formula (okay, I've tried and she spit it out, so technically she's tasted it). I really want to do it for a year if not longer. It's easy and I enjoy it. There are no bottles to wash, no formula to mix, no water to make sure is right, no getting up at night.....etc.

I guess this post isn't really about anything in general, I just wish I could be happy. I have days where I feel great and normal, but then there are days where I am just down. I finally dyed my hair thinking it would help make me feel better---and it kind of did. Now I just need to get it cut and I am golden :)

What do you all do to cheer yourselves up? Do you have a hobby that you enjoy? Mine is shopping but it's obviously not something I can do very often. I'd like to start sewing things, but I think it would be a little expensive to get started with the sewing machine costs...etc. Plus I kind of suck at it, but practice makes perfect, right?

Things I never thought I would say

2010-03-13T09:49:00.000-05:00

"If I put the peaches on your toes, will you eat them?"
We've begun our exciting adventure into solids and quite honestly she is more interested in her feet than in food.

This is going to be fun.

It's the end of the world as we know it.....

2010-03-12T15:13:00.002-05:00

The following post is an entry into only the most AWESOME CONTEST EVER! The winner gets a trip to BlogHer 2010 and a paid blogging job with Mabel's Labels for a year! I told you it was awesome.

You can enter the contest here: http://www.mabel.ca/blogher/blogher+about

The topic of the blog entry is: Electrical storms are going to wipe out the Internet (perhaps forever). You have one day left to write about your passions: what do you want to say to the blogosphere in 300 words or less?

Read my entry and let me know what you think!

Hello World (Thank you, Tiger Woods, for that slogan),

I've thought long and hard about what I want to say to you all, since this is possibly the last blog post I will ever write. How depressing is that? I rely so much on the internet. My passions are endless like my love for Molly and blogging; and writing it all down captures them all. I'll have to start reading ::gasp:: books! Or maybe knitting. I'm not sure yet.

In a way this is kind of exciting. It allows me to spend more of my day teaching my daughter, which is a wonderful gift, if you ask me.

Anyways- the first thing I want you all to remember is this gorgeous little face:

That way, when you see her on the cover of baby magazines you can say "I e-know her! That's Molly! I read her blog when we still had internet!"

She's the love of my life and the center of my world. She's the kind of baby that makes parents say "One and done." She's that great.

The second thing I want to say is I am so glad to have "met" each and every one of you. Every single day I get online, looking forward to the stories and baby pictures from you all. You give me support when I need it the most and laugh with me when Molly does something funny. You have cheered Molly on as she's rolled over for the first time, crawled and gotten her first tooth. I am disappointed that I no longer will be able to share these moments with you all.

The power is flickering, so I have to say goodbye. So long e-friends. Thank you for being the best friends I never knew I needed.

XOXO (until we meet again),
Alissa

Todays Cuteness

2010-03-10T20:31:00.000-05:00

Happy 6 Months Little Girl. I love you!

Thanks for the Half Birthday Wishes!

2010-03-10T13:42:00.001-05:00

I am so thankful.

2010-03-08T14:42:00.000-05:00

After reading a couple other blogs of some mothers I know through Twitter, I am realizing even more so how incredibly lucky I am. I had an easy pregnancy with no complications and my daughter is beautiful and perfectly healthy. There are so many things that can go wrong with pregnancies and so many problems little ones can have.

There is a little girl whose Mom I follow on Twitter, her name is Layla Grace. From the about me on http://www.LaylaGrace.org
"Layla has a massive cancerous tumor (Stage 4 Neuroblastoma) in her abdomen. It extends from above her left kidney, around her side, over her belly and wraps around her aorta. In addition, the cancer is in her bone marrow."

Layla was perfectly healthy and didn't develop any health problems until she was 16 months old. I was crying reading about her because nothing can be done at this point to help her. Her parents are going to lose their gorgeous 2 year old little girl.

I have made a ton of mistakes in my life, and yet God has blessed me with the best gift one could ever receive. I don't deserve such a wonderful child like her. All I want for her is to be healthy and happy....just like any other parent.

As I write this, tears are rolling down my cheeks. Molly is sleeping on my chest and I can't help but worry about her future.

I've donated to help with her medical expenses, because no parent should have to worry about debt they've incurred for their sick child.

Please check out www.laylagrace.org. You will be inspired by the strength her parents are exhibiting as well as be in awe of the beauty that is Layla Grace.

Three Reasons Today ROCKS.

2010-03-05T21:07:00.001-05:00

1. Molly slept from 10-6 last night. I woke up this morning thinking it was 3:00 AM when really it was 6:00. Talk about a nice change of pace. Oh and I took a nap with Mols from 8-11. It was AWESOME.
2. Mols had her first professional pics down and there was minimal crying. She didn't like the photographer much, but we did get some good shots (see below)

3. I wrote a guest blog post for Kelly over at All About Jayden Paige. Be excited and go check it out. I put a lot of time/thought into it!

Happy Friday!

Second Guessing your Parenting

2010-03-04T21:40:00.000-05:00

In my message board perusing, I see a lot of Moms who voice concerns over their baby's growth/development. It is so easy to fall victim to the voice in your head that says "You're not doing anything right, your child isn't doing (insert random milestone here) yet."

Molly isn't much of a talker. She makes some random noises, but she is a "doer". If she sees something she wants, she doesn't make noise to get it, she tackles said item in two seconds flat. My friend LCW sent me some videos of her DD Ryann "talking" today, and I started thinking "Wow, Mols doesn't talk that much yet. I wonder why?" and then I had to stop myself from thinking I was doing something wrong.

