A Mommy's Dreams About...

It was a Great Week!

noreply@blogger.com (C M Mommy) — Mon, 11 Aug 2014 19:38:00 +0000

We started off with surprising our C and M by bringing our niece back with us... which was huge as she is 8 but terrified to be away from her mom for even a few minutes. She came with us and we had a great time. Monday was an awesome day at the sprinkler park and swimming pool and Tuesday was a fun day at the park and hanging out playing at home. Then Tuesday night hit and my niece needed to go home, so the kids and I drove 2 hours to take her home... at 9 at night! We slept over my parents and then I took the kids to a kiddie park Wednesday before coming home, then we got root beer floats and all in all had a fun day besides the kids disappointment in leaving their cousin behind. Thursday we went back to the pool and sprinkler park and K met us there after work. Friday was the zoo. Then my parents came to visit and fix some stuff around the house for us and visit on Friday evening until Saturday. Sunday we did a local kiddie park and I must say the week was pretty great!

Only a Few More Weeks of Summer...

noreply@blogger.com (C M Mommy) — Mon, 04 Aug 2014 11:00:00 +0000

I can't believe school is starting later this month! This week is our last true week of a summer with all kinds of time on our hands and no real schedule that we have to stick to... so we are going to make the most of it. We are going to spend some time at the pool, sprinkler park and huge sandbox. We're going to go to a kiddie park with rides for both the kids and us parents, like bumper boats and race cars. We're going to go to the zoo. What else??? I'm not sure, definitely some trips for ice cream. Oh... and hubby has an all day thing on Wednesday and the A&W by us is giving away free rootbeer floats from 2pm til close... so we'll be there for fun that day... especially to break up the long day without Daddy!

The next week Little C has a morning theater summer camp! Then the next week is find your classroom and meet the teacher stuff. Then the next week Kindergarten starts!!!! Crazy! Hopefully I will be somewhat on time on posting pictures of the first day of school for C and then first day for M the next week!

Hopefully Pregnant Soon...

noreply@blogger.com (C M Mommy) — Fri, 01 Aug 2014 11:00:00 +0000

As I may or may not have mentioned before... I so LOVE being pregnant and want to be pregnant again! Yes, Hubby and I are happy with our 2 wild, high-energy children and do not want anymore, but I want to be pregnant again. I want to help a couple that cannot have a child on their own by being a surrogate and having their child for them. Hubby and I thought about working with an agency, and I actually signed up with an agency almost a year ago, but things didn't work out as I had hoped... so here we are again starting over.

We decided it would be so much better to be able to work with a local couple through a local fertility clinic instead of having to fly for testing and transfer and worry about time off work, child care and everything else that travel involves. And of course, because we already went through that phase before, and even though the mini-trips were fun, we know how hard it was to have to plan NYC trips and arrange for the kids to be taken care of at the drop of a hat... and we never really like leaving the kids.

So, a wonderful mom at our amazing preschool had mentioned to me a few months back that she knew an attorney who had a couple that was looking for a surrogate. I called him and filled out a profile and a few weeks ago Hubby and I met with this lovely local couple and we decided to work together. They were just great and we talked like we were old friends... and I truly am so happy to be able to help them have their dream come true. The contract is in the process of being drawn up and I am hoping it will get finalized within the next week or so as I am sure they are just as anxious to get started.

Weight Loss Journey

noreply@blogger.com (C M Mommy) — Wed, 30 Jul 2014 11:00:00 +0000

I always hated that almost every woman I knew would always say "lose weight" when asked if there was anything they wanted to change about themselves... I hated that weight had such an impact on how females thought of themselves... and then it happened... someone asked me what I would change about myself if I could... and I said "lose a few pounds"! I couldn't believe my ears... did I just say that!?! I was never incredibly skinny, but I was happy with my "normal, average" build and weight... but apparently I wasn't anymore.

Then a few weeks later I saw a mom from preschool and she looked AMAZING! I definitely never thought she looked bad before this, but she really did look INCREDIBLE now. She told me she lost 20 pounds doing Weight Watchers and I immediately thought... wow, only 20 pounds, that made a huge difference! She did it for me... because of her I decided to really try to lose some weight. I wasn't heavy but had been feeling lately like I didn't look the way I wanted to. Of course most people put on a little weight here and there over the years so I felt normal... but I wasn't happy with it.

