Tommee Tippee's The Day Baby Was Born Review & Bottle Giveaway

When I was pregnant, a bookstore near our home was going out of business. I spent a bit too much money buying loads of clearance books. One of them was a very mod baby book. I filled in all the pre-birth pages, and sat around waiting for our little bear to arrive. Now that G is here, I'm pretty busy, but I always make time to fill out her baby book. Everything is current, except one page back in the birth section. The "in the news" section sits empty. Filling that in on the day G was born was the furthest thing from my mind. By the time I got around to it, I couldn't really find news from February 22, 2011 to write into that section.

Enter Tommee Tippee's new web application, The Day Baby Was Born. By linking to your facebook account, you can log into a website that tracks, stores, and shares your pregnancy-to-birth journey. It's like an online baby book--and bonus--it's really easy to use! You can announce your pregnancy to friends and family by posting to facebook through The Day Baby Was Born. Because the two sites are linked, comments to your facebook announcement status will be permanently saved to your storybook. It does the same for birth announcements.
You can write journals, upload photos (and easily share to facebook), write baby a letter, and record stories surrounding baby's birth (in the "personal story" section).
Then there is my personal favorite feature: the News and Events section. I like history, pop culture, and sports. I like dates, especially important ones, as in the day G was born. Combine the two, and it's a big win-win in my momma book. You can read through news stories from the day your baby was born, find celebrities or historical figures with the same birthday, record the average price of gas, find sports scores, and a variety of other tidbits to add to your story book. You don't have to go searching for anything. Tommee Tippee's The Day Baby Was Born has done all of the leg work for you!
If you are pregnant, trust me, you want to sign up for this website. Recently gave birth? It's not too late, you can still sign up and fill out all of the sections! Once you are done, you can save your completed storybook to facebook and/or your hard drive. If you don't want to share anything to facebook, you don't have to, but you do have to have a facebook account to log in.

To celebrate the recent launch of The Day Baby Was Born, Tommee Tippee has offered to give one Letters from Momma reader a Closer to Nature 150ml/5 oz bottle! To enter, please use the Rafflecopter form below.






I was not given anything in exchange for this review. I was sent the link to The Day Baby Was Born, and asked to share my thoughts with my readers. Tommee Tippee has been kind enough to extend the bottle giveaway offer to my readers on their own. Read Disclosure.

My solution to SAHM rut & the "first day of school"

My daughter is almost 7 months old, and I left her with a non-family member for the first time this week. I had a glimpse of what the first day of school will really feel like. Thankfully, I didn't have time to linger, although I did give her a big hug and kiss her, and then bent down to kiss her head again for good measure.

my running shoes were missed

Our new gym is pretty nice, but the childcare facility is seriously the bee's knees. The have a separate infant area, a separate toddler area, and a variety of fun areas for the older kids. Certain ages even have the opportunity to participate in kid yoga, rock climbing, or kid Zumba. They have outdoor play areas, indoor mazes and a gym area, they also have educational game computers. It is as secure/safe as you can hope for, and the girls are always smiling. They clean the toys several times a day, and have a place to put chewed/slobbered on toys after that kid gets done with it...so that no other kid gets it until it's cleaned. I have to call in advance to reserve G a spot in the infant area, so that the 4-1 max ratio is maintained. They will feed her, but not change diapers--so they page/find you if your kid needs a new diaper. Other than that, it's like a nice "real" daycare. I love being a stay-at-home mom, but we all need a small break sometimes; mine just happens to come with a BONUS of exercising while I get said break.

I just had to share, I've been busting at the seams with excitement about being back to my gym-rat self! Find out if there is a gym with super great child care in your area.

Dear G,

Thank you for playing so good at the gym daycare this week. It makes me a better momma when I am able to have 'me' time. Now that we found a gym with a real daycare, instead of a 'gym' daycare, I can go workout and leave you to play! This means I end up going more often, because trying to go in the evening after daddy got home resulted in me going about twice a week. 

You seemed to LOVE it the first day. When I came to pick you up, you were smiling and giggling in the jumperoo. We don't have one of those, and I could tell you had found your current life calling. You absolutely adore bouncing! My little tigger. :-) The rest of the week has also gone smoothly.

I like that they maintain a 4-1 ratio, maximum, but each time you've been, it's even less than that. The girls that work there are clean, professional, and happy. I don't worry about you (only a little bit) while I am working out, so this is my "me" time and I am happy. Daddy is happy about it, too, because I am in a better mood overall. 

This is something that I hope gets passed on to you--working out is a healthy way to relieve stress, feel good about yourself, and boost your mood. Now, if only they could get you to sleep better! :-)

Love, 

Momma

Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood, WoW (linky)

G loves the park!