What's funny is in the same conversation with LCW, she mentioned that her husband was concerned because Ryann isn't crawling yet and Molly is (they're two days apart and are incredibly similar in many ways--they even look alike). L lovingly refers to Ryann as a lump, which makes me laugh. She is incredibly laid back which is adorable. Mols is the furthest thing from laid back. She is crazy and makes her presence known. She is independent and yet very "Mom" oriented at the same time.

What I am getting at is no matter how similar children are, they all develop at different rates. One child may be a talker, while the other is a doer-- as in my example above. I wish it were simple to shut off the "second guesser" voice, but alas she is always there. Parenting is all about managing expectations and learning to manage them based on what your child is doing is a challenge we all face daily.

Honestly though, even if she did nothing else other than smile I would be happy. Who couldn't love that face?

Right on Target...or not.

2010-03-03T20:15:00.000-05:00

Yesterday Mols and I went to Target for the usual--diapers, wipes, babyfood, you know typical Target "stuff".

Taking Molly anywhere is always a challenge becauase she hates strangers. If anyone looks at her, she sticks her bottom lip out and hides her face. One time she had a complete meltdown in Babies R Us which resulted in her screaming for a good 45 minutes after said trip was over.

Molly hates the car, so she screamed for about 10 minutes of the car ride. As soon as I got her out of the car she was fine, so we proceeded into Target to get her necessities.

This was the first time I had taken her into a store without her being in her carseat. She sits up really well now, so I just wiped the front of the cart down with antibacterial wipes and set her in it like a big girl.

This was mistake # 1. She had her Sophie, but instead of noming on Sophie she wanted to nom on the shopping cart. Okay, fine, I wedged Sophie in between her and the spot where she was trying to eat the cart. She moved her head and tried to eat another part of the cart.

I took her out of the cart at this point and held her in one arm while I pushed the cart with the other----talk about a workout. There should be a mommy workout video that involves holding a 15 lb child in one arm and pushing a cart full of stuff in the other--I could market it, I would make a fortune!

Anyway--you know how I have a chocolate problem? Someone should have steered me away from the Easter Candy Isle, it was a bad idea for me to go near it. But I HAD COUPONS! That justifies buying chocolate that I am probably going to eat all of in one day, right?

Anyways---we get to the checkout. My least favorite part because I always have a million coupons and they always have to call a manager over to scan them. I literally held the front of the store up for 15 minutes because they couldn't figure out how to credit my Huggies coupons. Embarassing to say the least.

Molly screamed the entire way back from the store because she hates the car. Then she screamed for 20 minutes after I got her out of the car because she was still pissed off that I took her in the car.

So.....that in a nutshell is the story of taking Molly to the store. Interesting, right?

I guess it's more of the story of how I realized that buying a shopping cart cover is a necessary evil and the fact that I need to get Molly out more.

She sure is cute when she's happy, though :)

Master of something.

2010-03-02T09:20:00.011-05:00

Todays post is a guest post from LCW over at Waking up Williams. Her Daughter Ryann is 2 days younger than Molly and just as adorable. They're going to be BFF's one day (when we either move south or LCW moves north....).

Enjoy!

I was pretty excited to check my email and find a request to guest blog on Molly and Mommy. I immediately told JPW about the request and said, "What in the world am I going to write...I'm nervous." I had already said yes to the request without a giving it a thought about what to write. Yikes! But JPW being a voice of reason (at times) bounced ideas around with me and I came up with something worth sharing and Mommy of Molly and Mommy said "perfect". Well let's hope it's "perfect"....
he

Here's the back story: I taught for 5 years, and I have a Master's degree in Education (an expensive piece of paper now). I would be lying if I said I loved my job, I loved the children and I loved teaching them, but everything else that came along with working in a school system I absolutely despised and on occassion would make me physically ill from the stress. I didn't love it anymore. I needed to move onto something else that made my insides warm and fuzzy again. But then I got pregnant and well I just didn't think it would work out for me to find a new career months before having a baby. So JPW and I made the huge decision for me not to go back to work. I finished the school year in June...and well, I started my new career on September 12, 2009 and my boss is Ryann Elizabeth; she's a blue eyed blonde with a voice that makes you giggle and a smile that melts your insides.

To say it was "hard" would be a huge understatement. We went from two incomes to one, a recession, a job that kept JPW away Monday-Friday and a newborn...we were facing a tremendous challenge. But we were determined to make it work. I knew in my heart I couldn't send her to daycare. I was willing to work second or third shift in a retail position if necessary. It was hard not having any money of my own or feel like I was contributing...but raising Ryann and seeing her "firsts" was something I had always dreamed about and here's my opportunity and a shrinking bank account. ::insert four letter word here:: We were going to make this work!

I get asked a lot how we're able to make it work and if I miss teaching. Well here's how we did it, and to answer the other part of that question, NO, I do not miss the long hours, endless amounts of paperwork, parents who don't parent their children and 25 snotty noses making me sick every other week. Sure the "hours" and "summers off" were good; but every teacher knows your day does not end when your contract says it does and your summers are filled with workshops and lesson planning for the next year. I.Do.Not.Miss.That.

Here was our Master Plan:

We set a family budget. Budgets are important regardless of your income because you can see where your money is going and only spend what you can afford. This is so hard when you want a $900 area rug for your living room and it's on sale and it's beautiful and Ryann will be crawling soon and it covers the tile and JPW is shouting over me shouting about how great this rug is and I finally realize we don't have $900 to spend on a rug...a rug...was I serious?!!? (I bought ABC foam floor tiles from BRU for $27 and made a play area for Ryann; far more affordable and useful).