Well, I looked into Weight Watchers and I am just too darn cheap to pay for that... so I did a search on the iPad for weight loss apps and found Lose It! I installed it and signed up, for free :) It was the last week of May and I set my current weight of 143.5 and my goal weight of 120. 23.5 pounds seemed unrealistic to me, but I was determined to try. I started documenting everything I ate, which was actually kind-of fun as I am weird and LOVE tracking things. I stopped nibbling on junk food and I was watching my calorie intake very closely. I didn't feel like I had extra time to incorporate "actual" exercise, granted I played at the park, rode bikes and went on walks with the kids, but I wasn't wanting to take time away from the kids or hubby to go on speed walks or to do the elliptical, so I was focusing solely on calorie intake.

The first week I felt so hungry... it was hard to only eat about 900 calories a day! I was eating cereal for breakfast and trying to skip lunch so that I would have enough calories for dinner, but I was starving. I starting eating a smaller breakfast and then a fruit or veggie for lunch and then a normal dinner and that was working so much better.

Weekends were by far the hardest. During the week, I would do housework in the kitchen while the kids were eating lunch so that I wouldn't feel like munching on their lunches, but on the weekends, hubby wanted me to "sit with them" at the table and it is really hard to sit with people that are eating and not eat too. Once I explained this to him, it helped and yes I miss out on sitting with the family during lunch, but we always sit and have dinner together so its okay.

So, today, about 10 weeks later, I am down 21 pounds! I can't believe it! I feel better and I feel like I look better... but I still have 2.5 pounds to go... but I am so close and so proud of myself! Thank you to the mom at preschool that inspired me! You have no idea the impact you had on me!

To have another baby... or not to???

noreply@blogger.com (C M Mommy) — Mon, 28 Jul 2014 11:00:00 +0000

Hubby and I agreed before we even got married that we would have 2 kids, ideally a boy and a girl... but if we had 2 boys or 2 girls we would try a 3rd, but that would be it. With Little C we did not find out what we were having... and I totally recommend to any pregnant women out there to NOT find out! It was so fun and exciting to wonder and dream and have it be an amazing surprise when that little one is born. Hubby wanted to know but agreed to my wishes of neither of us knowing and to this day says he is so glad we didn't find out. With Cookie M we did find out, mostly because I am such a planner and we needed to know if we needed to buy a new bedroom set (as C would be using the new set we got him) or if we could use my set from when I was a child (which has flowers all over it and could not be used for a boy). If I had to do it all over again, I think I'd not want to find out and just use the girl set either way for a newborn... but as it was... we found out.

The minute they said "girl" in the ultrasound room I felt a mix of emotions. Little C had said from day one that it was a baby sister and not a baby brother in my tummy, and he said that is what he wanted :) I was so happy because I really wanted a little girl and had it been a second boy there of course was no guarantee that #3 would be a girl, so I was thrilled and relieved that I was having a girl. But... I was a little sad too... and maybe even a little disappointed... I really wanted more than 2 kids... and now that we had a boy and a girl on the way, we were done, per our decision from years before. Any time someone asked if we were stopping at 2 kids... I would think "how??? I want more!!!". Our daughter was born happy and healthy, just like her brother and I didn't give baby #3 a thought, as we were very busy with a 2 year old and a newborn.

The older Little M got, the more content I felt with our family exactly the way it was. I started feeling like things really were perfect for us the way they were. Not that I would be disappointed or upset in any way if baby 3 happened, but we really are just so happy with the way the things are. This feeling of being content and happy with 2 hasn't changed. My hubby and I both feel confident in our decision to not have any more of our own children... but I will, hopefully, be pregnant again...

