Getting Over Another Virus

This has to be the millionth time that I've been sick this year.  I woke up and it felt like a tractor trailor ran over my head.  It seemed like my throat was going to explode, my body ached, and I could hardly breath through my nose.  After stumbling to the bathroom to get the thermometer, I took my temperature.  This is what it read:

And take a look at the culprit:

She may look cute and sweet, but she carries a lot of germs.  Where does she get it from?  Daycare, of course!  I always knew that daycare centers are like germ fests, but jeez louise!  Being sick has become the norm in our house.  It's a continious cycle.  I went to the doctor and he said that this virus will go away on its own, without prescription meds.  So, I've been taking tylenol and vitamins.  I've also been taking advantage of home remedies like tea with honey and lemon, gargling with warm salt water, and using saline nasel spay.  Despite her mama being sick, my little Princess is her usual happy self.

Please share your ideas!  I can use all the help I can get!

Baby Shoe Shopping!

After a couple months of debating, I finally decided to purchase my little Princess her first pair of shoes.
I've been stalling because I didn't want to run the risk of getting it too early.  She began crawling at 9 months and not too long after that she started walking around the coffee table with little support.  If you asked me two years ago, I would have just gone to target and snatch up the least expensive shoes.  But, I've learned that buying the proper shoes for your little one is key to their growth.  In fact, the wrong ones could mean foot and/or back problems later in life.

Aside from cute little baby booties and pre-walking kicks worn during the cold months, I made it a point to have her wear socks, or just go bare otherwise.  Now that she's approaching that one year mark, I feel that she'll be walking on her own any day now.   Once she gets the hang of it, she'll be able to move up to the next stage at daycare!

On my way to dropping her off at the center, I made a b-line for the mall.  The sales associate at Stride Rite measured her tiny feet, and we picked out this cute sneaker/sandal combo.  It was a bit pricey, but worth every penny!

Relief From the Extreme Heat

We've been dealing with some exteme temperatures all last week, and the weekend was no different.  Highs topped out around 100 degrees acrooss the five boroughs on Saturday!

To escape the oppressive heat, I took my baby girl to her second swim lesson.  She was already a pro in the water, but I needed a little help from the intructor.  She loved being in the water, and was so much more relaxed than her mama.  Once my hubby came home from work, we headed to my friends house and hung with some co-workers.  It took a little while for my little Princess to get comfy.  She wanted to take her time and drink in the scene.  She eventually opened up and made some friends.  She also took a dip in the pool with daddy.  We had a fab time!  It was a nice, cool relief from the record heat.

Jersey Day!

I grew up playing sports, but I wouldn't exactly call myself a sportnista.  So when my little Princess's teacher wrote "Jersey Day" on her infant gram, the first thing that came to mind was the state of course!    My hubby cleared up the confusion and said that we should participate.  It's easy for me to doll her up on "Princess Day."  But, Jersey Day is whole other ball game.  I suggested that she just wear the Met's bib that her Uncle Kevin bought her, or this Michael Jordon onesie she got from Auntie Sophia.  I would, no doubt, pair it with a cute ruffle skirt to jazz it up a bit.  But, hubby was not havin' it.

He ran out to the sporting goods store and picked up a Mets t-shirt instead.  It's cute and all, but I kinda wanted to do something with some pink in it.  I didn't want anyone to mistake her for a boy!  So, I just had to "girlify" it a bit.  I ended up completing the outfit with cute jean shorts with ruffle triming, and I topped it off with a cute headband.  

I guess her daddy wanted to make sure she wore it because he insisted that I take pics from the front and back.  By her expression in this pic, I don't think she's sold on the ensemble.  But, she does look cute!  It goes to show that you can be girly and sporty at the same time, and still look fly!

Weather Anchor Mama

Label Product Review! Plus, Get a Discount!

If you have young kids attending school or daycare, then you know that labeling everything is a must!  If you don't, your child's stuff could go missing.  That's happened to me and let me tell you, it's a pain in the you know what.

Before my daughter started daycare, the staff told us that her name should be on all items including her clothes, sheets, bottles, bowls, and utensils to name a few.  There are so many kids there that it's easy to confuse one baby's onsie with another.  There've been times when I'd realize that my little one brought home Sally's crib sheet instead of her own.  Putting your child's name on everything ensures less chances of getting these things mixed up.  But I must admit, I'm one of those moms who's always looking to cut corners and labeling is no different.  Let me give you an example.  Instead of using actual labels, I started out writing her name with a sharpie.

It's effective but, not the easiest to clean.  Plus, it just doesn't look good.  I spoke with one of the teachers about buying labels and she referred me to a website.  But when I searched for the company online, I realized it was pretty pricey.  So I did what any bargain shopper would do, I surfed the web for other options.  I came across  Friendly Stickers, it's a company that sells all kinds of labels.  Once I  peeped the affordable prices, I was game!  You can't beat 64 stickers for 18 bucks and free shipping!  The best part about these stickers is that there're waterproof and they last a long time.