I clip coupons and try my best to buy items on sale and use coupons for baby items, household items and large ticket items. Our grocery bill hovers around $100 which gets us through about 2 weeks. I meal plan and always include a night or two of leftovers. I hate wasting food and that's how I stretch our groceries. We rarely eat out or order in. It's not budget friendly and we'd rather spend our money on traveling or events in which we can make memories as a family. We are conscious about turning on the heat and/or air conditioner. But like most stay at home moms, it gets tough being home all day with an infant, so what do you do? I found myself wanting to go shopping, or meet up with a friend for coffee or lunch. Well that requires gas to get there, money spent on coffee or lunch and inevitably spending money at places like Target on crap we didn't need. Well there goes that pretty budget and my chances of staying home for good. We knew if we wanted to ever eat out again, see the inside of a restaurant and have more children we'd have to get creative with our money and childcare.

I'm a smart gal, I made it through my Master's program with high honors and have a published thesis (la-tee-da). So what can I do that allows me to earn some money (contributing to our family budget) not put Ryann in daycare and allow me to see my husband nights and weekends....watch another baby. I had the plan all worked out; now to find another baby to watch was the challenge. But I did it, I was able to hook up with a great family and watch their little boy in their home Mon-Thurs and make enough money each week that allowed us some wiggle room in our budget. We could order pizza if I didn't feel like cooking, or go to a baseball game all while putting away some money into a savings account. Thankfully the other family was on board with having Ryann with me and they LOVE that their son gets more attention from me (than in a daycare setting) and he has a buddy to kick around with and grab. I love coming to work everyday. It has saved my sanity and our once wilting family budget.

I wrote a post about this on my blog and sometimes I feel like my fancy education is going to waste, but there is nothing more important to me than raising my child(ren). Someday I'll find that perfect career but in the meantime I'll use that fancy degree to do top notch arts& crafts, teach the babies how to read, and make up silly songs with two of the cutest 6 month old babies around. (Molly you're cute too!) I'm more than just a fancy degree or what's written on paper.

Other ways we trim our spending:

We use cloth diapers and cloth wipes...I'd be happy to answer your questions if you're considering making the switch.
We don't buy paper products for the house...I found an awesome Etsy seller to make UNpapertowels, and I made my own cloth napkins.
Using coupons/not paying shipping for online purchases
Meal plan
Drive to work together (JPW and I work about 1 mile from each other)
Think through bigger purchases; need vs.want (this is VERY hard for me, but I'm doing it-remember I didn't buy the $900 area rug)

Now if you're interested in how I do all of this (with my OCD) without losing my sanity and finding some time to spend by myself and/or JPW...I'll get back to you when I've figured it out. Hahaha! Thanks for letting me hang out with you at Molly and Mommy.

Oh and if you're feeling adventurous come check us out at Waking Up Williams. The hubs does a weekly DH blog on Thursdays, it's usually good for a chuckle or two.

Happiest Baby on The Block

2010-03-01T20:56:00.000-05:00

Is not just a book---

This is me.

2010-02-28T17:07:00.000-05:00

2 Months ago

3 years ago

Big difference, right? I still can't believe I have a Molly. That girl 3years ago didn't want children. She went out all time and had fun and made lots of great friends. She got her hair highlighted every six weeks and her eyebrows were perfectly waxed. She was in Grad School and had all kinds of dreams of having a wonderful career where she was on the fast track to being a VP of...well...something.

Want to know what her life is like now?

She was laid off from her ideal job almost a year ago, she has an adorable baby girl, hasn't had her hair highlighted since July of 2009 and who knows when she had her eyebrows done last. She can't remember the last time she went out---and that MBA she took out a boatload of student loans for? It's gathering dust.

And she wouldn't have it any other way.

Being a mom has changed me in ways I can't even begin to explain. The things that were important before aren't so important now. I want to be with Molly. That's all that matters is spending time with her, teaching her new things, never missing a moment or a milestone or a smile.

Did I plan on being a stay at home mom? No. Can I afford it? Not really. I have about 5 months to find a way to make a permanent income from home or get myself back into the workforce.

Right now, I measure my worth in smiles. I treasure moments like this one:

My heart melts everytime this little girl laughs at me.

At the end of the day, no job I could ever have would be better than being a mother.

This REALLY is what cute looks like

2010-02-26T11:27:00.002-05:00

Check me out, rockin' my skinny jeans & boots

2010-02-24T21:32:00.000-05:00

It makes me sad to say this, but she's almost outgrown both :( I am totally ordering new boots in the next size up! Love them.

Social Spark---Make Money From Blogging

2010-02-24T20:58:00.001-05:00

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of IZEA. All opinions are 100% mine.

I am a want to be Work at Home Mom and I would LOVE to make an income from blogging and doing other things I would be doing otherwise. I also have the criteria that I want to make an income without making it look like I am using my blog for that purpose only, as I enjoy blogging. It is fun and is something I want to do without it seeming like a job.

I found another blog post about Social Spark and I was intrigued so I signed up. Right now I am exploring the site, finding out what it's all about. It was super easy to sign up for, you just have to register your blog profile and set up keywords so potential sponsors can find your blog.

I have to say I am impressed. I also use Sponsored Tweets, which is another Izea product and I have had nothing but good experiences with them. The sponsored post opportunities in Social Spark are all things I would enjoy writing about and I cannot wait to get started and share them with my readers.

Thus far, I give Social Spark two thumbs up (and so does Molly, because she needs more Baby Gap onesies).

To check it out and sign up, go to SocialSpark. Let me know what you think, good/bad or otherwise!

My Mommy just put whatever she grabbed first on me this morning....

2010-02-23T21:05:00.000-05:00

And this is the result:

Polka dots and stripes match, right? :)

Love is....

2010-02-22T16:37:00.000-05:00

I looked at Molly today and I teared up. I am so amazed by this little person and so full of love for her that I feel like I didn't exist before she was born.