I had to include this one, even though it's not related, and is horribly out of focus (result of me trying to grab the camera and snap the picture quickly)...this was G's first peach (I often call her my Princess Peach). She looks so goofy!

I'm going to start hosting a weekly linky for all of you who want to peruse others' wordless on Wednesday posts! Please share about this post so we can help it grow! Facebook, twitter, your own post, whatever way you want to help it grow!

get the InLinkz code

Whole Foods Living Social Deal

Hey! I'm not really a 'deal' or 'coupon' blog, but this is a great deal!

$10 for $20 worth of groceries at Whole Foods

Cry-it-out: My middle ground

moved G's crib down because she's closer to pulling up

Remember these posts (1, 2, 3, 4, 5)? Throw them out the window.

Okay, it's wasn't that bad--but it had been pretty tough. G went all kinds of haywire with sleep after my most recent sleep themed post. After some advice from facebook friends, I figured it was time to do 'cry-it-out.' Truth be told, I didn't think it would ever need to get that drastic. Me, the sleep-training-obsessed mom, thought I was immune! Ha.

Here's what I knew:
G used to sleep through the night. Now, she didn't. Not.even.close. She was up about 3 times a night. I made the mistake of feeding her each time, for over a week. I never considered it was something other than hunger that woke her. Rookie mistake.

Here's what I didn't know:
Was it teething pain? I tried easing her teething pain, and it seems to have stopped for now, but her sleep didn't improve.

super mobile baby!

Was it an endless growth spurt? A growth spurt shouldn't last more than a week.
Was it separation anxiety? I don't know what to do for separation anxiety, she sleeps in her room & I in mine.
Was it fear? Isn't she too young to have a scary imagination?
Was it a developmental milestone (like crawling, talking, or pulling up)? She didn't seem to be practicing anything at night, other than screaming.
Was it because we started solids and that had her belly confused? I didn't feed her solids one day, but there was no difference at night.

I decided we had to try cry it out. My husband hated it. G hated it. I hated it.

So this is what I did:
Let her cry for a while to see if she would go back to sleep...she did not.
I sent my husband in (I didn't want her to smell the milk), but he wasn't successful at calming her down.
He put her down. She cried some more. I sat on the couch outside her room with my head in my hands, trying to figure out what was wrong. I decided she needed me. It was too mean to leave her in there screaming bloody murder. My husband said, "she just wants you!" "I know," I said.
I went into her room, picked her up, walked around bouncing her. I told her "Mommy's here, it's okay sweet princess, I'm here." She calmed down somewhat.
I laid her back in her crib, she screamed. I leaned over her and wrapped my arms around her. I continued reminding her I was there. She calmed down again. I left one hand on her for a while. She sucked her thumb. I took my hand off of her. No sudden movements. She was still calm. I sat in the chair in her room, then a few minutes later, I left.
She was still awake, so I consider this a success--she fell asleep on her own after I left. She slept until she was ready to eat at 5:30 AM. She slept after that until 7:20 AM. Since then, she has been sleeping well (Still eating once around 5:15 AM, though). Hopefully we are through this sleep hiccup, and now we just wait for the next one (around 9 months, I suppose).
(I had set this up to post this morning, but had to edit it because SOMEONE decided to wake up 3 times again last night...after 5 good nights, just proving how silly babies are when it comes to sleep = one tired momma).

Recently, a friend told me something that really resonated with me. She said that when our kids are in high school, and want to do something that we know isn't good for them, we still say no. Even if they cry or throw a fit about it, we stand our ground because we are the parents. So, in a similar manner, G does not need to be up 3 times at night. She does not need fed at 10:45 pm after eating LOTS at 7 pm. It is my job, as her mom, to set boundaries that guide her into good sleep habits. I know you may think 'cry-it-out' is mean...and I hate it too. That's why I'm pleased with our middle ground.

Menu Plan Monday

Thanks for checking out what my husband and I will be eating this week! While you're here, check out my recent post about the art of my meal planning.

Last week's menu ended up getting altered a bit, as a local store had the 'good' bratwursts on sale for $2.39 for a 5 pack! We had that 3 meals, yummy end of summer. So that pushed back my casserole, so that's reappearing this week.