Now I don't have to worry about scrubbing out that sharpie for dear life!  Now it's time to put more of this company's products to the test.  I decided to try out some more products from their parent company, Family Labels.  As I mentioned before, I have to write my babys name on her clothes.  So I ordered some labels that you actually have iron on yourself.  I was inititially a little bit hesitent, but then I figured how hard could it be?

The instructions were pretty simple; all you need is an iron, hard surface, a towel, your label, and the garment you want to iron the label onto.  Here's what I did:

1.  Preheat the iron to the highest setting (without steam).
2.  It states that for best results, place the garment on a hard surface with a towel between the garment and surface.  The directions indicate that you shouldn't use an ironing board which also means less work for me.  Yay!

3.  I set up shop on my kitchen table.  I placed the label on one of my baby's dress and pressed firmly with the iron for about 5 seconds, and then moved back and forth across the label for about 10 seconds.

4.  Lastly, I removed the iron,  let it cool and wallah!

It came out great!  But just one quick note, the iron-on labels work best garaments made of cotton, and could damage sensitive fabrics.  It's always a good idea to test it first.

I also got this cool note pad with cartoon images of our family and a tag for her diaper bag.

I'm very careful about recommending products, but these are pretty cool.  I didn't even have to pay for shipping, talk about a bargain.  This one takes the cake!

Whether you're looking to buy labels for your kids or yourself, there's something for everyone.  There're also great gift ideas.  Check them out and tell them I sent you.  Plus, get 10% off your order when you type in the code WAM!  Happy Shopping!

Weather Anchor Mama

First Day of Swim Class!

Long before we had our little Princess, I knew that I wanted to send our kids to swimming lessons.  Maybe it's because I can't swim.  Now that we have our little one, I figure I might as well live vicariously through her.  Besides, she can teach me, or save me from drowning someday.

After months of searching for a swim class that teaches infants, we were in business.  But, I didn't realize that so much went into it.  When I called to set up our first appointment, the intructor informed me that we had to purchase disposable swim diapers (which we already had), as well as a cloth diaper and swimuit.  It turns out that the swimsuits I had bought on sale were no good.  Who knew about baby swim wear and cloth diapers in one?  I sure didn't.  Then I thought maybe if I buy the cloth diaper, I can still have her wear one of her own suits.  But that seemed like too much of a hassle and too much stuff to put on.  So I called my friend, Mike.  He and his wife Sue have been taking their little girls, Catherine and Gabriella, since they were infants too.  Now they're like fish in water!  Check 'em out, rockin'caps and goggles!

Everyone knows that I ask a lot of questions and this situation was no different.  I had to clear up this possible diaper and swimsuit fiasco.  Mike told me the best thing would be to get a swimsuit with the cloth diaper already attached, in addition to the disposable diapers.  That way if she poops, it would all be kept from oozing out.  So after firing off some more random questions regarding keeping her safe in the water, he finally mentioned something that put everything into perspective.  He said, "In your belly, she was swimming."  On that note, off we went to her first lesson!

We were able to purchase the swimsuit and cloth diaper in one at the swim place.  The instructor was so sweet in helping us pick out the right one.  After a quick change, we were ready to get in the water.  We decided that her daddy would be the one to go in the pool with her.

Our little Princess loved the water!  It may not look like it in the photo above.  But once she actually got in, it was on and poppin'.  The first thing we were all told to do was feel our babies stomach.  This is a test that's done before and after each lesson to track how much water is digested.  Our babies bellys should feel the same at the end of the session.  If the stomach becomes harder that means a lot of water was swallowed.  Our little Princess had already been trying to break the rules by drinking the pool the minute she got in.

The instructors also went over things like getting the face and hair wet, moving the arms and legs, floating, and getting in and out of the pool.  She wasn't a big fan of floating on her back, but she enjoyed everything else and made a big splash.

I hope you enjoyed reading about our little Princess's first swim lesson.  It was certainly a great learning experience for us.  Next week will be my turn to get in the water with her which should be fun.  But,  I'm not looking forward to wearing a bathing suit!

Her First Cell Phone at Almost 11 Months!

According to a CBS news article written last year, the number of cell phone subscriptions across the globe has reached the billions.  So I figured since most people have cell phones, why not get one for my little Princess. It only makes sense right?  She always yapping away, and whenever anyone's on the phone, she has to get her two cents in.  Just check her out in these pics!

My hubby and I have tried getting her a fake baby cell phone.  You know, the one that makes funny noises and plays music.  Well, that worked for about a half a second.  Trust me, she knows the difference.  She loves the bright lights and all, but she knows what's fake from what's real.  She is a smart cookie.  We've decided to get her a simple plan with texting included (she's not quite ready for internet access just yet).  She really wanted the iphone, but we explained to her about the importance of taking baby steps first.  If she does well at daycare, we may surprise her with one for Christmas.  For now, she has this phone featured above.  Hey as long as it works, it's all good.  Otherwise, she'll end up like this.