It's hard to describe how amazing being a parent is, but if you have a child you understand what I mean. She's crazy, she's spunky, she knows what she wants and she's not afraid to let you know how she feels. In sum, she is the complete opposite of me.

I have taken thousands of pictures of her and every single one is more special than the last. Every smile is heartwarming. Everything she does melts my heart.

Today she crawled to me for a toy. It took her a good 10 minutes, but she did it with lots of encouragement all by herself. Right now she is playing with a blanket--lifting it up over her head and then putting it down and hitting it.

She has such a bright, wonderful future ahead of her. I cannot wait to see what it holds!

Hello World.

2010-02-20T19:36:00.000-05:00

So Many Toys, So Little Time

2010-02-19T19:56:00.000-05:00

In the above picture you can see Molly's Fisher Price phone, her baby einstein teething dog and her Sophie Teether. Molly also has My Pal Violet, Freddie the Firefly, Jacques the Peacock, a Lamaze Flutterbug, Mortimer the Moose, a Winkel, Bright Start Links, a Fisher Price dog thing that's just like Violet, an elephant that sings the ABC's.....well, you get the picture. She has a LOT of stuff.

Would you like to know what her favorite things to play with are?

I'll give you a hint, it's not on the above list.

Her hands and her feet.

Molly could nom on her feet all day long and be happy as a clam. I know older kids like to play with boxes and such when they have all the toys in the world....but a baby? When there is so much to learn about and discover?

I don't get it. Another bright side to being a parent---you learn something new everyday. Now, if only I could be as entertained by my hands and feet as Molly is, we would be set for life.

New Savings Blog & Molly Pictures

2010-02-17T21:31:00.000-05:00

I created a "new" blog as an extension of this one to use for giveaways, product reviews, coupon postings....etc. As one of my projects I am currently working on a couponing/money saving website (my AWESOME friend Lindsey's DH is designing it for me---so excited) and I've decided to use a side blog for right now to manage everything I want to put on the website. Check it out here.

Also---I would like to present to you some new pictures of my gorgeous little girl. I love that smile more than I could ever love anything else in this world.

She's so "mobile" now. She reaches for things and will fling herself out of her boppy if she sees something she wants. Today she wanted so bad to play with her diapers, she flung herself onto a pile of them and when I picked her up she had one in her mouth. Lunatic!

She's trouble. Can't you tell?

I'm the Cutest Ever

2010-02-17T10:33:00.000-05:00

"Everyone come see how good I look!"

Beautiful Blogger Award

2010-02-16T12:55:00.000-05:00

Metta1313 Over at 365 Days of 30+ Mommyhood nominated me for this award. If you've never visited her blog, you totally should, her daughter is precious! She also has great insights into motherhood and I LOVE the story of how she got married. Such a great love story.

Here are the rules for the award:

~Thank the person who nominated you and link to their blog.

~Copy the award and paste it to your blog.

~Tell us 7 interesting facts about yourself.

~Nominate 7 bloggers that you love and link to their blog.

So, here are my 7 (not so interesting) interesting facts!

1. I had my Bachelor's degree by the time I was 20, and my MBA by the time I was 21
2. I want to run my own business someday, but I have no idea what I want to do
3. My favorite TV show is Law and Order SVU
4. I run another Twitter account that posts about online shopping deals. (If you want to check it out, here you go: Twitter)
5. I used to not want children because I wanted a career---now I want both (and have one)
6. I love all dogs and would adopt every single homeless dog if I had the means to do so
7. My favorite color is blue, but I also LOVE pink

Here are the 7 blogs I nominate:

1. Waking Up Williams
2. Just Another Manic Momday
3. Farber Family
4. A Day in the Life of Karen
5. Life With Sweet Cheeks
6. Two of a Kind, Working on a Full House
7. Raising Madison

Thanks again Metta :) You rock!

Feet--It's what's for breakfast

2010-02-16T06:18:00.002-05:00

So Close, Yet So Far

2010-02-15T17:37:00.000-05:00

I have 9 lbs to go until I get to my goal weight and I am 4 lbs under my pre-pregnancy weight---Awesome, right? I wish I felt good about where I am right now. I feel so.....squishy. I feel like my breasts are going to be comparible to my grandmothers when I am done breastfeeding. My body is never going to look the same.

I am doing what is best for my baby by breastfeeding her. I plan to do so until she is one and it's helping my lose weight while still eating what I want to eat. So, why do I feel so crappy about how I look?

I've never been toned, I have always just been "skinny" (besides my random high school fat phase). I would LOVE to have rock hard abs and legs to die for, but I have never thought the work required to maintain a body like that is worth the effort. As long as I look good in clothing, what's it matter?

I FINALLY broke down and ordered this today, after talking about it for weeks and not doing it:

I've never worked out to a video before, besides being forced to do Tae-Bo during summer gym in high school. Does anyone have any tips for me? Is it as tough as they say it is? I am frightened and excited at the same time.

Wish me luck on my journey to a better body. From now on, it won't be about the number on the scale, it will be about how I feel. If I am finally happy with my body, the number on the scale won't mean a thing.

**Make sure you check out the other McFatty Monday posts on Heir to Blair.**

The dog is hilarious, apparently.

2010-02-14T21:16:00.000-05:00

Today Molly has decided that the Westie, Shelbydog, is the funniest thing since, well, ever. Every single time she looks at Shelby she laughs---a full bodied, belly laugh. It is the most adorable thing I have ever seen. Shelby then thinks that Molly wants to pet her, so she comes over and gets near Molly. Molly then pulls her fur and Shelby runs away from her.

Lather, Rinse, Repeat.

Here's your Molly picture for the day:

I have another one where it looks like she's flashing gang signs, which totally makes me giggle since she's totally is dressed like a rapper today.