Monday: Easy-Cheesy Chicken Broccoli Rice Casserole

Brown Rice, Chicken, Broccoli, Velveeta, Crm of Chkn soup, Milk

Tuesday: Leftovers
Wednesday: Goulash - or what my husband considers goulash. He's been asking for it for weeks; it's just homemade pasta sauce, ground beef, & macaroni noodles.
Thursday: Leftovers
Friday: Chicken Burritos & homemade refried beans & rice
Saturday: Rotel and other assorted football delectables
Sunday: Leftovers

This post is linked up at OrgJunkie's Menu Plan Monday

SAHM: Quote of my lifetime

A few nights ago, feeling very worn out and down on myself for not getting everything on my to-do-list completed, I said the following to my husband.

You know, being a stay at home mom would be a lot easier without kids.

I'm sure many, MANY of you (moms) can relate, and you probably have more kids and more space to clean than I do! Sheesh! What work we do, no pay! I love my husband, and he is very supportive, but sometimes I do wish we could trade places so he could find a renewed appreciation for all that goes on around here. I know that his work is not easy, and he gets stressed...but at least when he comes home at the end of the day, it's done. I just feel like I never really catch a break. I constantly have something left on my list that needs done, I never get to really unwind. I suppose that is my fault, because I've heard of moms who find time to relax.
Maybe if I wasn't trying to grow a blog into a business/brand, I'd have more time.
Maybe if I didn't insist on ironing all of my husband's work clothes, even the "wrinkle-free" items, I'd have more time.
Maybe if I didn't want to stay half-way in shape by working out/walking, I'd have more time.
Maybe if I didn't want to home cook our meals, I'd have more time.
Maybe if I didn't dust/vacuum at least once a week, keep the kitchen clean, and the house as uncluttered as possible, I'd have more time.
Maybe if I didn't have a baby who's trying to get into everything, and needs my pretty much constant attention, I'd have more time to get all of the other things done.
Maybe if I wasn't constantly trying to stay one step ahead, or plan everything out, I'd have more room in my brain to unwind.

Those things make me who I am, so I guess I really don't want to change any of it. My personality is such that I try to perfect all that I do...I wouldn't be the wife, mother, daughter, or sister my family has come to know and love if I changed any of that. God made me how I am, and this is the path he laid out for me. I love staying home with G. I'm not complaining, I'm simply stating that being a stay at home mom, would be sooooo much easier without a baby to care for ;-)

After the above statement, I told my husband

Guess I'll just hold out for early retirement.

Quote of my lifetime right there, folks, quote of my lifetime. Happy Sunday!

edit: My husband let me sleep this morning when G woke up. He took her outside, read her books, and let me have some extra rest. Hooray :-) I needed it because I am kind of sick.

Spinnin' Saturday: My Little Girl

Yes, another attempt at getting Spinnin' Saturday off the ground. We had one other link-up last week, so that's progress. I guess no one really likes writing about songs stuck in their head?? Oh well, I do!

Write a post about a song stuck in your head, what it means to you (or just how catchy it is), include a link to my post and then return here to link-up (at the bottom of this post), so that others can get to your blog and read your Spinnin' Saturday post!

This week I'm singing along to "My Little Girl," by Tim McGraw. This was actually the song that my dad and I danced to at my wedding. I used to think of it in terms of me as the little girl. With G in the picture, I now think of the song as her and my husband. It gets stuck in my head every time I hear it--especially the chorus:

you beautiful baby from the outside in, chase your dreams but always know the road that will lead you home again, go on take on this whole world, but to me you'll always be...my little girl...

When I hear this verse:

Someday, some boy will come and ask me for your hand
But I won't say "yes" to him unless I know, he's the half
That makes you whole, he has a poet's soul, and the heart of a man's man

I think of how my husband is the half that makes me whole, and then wonder how anyone could be that to G? Someday I suppose she will be in love, and that will be so hard to accept! She's our little girl and no one will ever be good enough!! Thankfully, my parents "let me go" and got rewarded with a great granddaughter ;-)

Here is a video from youtube:

get the code:

<br /><center><a href="
http://giannaclare.blogspot.com/search/label/spinnin%27%20saturday"><img src="
http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-oCwUGir7hEU/TkbRnKkevmI/AAAAAAAAAKE/_9BCDRDVMrU/s1600/SpinninSat.jpg" width=140 />
</a></center>

What, Why, How: Meal Planning

I need to first start by saying that I love cooking, baking, and eating. It's tough to make the things I want to eat on a budget. But, for right now...I have to.

One of my favorite stores. photo: Adventures in Midwestern America

I also thoroughly enjoy grocery shopping. Even now, with a baby, I peruse the aisles like they're Rodeo Drive. I like looking at all the options for cereal (I love it), bread, meat, & produce. I even like looking at the packaged food aisles to see what they come up with next. I look at the price differences. I snag good deals. I go slow. Even a "10 minute" shopping jaunt can turn into 30 minutes, easily. The grocery store employees often ask me if I need help finding anything, simply because I may-or-may-not have a 'lost' look on my face as I stare down each aisle deciding if I missed anything on my first trip around. I know. I am C-R-A-Z-Y.