3 years old!

noreply@blogger.com (C M Mommy) — Fri, 25 Jul 2014 11:00:00 +0000

Cookie M turned 3 last month... and although she acts like 13 most times, she can also be a very sweet little girl. She basically potty trained herself back in April, it was maybe 1 week of me wondering how much I should "help" to get the right balance of taking advantage of her wanting too and not pushing too hard, but really she did it all on her own! She also threw away her last pacifier within a week of the snipping of the tip every morning. We warned her that it was the only one she had left and if she threw it away she wouldn't have a paci anymore, she said "I know" and tossed it in the garbage and never asked for it again! Both kiddos also had their car seats adjusted that day back in April last year and it was great, they were so excited to both be forward facing and it just got better as now they both even climb in and strap themselves in on their own! Where did my babies go! I know that last week of August is going to be so hard when Little C starts kindergarten and Cookie M starts preschool... this Mommy is going to be a basket case! But at the same time, I am so excited for M to experience preschool just like she saw her big brother do. I know she will LOVE it as much as he did. We really belong to an awesome and incredible preschool and I am so lucky that we found it. So many changes to come this year... although I could have said that (and probably did) about every other year in the past... and will probably say it about every year moving forward... how amazing life is!

WW - 5 and 3!

noreply@blogger.com (C M Mommy) — Wed, 23 Jul 2014 11:00:00 +0000

5 years old!

noreply@blogger.com (C M Mommy) — Tue, 22 Jul 2014 13:09:00 +0000

Yes, Little C is not so little anymore, but he'll always be Little C to us. He LOVED preschool and is so very excited for kindergarten in just over a month! Here there is either morning or afternoon half-day kindergarten, which I love, because that's how it was when I was growing up. Where we used to live, it was 2 full days and 1 half day, which I did not like, so I'm happy we have all half days now. We opted for afternoons mainly because there are no midday buses, and the pickup time would be too close to Cookie M's pickup at preschool. The more I thought about it, the more I loved the idea of afternoons, this way I get one-on-one time with Little C while Cookie M is at school 2 mornings a week. I get time to myself too, to do housework and stuff, while Cookie M naps or does quiet time in the afternoon. And, best of all, since I have such late sleepers (10am for these two sleepyheads sometimes) I won't have to wake Little C everyday for kindergarten, only 2x a week for Cookie M's preschool. All around, I think it will be great for everyone! I am so very excited for the teacher assignment and the school supplies list to come out. Shopping for school supplies was always my favorite thing to do growing up and I am so excited to do it with my kids!

Where have I been?

noreply@blogger.com (C M Mommy) — Mon, 21 Jul 2014 14:11:00 +0000

It's been a whirlwind of the past year and a half... and although I have not been the best (ok, I've been the worst) at blogging, I do think about it often. "No time today, I'll work on it tomorrow"... and days turn into weeks turn into months turns into a year and a half! I am vowing to be better. So, this is my not-so-New Years resolution... be better at a lot of things, including blogging.

There are tons of changes going on and I'll blog about each one in its own post... but here's a little sneak peak:

~Little C is 5 and starting kindergarten this fall!
~Cookie M is 3 and starting preschool this fall!
~Updates on the "big changes" and how well they went from my last post in April 2013 (eek!)
~Our decision on whether or not to have any more kids
~I've lost almost 20 pounds
~A new very exciting journey we are about the start!

Stay tuned... I promise to be better :)

Potty Training, Getting Rid of Paci, Flipping Car Seat... It's a BIG Week!

noreply@blogger.com (C M Mommy) — Thu, 04 Apr 2013 15:16:00 +0000

Okay, so we're not really doing all of these 100% cold turkey this week, but they are all on the radar. When we went back to Ohio for Easter we brought back with us our toddler potty from Little C. Well, Cookie M wishes she could sit on the potty all day. I turn my back for one minute and she has her pants off and is trying to get her diaper off. I figure... why not work on it if she wants to. So, when she wants to try, we try. The other day she went 3 times on it.

Big Deal #2 - we are getting rid of the paci. Little C willingly gave up his paci around 7 months. He just stopped taking it and I thought... why are we trying to give it to him if he doesn't want it? So, that was the end of the paci with him. Well, Cookie M was not so easy (go figure). She has always been more attached to it then he ever was, although she has always only been allowed to have it at naps and bedtime. She only has 4 pacis, so its not like she has them all over the place... 1 in mom's car, 1 in dad's car, 2 in crib. Well, the one in my car started cracking, so garbage. Then we lost one this weekend at my parents somehow. Down to 2. I cut the tip slightly of both remaining 2 pacis... she didn't like that and threw one away on her own. 1 left. We don't take it in the car anymore, which she doesn't like but deals with fairly well. Every day I cut a little more off the tip. There's no turning back now... hope it works out okay!