Happy Valentines Day from Mols and I!

The View From the High Road is Much Better

2010-02-13T15:06:00.002-05:00

Sometimes provacation makes us all stupid. Life is about looking forward, not looking back. Unfortunately, I somehow time traveled back to Jr. High.

That's all I am going to say about that.

Anyways, enough with that. Molly says hi to you all:

My Morning Girl

It's tiring being this beautiful!

Sitting like a big girl!

She thinks she can crawl!

Oh, and since I feel like it, I am going to post some links to Molly's favorite things.

Curious Dexterity

2010-02-11T20:53:00.000-05:00

Molly has to grab everything. She pulls the dogs hair, pulls food out of my hands, knocks everything on the floor and shreds magazines. It's hilarious and irritating at the same time. She wants my phone, the tv remote, my camera (see below):

Molly must be involved in everything I do, from drinking a soda to taking the dog out. If she is not involved she makes it known that she is NOT happy.

I also love it that she's exploring the big world that she's in. She's awake more than she is asleep now and has to check everything out--she touches everything and most things end up in her mouth!

Is it sad that part of me doesn't want her to grow up? I get so excited at everything she does but I also am sad that she is getting so big so quickly. Please tell me I am not the only mother out there that feels this way? It's so nice that she needs me, but it makes me sad that one day she won't need me anymore.

5 Months Old Today

2010-02-10T20:21:00.000-05:00

Where has time gone?

She has grown so much in the past 5 months...not just physically but personality wise as well.

It's hard to believe she used to be this tiny:

And now she's my big girl with an even bigger personality. Todays pictures totally show off what a bright, crazy, fun little girl she is.

It's just so hard to believe how big she's gotten. I still think of her as being tiny, but she's so big in comparison to her newborn pictures.

I am sure in another 5 months I'll be looking at these pictures from today, in disbelief that she was ever this tiny as well!

Happy 5 Months Molly!

Non-Jumperoo

2010-02-09T18:37:00.000-05:00

I remember as a kid making forts out of sheets in our living room with my brother. Molly and I made a fort today, but it was more because she gets distracted by every.little.tiny.thing. I took a blanket and put it over her jumperoo and then sat in there with her. She loved her little mini fort--but still refused to jump. She'd rather try to eat the frog on her jumperoo than jump in it.

Oh and she thinks she's Dr. Evil. Here is her best impression:

I love my little baldy.

It's apparent you're a new mom when....

2010-02-08T20:53:00.000-05:00

You used to sing random pop songs in the shower, now you sing whatever song is stuck in your head from your childs most annoying toy (Hi Molly, let's sing a song about you! M...clap clap clap...)

It's 6:00 PM. You haven't showered and still have on your pjs from last night. Your child however has on their second outfit of the day, if not their 4th.

When was the last time the dog was out? 6 hours ago? Yesterday? You can't remember.

"That was a good burp/poop/fart" are phrases in your vocabulary

You used to have a shoe fetish, now you have a baby toy fetish

You used to be grossed out by stretch marks, now you barely notice that you have them even though they cover your entire abdomen

Making it to the store without a complete meltdown is an accomplishment

Nothing is "yours" anymore. Your phone is a chew toy, your bed is hogged by a tiny little person, your hair is there for pulling and your food is made for knocking on the floor.

You can't figure out where your money is going, and then you realize you blew an entire weeks pay at babygap

You want to make sure your child is eating enough, yet you consider a granola bar and two reeses cups "lunch"

If you haven't had your caffiene, no one should speak to you. In fact, they better not even look at you or there could be hell to pay

You get excited about a good deal on diapers/wipes/babyfood...etc

You can't find anything in your email inbox that DOESN'T involve your baby

Your life has changed drastically, but you wouldn't have it any other way.

Heidi Klum makes me depressed

2010-02-08T11:25:00.000-05:00

and that depression makes me want to eat an entire bag of reese cups in one sitting along with half a gallon of diet mountain dew (because you know diet pop cancels the calories in reeses cups, right? hah).

I was watching GMA this morning and Heidi Klum was on talking about her babies and her pregnancies. The woman has 4 kids--FOUR! & She looks like amazing. Absolutely amazing. When she was pregnant (of course they had to show pictures of her pregnant) she had tiny little stick arms. She had her most recent baby AFTER me and is like, super duper tiny again.

Obviously Heidi Klum is not the best representative of the normal woman and her body is not the average womans body, but she's what people see. Your average person who has not had a child looks at Heidi Klum and thinks, oh okay, you CAN have a baby and not get fat everywhere. This assumption leads to letdown for women everywhere, I think.

I thought I could be one of those women that got pregnant and just had a belly. WRONG! Between morning sickness only being solved by entire boxes of Macaroni and Cheese and Rice with 2 sticks of butter, I gained about 25 pounds in my FIRST trimester. I ate copious amounts of chocolate and craved sugar cookies. My legs were stumps by the end of my pregnancy and my face was so bloated I could hardly recognize myself.

Oh and did I mention that my belly was never actually round? It was B shaped. It had an indent across my belly button. My OB told me it was the way Mols was positioned, but seriously, people who didn't know me sometimes didn't even know I was pregnant. Talk about bad for self esteem--lol people just thought I was fat! SUPER.

Speaking of being fat, I lost two pounds this week. I still ate chocolate but I TRIED to cut back. I ate a lot of M&M's (because seriously, when you open a bag of M&M's you HAVE to eat them because they can become stale---right?).

I still haven't started exercising. I would like to, but I would also like to stop drinking so much caffiene and that's definitely not going to happen this century.

My goal for next week is to just eat BETTER this week. More Salads, less chicken nuggets--you know? I think I can do that. Heidi Klum would be able to do it.