So it was pretty easy for our food "budget" to get a little out of hand. I've read about families of 3 that can eat on $200 a month. We are not that family. I don't think we will ever be. I refuse to eat crap and I have certain standards when it comes to food, especially produce. I'm not trying to get all "high and mighty," I just know that what goes into our bodies really affects our quality of life. Although, because we have a lot of student loan debt, and want to buy a house sometime before we are 50, we are trying to really stick to our budget.

Enter Meal Planning. I don't really remember what I did before it, and I've not even been doing it that long. I guess I just went to the grocery store, bought a lot of random stuff, and then cooked something from that.

The premise of meal planning is:

1. figure out what you will be eating each night of the week
2. make a grocery list based on the things you need for that (and lunches/breakfasts)
3. buy nothing else (unless you are like me a usually walk away with at least 2 good deals that weren't on the list, no matter how hard I try)

It's supposed to take away the stress of "what's for dinner," while also helping you reduce random trips to the store and spending less money.

This is how I usually do it:

• I ask my husband what he wants to eat next week. He usually comes up with one idea.
• I figure out what I want to eat next week. I make a list of the days of the week. 
• I fill in any days that we may have other dinner plans/be out of town.
• I organize our other meal ideas into the days by what would need to be eaten/cooked first. I also sometimes base the order on what would be easier on a certain night versus what I need longer to prepare (and save those for times my husband would be home to wrangle the baby). 
• I look at the sale bills for the grocery stores around our place, and write down what's on sale that we may want to eat/need. 
• I make our grocery list based on the meal plan/sale items/what we do not have already.

I started out planning breakfast and lunch too, but have since decided that's not really necessary. I just make sure to buy sandwich stuff and a variety of breakfast items to fill in the week.

It's not an exact science, and I've only recently gotten pretty good at it. Cooking for two people is kind of tough. I like to make full recipes, which leaves us with a lot of leftovers (or we eat too much, as is sometimes the case). The positive thing about leftovers is less prep work on other nights, the negative thing is that we may get tired of something before it's all gone. I've found that I really only need to cook 3 or 4 full recipies each week, as leftovers and sandwiches get us through the rest.

I did okay with our food budget last month ($320, spent $350) and I hope to get even better this month!

You can find GREAT meal planning tips and options at OrgJunkie.com

Parents as Teachers, Thoughts on Thursday

Yesterday (9/7) was our first visit with our parent educator from Parents as Teachers. I had been looking forward to this for several weeks. I actually signed G up in May, but they had a wait list and they took a break for summer. Because she is young and I am a first time mom (and I sent a really nice e-mail to the coordinator), we got off the wait list pretty quickly. Our parent educator is very sweet and G took to her right away. G loves anyone with a smile and some new toys. I liked her because I looked like a hot mess when I answered the door, and my house was not nearly as orderly as I had hoped it would be by the time 10:30 AM rolled around, but she acted like she didn't notice.

Wait, wait, wait.

What is Parents as Teachers, you ask? It's a program funded through most school districts (often with matching grants) that help parents become better teachers to their children 0-3 years old. The parent educators are trained by the district, and have some sort of background working with families or young children. They make sure the children are hitting the benchmark milestones, engaging in the world around them, and developing healthily. If something is 'wrong', the parent educator can direct the family to specialists or other programs that can help them. The parent educator comes to your house with a bag of goodies and some handouts related to the child's age. There are also district-wide playgroups and parent meetings to address a variety of topics. It's a great way to meet other parents/babies.

At home meetings, parents and parent educators mostly just play with the baby in an educational way (developmental toys, books, songs, games). Because the Internet has such a wealth of knowledge about rearing children, I don't know that the handouts our parent educator brought to us are necessary. They are full of great information, though. I liked how we just talked about G's skills, "weaknesses," and preferences. We discussed what's going on in her life right now, and when to expect some things to occur. It's really just one more person to get advice from, because she's a mom herself. Our parent educator reaffirmed that G is moving in the right direction (advanced in some areas) and that I am a good mom (always nice to hear).

While I know G better than anyone else, and I ultimately make all parenting decisions, it is nice to have someone visit with us while sharing knowledge and monitoring G's progress. Check with your local school district to see if they offer Parents as Teachers and enroll your baby or toddler today! You can also check the national website's location finder.

"As your parent's first teacher, you can make a difference!"