Last thing - turning the car seat forward-facing! Both her car seats hold an infant rear-facing until they are 35 pounds. We kept Little C rear-facing until 3 months before he turned 2. She'll be 2 in early June... and she really wants to be forward facing. It is getting harder and harder to put her in rear-facing, she doesn't seem as comfortable and she is almost 2. It's a decent day today, so after Daddy gets home I'll go out and switch the car seats. I also have to switch Little C's car seat to be connected with the seat belt instead of the LATCH anchors as him and the car seat weight combined are getting really close to the car's LATCH weight limit.

My babies are growing up! I'm sad about it, but also so excited for the fun and adventures ahead!

WW - 4 Years Old

noreply@blogger.com (C M Mommy) — Wed, 20 Mar 2013 11:00:00 +0000

He Did It!

noreply@blogger.com (C M Mommy) — Wed, 20 Mar 2013 01:37:00 +0000

Little C did it today! He went to preschool without any cries. He was happy and excited. He wanted to wait at the door to go in and not in the car. He tells me all the time that he loves his teachers (so do I!) and has learned so many new songs and rhymes already. It is so nice to finally have him wanting to go and enjoying it! The school does cute little things to make every student feel special... and since my Little C will be 4 on Friday (I know, I can't believe it!) they celebrated his birthday today. We made special Superman cookies and they lit a candle a sang happy birthday to him. They also made the cutest Birthday cake crown... but he isn't wearing it in the picture. Which reminds me... another great thing they do is take pictures throughout the day and then post them on a private facebook page so that the families can see parts of the day since we aren't there.

New Milestone... Repeated

noreply@blogger.com (C M Mommy) — Fri, 15 Mar 2013 00:00:00 +0000

So Little C started preschool today... again. He went from August through December until we relocated... and he cried every single morning that he had to go... until the final 2 classes before we moved (go figure). To those he went happily without crying... FINALLY! Anyway, we were hesitant about starting him in preschool once we relocated... unsure how he would adjust to the move, let alone throwing a new school at him and all. But after 2 months of apartment living, trying to find stuff to keep our days from becoming too monotonous, cramped and crazy stuck in a small apartment, we decided it was time to try a preschool. There aren't a lot of preschools that still had room for the remainder of the year, but we found and toured 2 near our apartment that had room. They both seemed nice, but the one just felt right. We started Tuesday with a field trip to the library, where Cookie M and I tagged along and Little C did great. Today was the test though... Mommy and Cookie were dropping him off to stay without us. He fussed for a minute and then was great. Everyone loved him and he LOVED everyone and everything. He told us he's excited to go back on Tuesday and he isn't going to cry... we'll see, but at least he isn't dreading it!

Romance... Yes, Romance

noreply@blogger.com (C M Mommy) — Tue, 12 Mar 2013 18:00:00 +0000

Is it all men... or just my incredibly silly, fun-loving hubby that forgets about romance??? I love his sense of humor, the silly games he plays with the kids and how sweet he is... but I like romance too and that is something he never thinks of. Queue EdenFantasys… queue the romance! EdenFantasys has so much to choose from on their site. When we place an order it usually takes us a few days… just because there is so much to look at and we want to make sure we haven’t missed anything… and it’s not like we have all the time in the world with 2 little ones around… even at bedtime, someone has to use the bathroom or someone calls for us for oragel… eyiyiyi.

Anyway, this time around my focus is on romance. Seriously… how cute are these heart-shaped ice cube trays?!? I could totally be swept away if hubby made me a little mixed drink and put a few of these in it (remember… he’s not romantic so this would be a huge shock and yes… enough to sweep me off my feet). I could also use them to make Jello Jigglers for the kids at Valentine’s Day. A little more fun could be the Heart's Desire romance dice. And if the kids found them they wouldn’t have a clue since they can’t read yet. They also have a great selection of candles and massage items for a romantic evening. Hurry over today and get 25% off your order with CouponCode BLOOM25 or 30% off your order over $150 with CouponCode BLOOM30.

I've Been Away

noreply@blogger.com (C M Mommy) — Fri, 08 Mar 2013 19:56:00 +0000

It has been a few weeks since I've posted. My Grandma turned 80 and we went "home" for her party at the end of February, then I decided to stay for the week with the kids at our "old" house, where we have no internet. And my phone is really only a phone, so I couldn't even check emails, let alone blog, while there. Anyway, things have settled down and I should be able to get back to blogging soon.