**Make sure you check out The Heir to Blair for more McFatty Monday posts**

Parenting and Jeans

2010-02-07T20:08:00.000-05:00

Finding the right parenting style for your little one is like finding the right fit of jeans. An odd comparison, yes, but think about it. I tried for YEARS to find the right jeans for my body. I have absolutely no butt (Thanks, Dad!) and most jeans would hang off of my behind and fit everywhere else. When I finally found jeans that fit me properly it was so nice, I bought quite a few pairs and still wear them to this day.

You want to find the right parenting "fit" for your child as well. Some babies are low maitenance and don't need constant stimulation to be happy. They can nap on their own and don't constantly need their parents to make them content.

Molly is not a low maitenance baby. She wants to be held all the time and heaven forbid you don't pay attention to her for more than two seconds. She needs to be cuddled to sleep and if she's not fully asleep she will wake up if set down (so frustating!).

I was reading some online message board posts today and another Mom mentioned that she was ferberizing and was concerned that other moms would give her grief about it. She let her daughter cry it out for like 15 minutes and then went in to comfort her (her little one slept all night afterwards). I have to admit, I've tried letting her cry for 5 minutes (ish) and it did not even come close to working. If anything, it made it worse. She would not stop crying when I picked her up and it took a long time to get her settled.

I think that if something works for your child you should do it. Let them cry if that's what works for you. I, on the other hand, have a super clingy mommas girl who needs to be cuddled because nothing else works. I honestly kind of wish letting her cry would work, although it is such a great feeling when your child is crying and nothing makes them feel better except for cuddling with Momma.

Right now Molly is sleeping on me and there really is no better feeling in the world. I may regret letting her be so clingy when she gets older, but for now, I'm happy she loves me so much :)

There are a few things she loves to do on her own now though. She sits unassisted and can pick her paci right up and put it in her mouth. She reaches for things and has little brat fits when I take something away from her. Below is a photo montage of her putting her paci in her mouth today:

Atleast she's a cute clingy little booger!

A girl and her dog...a not so lovey love story

2010-02-06T21:32:00.000-05:00

Shelby (our Westie) was the first baby and is super spoiled. When she was a puppy people used to ask me if she had legs because I carried her around so much that people never saw her walking. I loved my dog and was so excited to get her.

Now that Molly is in the picture Shelby still considers herself the baby and has had a hard time adjusting to someone else getting all the attention. The first few weeks Molly was around Shelby would try to sit in my lap while I breastfed Mols, not exactly the ideal breastfeeding scenario.

Today I was sitting with Molly and Shelby wanted to sit with me, but she wasn't sure about Molly since I had pushed her away a bit in the beginning. I called Shelby up to sit with us and we had a nice little "moment." My girl was cuddling with me and my little dog was curled up in my lap. It was wonderful.

This evening when Molly was doing her obligatory tummy time Shelby came over and laid down next to her.

Shelby hates having her picture taken so she took off after these were taken, but for a moment there I thought FINALLY the dog had warmed up to the girl.

My guess is she will love Molly when she is a toddler and leaves a trail of snacks for the Shelbydog to clean up! :)

Coddlelife Bottle Giveaway! CLOSED

2010-02-05T19:05:00.002-05:00

CLOSED!

Congrats, Jaime :)

There were 72 comments and 14 people who commented on my post for an "extra" entry. The 71st comment was Jaime! Congrats Jaime!! Enjoy the bottle!

Alright---you read the review---now it's time for the giveaway!

Here's how you can win an 8 Ounce Coddlelife PP Anti-colic Bottle Featuring Peristaltic Nipple!

Leave a separate comment for each entry. You enter up to 6 times! (You only have to do one thing to enter once)**Make sure you leave me a way to contact you**

1. Subscribe to my blog via email (left hand side of the page--just enter your email address!)
2. Follow my blog via google friends
3. Follow Coddlelife on Twitter
4. Follow Molly and Mommy on Twitter
5. Become a fan of Coddlelife on Facebook
6. Tweet about this giveaway: I just entered to win a @Coddlelife bottle from @MollyandMommy!

That's all you have to do! Easy as pie, right?

Good luck! I will draw a winner using random.org on Wednesday, February 10th at Midnight EST!

Coddlelife Bottle Review (Giveaway to follow)

2010-02-05T18:24:00.001-05:00

My favorite color is pink, is that normal for someone in their mid-twenties? I am partial to blue as well, but pink has always been my fav.

When I found out Molly was a girl I was so so so excited to buy everything pink I could get my hands on. So, when I saw the Coddlelife bottle on Heir to Blair, I was instantly in love. I contacted Coddlelife to see if they needed another reviewer, and sure enough they sent me a bottle to try out (and offered to let me give one away to you guys--how cool is that?!)

Look at this bottle--how could you not love it?

Molly has only had maybe 5 or 6 bottles in her life. We used Dr. Brown's and she was fine with them, but I was always worried about the comparison of a regular bottle to breastfeeding. This bottle was given to her and she loved it almost as much as she loves her toes. She didn't want to put it down! It was the first time I have seen her hold a bottle on her own and she had no problem sucking down the entire contents of the bottle.

I want to tell you all how much I love love LOVE this bottle and you all should buy one if you don't win it in the giveaway. Seriously. It's that awesome.

The really great thing about this bottle is that it has a one piece venting system, so unlike many other bottles there are no extra pieces to wash.

It has a peristaltic one-piece nipple which dumbed down basically means it will mimic breastfeeding quite well as it allows the baby to control the flow of the feeding. As perverse as it sounds, I played with the nipple and found that it was much more stretchable as well as more flexible that a standard bottle nipple. This makes the experience much more like breastfeeding.