For those of you, who think that we bought her a real cell phone with a real plan, you can exhale now.  It's totally fake!  We just charged one of our old phones for her to use.  But guess what, she's already figured out that it doesn't really work.  Hey, you can't blame us for trying!  Now it's back to square one.

Weather Anchor Mama

No Babies Allowed At Restaurants?

What if you were told that you couldn't bring your baby into a restaurant?  I came across this video on today.com where one local business owner in North Carolina says she has decided to ban screaming babies from her restaurant.  I must admit I would have shouted "Hallelujah" a couple years ago.  But, times have changed.  I think if your a parent, you'll understand.

Sometimes it's not always easy to calm a baby down.  I kid around with my hubby all the time by saying, "WE'VE BECOME THOSE PEOPLE."  You know, the ones with the screaming child who seems inconsolable.  For instance, we took our daughter to the beach for a boardwalk stroll, as I mentioned in my previous post.  She was fine when we got there, but lost it a half hour later.  She cried for what seemed like an eternity.  We were a couple miles away from our car, so it's not like we could have just hopped in and drove home.

Sure enough we got some cold stares, and there were some who smiled as they walked by.  Believe it or not, those smiles and friendly waves hello actually helped to calm her down a bit.  But, that was only temporary.  This is what I had to do to get her to stop crying. 

A mama's got do what a mama's gotta do.  I don't always nurse in public, but sometimes I have no choice.  It may not seem like it, but we had plenty of privacy.  My hubby took this quick pic while standing guard.  There were people walking by, but they didn't see a thing.  The bushes also blocked all those possible inquiring minds.  After I nursed her, she settled down.  

Anyway, getting back to this restaurant owner.  I think it's important to understand that it's not always easy for parents.  Sometimes we want to be able to go out and enjoy a nice meal.  We can't always find a sitter and if you're a working mom like me, you know that any time spent with the littles ones are extra special.  I would never see my child otherwise.  Let's face it, babies cry all the time.  Maybe they're not feeling well, they could be tired, they may need changing.  Whatever the reason, it's important to understand that we have it hard sometimes.  So the next time you see a screaming child at a restaurant or anywhere for that matter, give a friendly smile and try to understand that it's hard for us parents too.  Shame on these business owners who are willing to ban babies from their place of business because they may cry a little, or a lot.  

Weather Anchor Mama

A Day at the Beach

Summer is definitely in full swing and with record heat across portions of New York, we decided to head to the beach to cool off a bit later in the day.  We didn't exactly take dip, but we did stroll the board walk which was just as fun!

It's our little Princess' first time at Jones Beach.  She didn't exactly cooperate in her stroller, and she refused to where a sun hat and shades.  But, we didn't forget pile on the sunscreen! Daddy's Darling preferred being carried around while soaking up the sun.  She also loved smiling and waving at everyone.  Check out some pics.

Weather Anchor Mama

Another Hot One!

A very warm day is on tap across the northeast as temperatures soar around 90 degrees.  There will also be plenty of sunshine with the UV index of 9, which is considered very high.  So before you buckle up and hit the streets, grab the shades and sun hat.  But most importantly, don't forget the sunscreen!

Creative Gifts For My Moms B-Day!

It’s my mom’s birthday and after many years of getting her gifts, I’ve hit a wall.  So, I’ve decided to recycle my gift from Father’s Day.  I’m not being cheap, just practical.  This past Father’s Day was my hubby’s first and I wanted to make it extra special.  I had this idea in mind before our beautiful daughter came into the world.  I’ve been obsessed with documenting everything from the beginning of my pregnancy.  I went as far as taking a weekly pregnancy photos just so I can look back and reminisce about being preggers.  I was four months along in these pics.

Another reason for documenting pre-baby and post pregnancy is that I want my little girl to later see how loved she was, and still is.  Besides, I mentioned before that I have no baby pictures of my own.  Let's just say that I'm making up for lost times.  

For Father's Day I made a 15 minute long mini movie that consisted of videos and still pictures of our little Princess.  It was a three month, labor intense project and my hubby loved it so much.  Now for my mom’s version, I swapped out some daddy-baby pics for grandma-baby ones.  I don’t want to bore you with the whole thing, so I posted a small clip for your viewing pleasure.  Hope you enjoy!  

I can’t say that putting this together was easy, but anyone can do it.  I’m fortunate to have a computer that has some cool features.  However, there are other ways to accomplish the same thing.  Nowadays most cell phones have a video recording feature.  You can record your own home videos, edit, and burn them onto a dvd through youtube or Roxio.  In addition to this mini movie, I've also put together a photo book through Shutterfly which also makes a great keepsake.  

I even got a little creative by printing out free dvd labels through mediaface, placed the dvd in a case, and taped it to the back cover page of the photo book.  Presentation is key people!  Check out my Father's Day dvd!  Cool huh?!

I'm always reaching out for help from my readers, it's only fair that I share some of my talents.  I hope this can inspire you to get creative the next time you think of gift ideas.  I've always believed that when you give something to someone you've made yourself, you're giving the recipient a part of yourself.