Decisions, Decisions

noreply@blogger.com (C M Mommy) — Mon, 18 Feb 2013 21:31:00 +0000

The good news is... our house sold!!! Really its great and it means that we now can put an offer in on a new house... but that means we really have to find a new house soon! The relocation package will pay for 1 month of storage for all of our stuff, so given that the buyers want to close in 2 months, we've got a little over a month to find our house if we want to avoid paying to store our stuff. Tough decisions, but also lots of fun and excitement.

Happy Valentine's Day

noreply@blogger.com (C M Mommy) — Thu, 14 Feb 2013 13:46:00 +0000

Valentine's Day is and always has been my favorite holiday. I'm not sure why... it's not like we get presents or do anything special, but even as a little girl I always loved Valentine's Day. The hearts, the love, the colors... I just love it. The tradition for hubby and I (and now our kids too) is to make calzones and Italian Wedding soup, stay home and just enjoy being together. It's our way of celebrating and I wouldn't change a thing.

We Needed To Get Out!!

noreply@blogger.com (C M Mommy) — Tue, 12 Feb 2013 20:10:00 +0000

It is a big adjustment being in a 2 bedroom apartment with minimal toys when you're used to a 4 bedroom house with an overabundance of toys. Yesterday was around the high 40's, so the kids and I walked up the street to the shopping center. We had some frozen yogurt then headed to the grocery store to do some shopping. We had Daddy pick us and all the groceries up on his way home from work. The kids loved getting out and getting some fresh air and it really helped to break up the day.

Need Valentine's Day Ideas... Visit EdenFantasys

noreply@blogger.com (C M Mommy) — Mon, 11 Feb 2013 12:00:00 +0000

Last night I received the below comment from my last post (from my hubby) about EdenFantasys’:

"Thank you for posting the links and information about EdenFantasys’ website. They definitely have a lot of interesting products to choose from. After browsing around on the site we found that there is something to accommodate all of our desires. Not only was it fun to shop for various products it also spurred many great conversations throughout our navigational adventures. I now feel like it has brought our relationship to new heights and we are really looking forward to all of the new experiences ahead."

I was thrilled to receive such a great comment and it is true… there is so much on EdenFantasys’ website to browse through. Given that Valentine’s Day is right around the corner… now would be a perfect time to indulge in anything from their toys to lingerie to books and beyond. Be sure to take advantage of EdenFantasys user community reviewing just about every product on the site. There is a ton of great content and information that you can utilize in finding a product that will meet your new, intermediate and even advanced desires. Also, for Valentine’s Day they have a special offer now through Feb. 15, use the code HOT4YOU and get 25% off your order, free shipping on orders over $35 and free gift wrap on orders over $50… those are some awesome deals! In addition, there is also always a freebie item available with every order regardless of the order amount. I can assure you that once you go to the website and check things out you will keep coming back to explore more and more. The possibilities are endless so what are you waiting for, go check things out and you will surely elevate your experiences to a whole new level.

How to get your child to wear glasses

noreply@blogger.com (C M Mommy) — Sat, 09 Feb 2013 11:30:00 +0000

Well, this may not work for every child... but it has worked for ours so far. Little C is obsessed with Super Heroes. He loves Superman, Spiderman, Incredible Hulk, Firestar?, Iceman?... and who knows who else. Well, isn't it our luck that Clark Kent wears glasses as a "disguise" when he doesn't want people to know he is Superman :) Little C is SuperC, in fact, we can't even tell people his name without putting "Super" before it else he corrects us. In fact, he wouldn't even take off his SuperC pajamas on Christmas day because he wanted everyone to see him in them.

(kids with my parents - fyi... I normally do dress our children very nice for the holidays even though all we really do is hang out at out parents' houses... but he was so darn cute in his SuperC pj's that I just simply didn't care if he wore his dressy clothes that day... Cookie M still wore her Christmas outfit)

So, we told him that since he is just like Superman, he should have the same disguise .. and that the glasses are really super X-ray Vision Glasses that will help him see things even better than he already can. Yep, he wore them for over 2 hours straight after we picked them up and even told me "Mom... you have to try these glasses on... this is awesome, it makes everything so much better to see". Now, the doctor said he doesn't have to wear them all the time, but should definitely wear them if he's just woken up, is tired, or is doing an activity up close (like reading, arts/crafts, ipad, etc). We really want him to get used to them so unless we are running around playing I think we'll keep them on if he's okay with them, and so far he is.