See the chart below for a better explanation of how the bottle works (Click to make it larger):

You can buy these bottles on Amazon: Coddlelife 8 oz Wide Neck Polypropylene (PP) Bottle - 3-Pack or you will be able to win one on my blog! Your child will love them!

Jumperoos and French Fries

2010-02-04T20:08:00.001-05:00

The following is an actual conversation with a Wendy's cashier. I wish I were making this up, but sadly I am not that creative.

Me: I'd like a combo 8 with a chili instead of fries and a water please.
Cashier: Is that all?
Me: Yep!
Cashier: Nothing for her? (Gestures to Molly)
Me: No, she doesn't eat solid food
Cashier: Well you could atleast let her suck on a fry or something.
Me: ::Silence::

Um, yes. I will get right on feeding my almost 5 month old french fries. I would like to contribute to the childhood obesity epidemic sooner rather than later, thankyouverymuch.

Wow.

Anyway, Molly is growing by leaps and bounds! I was looking at her 0-3 month clothing today and it is SO hard to believe that she ever wore something so little. She loves her jumperoo, although she won't jump in it. She stands there and beats the keyboard until she can get the music to play, silly girl.

Here is your daily Molly picture (I LOVE her hat!)

Oh and here are the giveaways I have coming up---so stay tuned!
- Coddlelife Bottle Review and Giveaway
- Bummas review and giveaway
- How to create custom bouquets DVD giveaway
- ModmomME Keyfob giveaway
-Mimijumi Bottle review and giveaway

PS: I am now #103 on Top Mommy Blogs! You all rock!!

Bella B Valentines Day Giveaway! Win a Customized Mom Tee

2010-02-03T20:07:00.003-05:00

Have you ever had a pickup line used on you and you just could NOT believe how cheesy it was? Share it with us and win a customized Mommy tee!

Valentines Day Giveaway! Enter by February 13th for a chance to win.

Up for grabs is a personalized mommy tee from Bella B Maternity. You can spot Jessica Alba rocking her "Honor's Mom" tee on the playground!

-This tee was recently featured in Pregnancy & Newborn Magazine
-Tees are 100% produced and manufactured in the USA!
-Tees are super comfy, 100% ring spun cotton

Bella B is proud to offer maternity for the entire family! From maternity wear and Mom wear, to things for Dads and tees for tots, to tutus and diaper bags it’s all there. Check out Bella’s gear and all of their celebrity fans like Jennifer Garner and Ben Affleck, Gwen Stefani, Angelina Jolie, Jessica Alba, and Tori Spelling. Head over and stock up on some upscale fashions and accessories at bargain prices. You can shop at BellaBMaternity.com.

ENTRY:

1. (Mandatory) Submit your favorite pick up line or the worst pickup line that you’ve heard for a chance to win!
Examples: Are those stars on your pants? Because your ass is out of this world!!
Excuse me but I think I dropped something....my jaw!

Make sure to include your contact information. You may submit one entry on all 5 participating blogs, so go check out our friends and up your odds of winning. Each blog will choose one winner and those winners will be pooled to select the ultimate winner. Be sure to stay tuned when the winner is announced. All non-winners will receive a 10% discount code to use on Bella’s gear!

Visit these blogs for more chances to win!:

Momma Maven
Heir To Blair
The 818
365 Days: 30+ Mommyhood

Talk to Me

2010-02-02T14:16:00.002-05:00

Daily Dosage of Molly

2010-02-01T20:29:00.000-05:00

Oh, Mom, I am so OVER having my picture taken.

Get A Clue

2010-02-01T09:17:00.000-05:00

Dear Alissa,

When you buy chocolate, you eat ALL of it. Within days if not hours. Here's a clue: STOP BUYING IT! I know that Valentines Day is approaching and stores are having sales on candy. It doesn't mean that you have to buy multiple bags and eat all of them. I thank you.

Love,

Your Waistline.

The above is what my body is saying to me this week. I haven't felt good and I think it's mostly because I have been scarfing down gratuitous amounts of chocolate. It also doesn't help that AF has made her not so welcome return and I just want to eat (and eat, and eat...).

So far I have lost my baby weight, quite honestly without really trying. I'm onto the tough part now which is getting back to where I would LIKE to be. I don't HAVE to weigh what I would like to weigh, but it would be nice. Hence the "I don't give a crap if I turn into a giant chocolate bar because I am at my pre baby weight, thankyouverymuch" attitude.

So, this week, I have a couple super easy goals, and if I cannot acheive them I may just go take a swim in the Ohio River (kidding!).

1. No extra chocolate consumption. A couple pieces=fine. Two entire bags? Excessive.
2. Lose two pounds (should be easy with the lack of chocolate consumption).

I think I can do those two things, right? I apologize to those of you who came here looking for weight loss inspiration. I can only tell you that hey, it is possible to lose the entire 63 pounds you gained while pregnant in 4 months. However, I cannot tell you how to get rid of the spare tire of skin below your below button. I now believe that celebrities have that skin removed and then reattached when they want to have more children.

Next week I will not be fatter. That's a good goal, correct?

**Make sure you check out The Heir to Blair for more McFatty Monday posts**

Scandalous

2010-01-31T17:40:00.001-05:00

I posted a while back about how I wasn't ready to do baby food yet because I wasn't exactly comfortable with it. What frustrates me is that when I explained my reasoning to the pediatrician, I was told that "A new study came out that says it's okay to start them between 4-6 months". Okay, great, but what about the old study? What was wrong with it? How do I trust studies that say one thing and then are discredited by another? What happens when this "new" study is discredited?