WW - Super Vision

noreply@blogger.com (C M Mommy) — Wed, 06 Feb 2013 10:30:00 +0000

(Sorry... a little blurry)

Super X-Ray Vision

noreply@blogger.com (C M Mommy) — Tue, 05 Feb 2013 11:00:00 +0000

So Little C got glasses on Saturday. I had noticed him rubbing his eyes a lot when he was tired and just felt like it was something we needed to get checked out. He had an appointment on Tuesday, but I didn't dare pick out frames without Daddy there... see K is the particular one, he likes his, mine and the kids hair done a certain way, clothes that are "stylish", just overall very particular about things and I knew that he would have a say about the frames... so we waited until Saturday so Daddy could come with us. I am way more laid back and just don't really care about that type of stuff. Of course I want myself, K and the kids to look nice, but I'm just not so concerned with being "in style". Anyway... I was right... very particular, I'm so glad I didn't order a pair on Tuesday. We walked into Sears where Little C got his exam and prescription and C went right to show Daddy a pair I had him try on... they had bright orange temples (orange is C's favorite color and always has been) and full square frames that were more of a subdued brown/copper color. I thought they were adorable on Little C. Well, Daddy liked the ones that only had a half frame... and wanted something that would "match" more things. Also, Sears Optical would take 10 days to get the glasses in... so we headed to LensCrafters for their 1-hour service. We (Daddy) decided on a nice dark blue pair of RayBans with half frames that of course still look adorable on Little C. Picture will be here on WW!

The River City Grille

noreply@blogger.com (C M Mommy) — Sun, 03 Feb 2013 05:05:00 +0000

Tonight was my birthday celebration. True my birthday isn't for a few more days... but in our house we like to celebrate more of a birth 'week' than a birth 'day'. Since we just moved here we aren't familiar with many of the local, non-chain restaurants. So, when it came time to deciding where to go... I just didn't want to. "It's for your birthday, you should pick", the hubby tells me. I don't like deciding though. I didn't have a taste for anything specific until he reads me a review on yelp about this place with all-you-can-eat prime rib... decision made! I LOVE prime rib and usually don't order it because it isn't cheap and I don't like to spend a lot of money in general, and definitely not on a dinner where I spend more time cutting up food for the kids and worrying about their behavior than I spend on enjoying my meal. But he convinced me to give it a try tonight and boy are we all glad we did. The food was incredible. The prime rib was cooked to order and the buffet included soup, salad (green salad and also and awesome chicken salad), rolls, au gratin type potatoes, green beans, pasta, and chicken. The server was awesome, friendly, helpful, available, and accommodating. The restaurant was somewhat empty due to it being in a hotel and the weather being snowy. And most importantly, the kids were amazing, well-behaved, funny, patient, used good manners and were just downright awesome. Now we have always taken our kids out with us to eat and really they almost always are great, mostly because they are great eaters and as long as there is food they keep on eating... but that doesn't mean that I still don't worry a little each time wondering if one of them will act out of sorts, I'm so glad that that worry was out of my mind for this evening. It was a great way to spend my birthday dinner... Thanks Hubby K, Little C and Cookie M for being the best!

Mom's - The Best Pancakes Ever!

noreply@blogger.com (C M Mommy) — Mon, 28 Jan 2013 14:36:00 +0000

So among missing family and friends when moving... we also miss Mom's! A little deli restaurant near our old house that had the best pancakes in the world! So this past weekend we took a trip home for my nephew's birthday and got to see a lot of family, which was great. We also made sure to make it to Mom's Sunday morning for their pancakes. We have asked everyone there and no one will give us the recipe. It is a family secret and the owner actually makes up the batches before any employees show up. So, what are we do to in PA, not able to get our Mom's Pancake fix???

WW - My Favorite Picture

noreply@blogger.com (C M Mommy) — Wed, 23 Jan 2013 20:24:00 +0000