When I read articles like this: http://www.kellymom.com/nutrition/solids/delay-solids.html I feel better about the decision to delay solids a bit. It's not about knowing more than her pediatrician or not listening to what the Dr. says, it's about what I feel is best for Molly. I am under the opinion that "breast is best" for the first 6 months of life, if not longer.

That said, I have a confession. On a whim I bought her some baby food and we tried a bit of it. She had a hard time with it. She didn't like the texture and made horrible faces. She didn't know what to do with it. I continued it for a little while thinking she would get used to it, she didn't. She wasn't ready and I feel guilty about that decision now. We will not be doing any more solids until 6 months, and if she's ready then, great! If not, we will wait longer.

Every child is different and I honestly don't believe that a "one size fits all" policy is what's best for infants. That's what I felt the pediatrician was giving me when solids were suggested. That one size did not fit Molly. Molly is not every other baby, she is her own person.

I digress. I know some of you read the blog for Molly's pictures, so here is your daily dose of Mols:

I think she was staring at Sophie in this one:

Paparazzi! Stop taking my picture:

Photo Fun!

2010-01-30T17:29:00.000-05:00

The last picture I thought looked better in color. I love my happy girl!

When I see you smile....

2010-01-29T21:26:00.000-05:00

I hate that cheesy Aspen Dental commercial with that song on it. It makes me want to buy earplugs. I have no idea why it irks me so much, it just does, okay?

However, the song is relevant to Miss Molly. Her smile lights up my world. She is SO HAPPY (most of the time).

In other news, my hair is falling out in CLUMPS. When I wash my hair I seriously get handfuls of hair. It's all over place---Molly even gets it all over her. I find it in her freaking diaper of all places. Holy Grossness.

When does the hair loss stop? Please tell me it's soon because I'm going to be bald before long!

Feets.

2010-01-28T22:03:00.001-05:00

I know I have mentioned this before, but Molly loves her feet. I try to do an inkprint of them every month, but sometimes I forget. I just did her four month one today! Oops!

Look at those big feet:

It amazes me how much she has grown since she was born. I thought she had big ol' feet when she was born, now those footprints look teeny tiny compared to now.

I love it that she sits all the time now, but what's even funnier is when she falls down when trying to sit. She will plop herself forward and try to grab her toys. So cute!

Note all those toys in the background. She plays with all of them and then some.

She screamed her little head off for some reason today, I'm not sure what that was about. She's still teething and I think her mouth hurts her badly. Right now she's asleep, thank god! My caffiene consumption has doubled in the amount of time she's been teething--I hope it ends soon, but that's doubtful!

PS-- I am now number 222 on TopMommyBlogs.com! If you click the ad on the left-hand side of the page it's one vote for my blog. I don't need to be number 1, but I would love to be in the top 200! Thanks to everyone who has "voted" so far! It makes me smile :)

A Change Will Do You Good....

2010-01-27T20:52:00.001-05:00

You may have noticed that my blog layout changed recently and if I do say so myself, it's GREAT! I love it. It was done by Simplee Stated Designs and she did an absolutely magnificent job. If you are in the market to redesign your blog, website or etsy shop or are just looking for some photo cards/invitations, she has you convered. Make sure you check out her Etsy Shop and her blog for more examples of her work.

To Celebrate the new layout, I will be doing some product reviews and giveaways, so stay tuned for those.

If you leave a comment on this post by Monday, February 1st you will get an extra entry into all giveaways! Be excited--I know I am!

Writing a Blog Post with a Curious Baby in Your Lap is not easy

2010-01-26T19:13:00.000-05:00

Molly has something to say:

9kj-p,lmk,0u b jynnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnntfgvn sg4evcfzawcxm ar tbbbbbbbbbbbb35h ud7 cc j crf fvcccccc rt

And it's still not out her system. She LOVES to hit things. She also thinks my BlackBerry is edible (the laptop is too, hah). This kid is an explorer. She does. not. stop. When she doesn't get her way she throws a mini hissy fit.

It's so much fun to see her personality develop each and everyday. She knows what she likes and doesn't like. She loves it when I make faces at her and sing. She hates strangers and instantly sticks her lip out and cries when she sees someone she doesn't know.

She also loves to sit up like a big girl. When I put her on her back to change her she tries to sit herself up.

She can almost sit unassisted, but still needs to tripod. I can't wait until she can sit up like a big girl so I can give her baths in her pink ducky bath!

Serious Talk for McFatty Monday

2010-01-25T09:29:00.000-05:00

First off, I lost two pounds this week, so YAY for that! I am so looking forward to having my pre-pregnancy body back where I felt comfortable in my skin and my clothing. It took me a long time to get to a place where I was okay with my body.

Speaking of being comfortable with my body, I want to talk about something that is really uncomfortable for me to talk about. I had an eating disorder when I was in High School, specifically anorexia. I didn't eat and I exercised compulsively. I went from 180 lbs to 90 lbs in under a year.

Here is what I looked like when I graduated from High School:

Gross, right? What's delusional is that I thought I looked good. I wanted to lose more weight. My entire life was structured around my eating (or lack thereof) patterns.

I eventually got better, but what scares me the most about my past eating problems is that I am SO afraid that my poor body image will pass on to Molly. I never want her to go through what I did. I want her to have the confidence and the strength I never had. I want her to always be happy with how she looks no matter how much she weighs.

This is my biggest worry as a mother. I could go on and on about it, but I'll spare you all the details.

I guess this post is more about a life goal: I want to have a healthy body image and pass that on to Molly.

Anyways, that's enough of that, right? No more serious talk. My goals for this week are:

1. Pay more attention to what I am eating and why I am eating it
2. Cut back on the caffiene
3. Do some form of exercise 6 out of the 7 days this week. Starting tomorrow.

**Head over to the Heir to Blair and check out the rest of the McFatty Monday Posts**