Mommy Musings

Best.Day.Ever

2012-02-26T09:45:00.000-05:00

Seven years ago today was hands down the *best* day of my life. Skip came home safely today. There is no better feeling in the world than when I finally got to hold him after all those months. The joy, elation, and relief I felt were just indescribable.

I will never forget those feeling and I will continue to honor this day every year for the rest of our lives..

Fur Baby Friday

2012-02-24T09:46:00.000-05:00

Today I'm linking up with Mrs. Monologues for Fur Baby Friday!!

My two sweet pups do not get enough facetime on here, so I'm pretty excited to do a post just for them!

First up is my rarely-seen {by the blog and by me honestly} pup Shiba. She is a Shiba Inu {I know, real original on the name...what can I say, it suited her!} Shiba Inus are a Japanese dog and are kind of like miniature Akita's. She's only 14lbs full grown.

Shiba is seven years old. Skip and I bought her back in April 2005 right after he got back from Iraq and just before we got married. She was our first baby and we loved her so much {still do don't worry}

Shiba is pretty much the weirdest dog I've ever met though. She's more like a cat. We can leave a bowl of food out for her and she will just pick at it when she's hungry. She hates taking walks {which made it fun at the condo when we had to walk her} and all she wants to do is hide.

Seriously, she spends most of her day upstairs in either the nursery or our room, hiding behind doors and in corners.

She hates pretty much everyone and everything except my little sis and chips....those are her two favorite things ever.

She really is like the weirdest dog ever, but I wouldn't trade her for anything else in the world!

And sure she might be the world's worst watchdog, but when she snuggles up with me in bed? Best thing ever.

My second fur-baby. None other than the one and only Mr. B!

Mr. B is an English bulldog we got when he was only 7 weeks old back in July 2008. I was pregnant with Little M at the time. He was soooo tiny!

This is the first picture we ever saw of him! We got him from a breeder in Ohio so we didn't see him until we brought him home.

Seriously, I could not believe he was that little.

Obviously we had to get a bulldog...Marine Corps mascot!

This was his first day home. Look at him compared to Shiba!

I wasn't sure that adding another dog right before a baby was the best idea we'd ever had, but this little guy wormed his way into my heart immediately.

Mr. B is the most loving, lazy, stinky dog I have ever met. He does get a little nudgy and likes to chew things. But other than that he's awesome. All he wants to do all day is find a little piece of sun and pass out for hours.

He's not that into exercise, but will take walks with Skip. He just loves the girls and they love him right back. I'm so happy they have a real tough and tumble dog to grow up with.

Mr. B and Little M when she was a baby!

At 48lbs he's actually on the smaller size of bulldogs....which makes him believe he's a lapdog! He's totally good natured and puts up with a lot from us.

The Giants didn't lose a game when he wore this shirt!

He is a pretty good watchdog and a total love all at the same time. As tough as having two kids and two dogs is, I wouldn't trade this little love nugget for anything either!

Few Things for Sale

2012-02-22T14:39:00.001-05:00

Okay I'm doing a last ditch effort to sell a few of the girls clothes. Shipping will be added after the sale for what it cost. I can accept money through paypal. Email me at mommymandymusings@yaho.com or leave a comment if you want anything!

Carters newborn short-sleeve and 3 month long-sleeve $5

Carters newborn $3

Carters 3 months $4

Sold

Our Day of Love

2012-02-22T11:18:00.000-05:00

I know a lot of you won't agree with me, but I LOVE Valentine's Day. I always have and always will. It's not because I need a day marked on the calender to remind me to love on my husband and family...trust me, I know how precious life is, I love on them every second possible. But it's nice to have a day set aside to just focus on each other. And I will take any excuse for a date night!

Skip and I actually went out to dinner the night before Valentine's Day....we didn't want to take my mom away from my dad on the actual day! We went to a local steakhouse we'd never tried before. I don't eat red meat, but the chicken was amazing...they also had the best onion rings I've ever had in my life! I like getting to try new places with Skip. After dinner we stopped by our friends new house to check it out before heading home. It was a much needed, long overdue night out with my man.

Dressed up for dinner!

How cute is my man...made a heart out of ribbon for my gift!

For the past few years, we have made Valentine's Day about Little M, and now Baby C too! It's fun to get them a few treats, work on some crafts, and take her out for a special dinner. The girls woke up that moring to some Valentine's Day door hangers and hearts and flower pieces all scattered between their bedrooms. When they came downstairs we gave them a few trinkets I picked up at the Dollar Tree for them.

We quickly had breakfast then had to get the girls dressed and ready to take Baby C to her 8 month doctor's appointment {my 18 lbs girl is totally healthy!} Afterwards it was home for lunch and naps.

For dinner we headed over to one of our local malls {and by one of, there are 3 in the same town...3} This is something we do pretty regularly with the girls. If you have young kids that might not just sit quietly in restaurant, but you and the hubs want to go eat with them? Go to the mall. Seriously, will change your life.

First we took Little M to ride the merry-go-round. She is obsessed with horses these days and so this is one of her most favorite things to do. She made sure to ride Cindy, who is obvsiously the best horse ever {so says Little M}

After the merry-go-round we took the girls to the Disney store. Little M loves everything about that place! She just wants to run around and see and touch everything. But she is also very good about not asking to buy things really, unless we tell her she is allowed to. She looks at it more like a museum {which is perfect for us} But since it was Valentine's Day she was able to pick out a little something for herself.

It was just about dinnertime and so we headed up to the foodcourt. That is why you need to go to the mall with your little family if you want to go out to eat. It's cheap, eveyone can eat what they want, you can roll the stroller right up to the table, and it's always so noisy that fussy kids don't stick out. It's seriously one of our favorite things to do. I have even brought the two girls there myself for dinner before! It may not have been the romantic evening most of you had planned, but it was fun and stress-free.

Happy meal time with her new Beauty and the Beast characters

Happy in her stroller!

By the time we got home it was bath and bedtime for the girls and then relaxing time for Skip and I. With my two girls now, my heart is so full and I was so happy to get to shower them with love on Valentine's Day

I'm Back, Back, Back in the Blogging Groove

2012-02-20T11:12:00.000-05:00

So I'm back now...I think. Well at least partially. I have to admit the break was nice, to get away, focus more on my family, etc. I hated being one of those really vague people in my last post, not telling you what was going on. Cause I don't like when people do stuff like that, because it's normally just for attention. But a big issue weighing on my heart recently is not my story to tell, so I won't. I apologize for being so vague.

But this time off from social media has been a refreshing break. I was able to spend just a little more time with my little family, and really reflect on social media and how I fit into it. It's really easy to get caught up in all the gossip and drama {who knew moms could be so much like middle school girls?}. It's also easy to fall into a blogging trap of feeling like you have to post, how many followers do I have, what do my readers want me to write, etc. But I started this blog to write for ME, to connect to other people {because let's face it, us SAHM's get a little lonely...hence my Twitter obsession these days} to share stories of my girls, projects around the house, recipes, etc. And that's what I want to get back to.

So I promise lots more blogging this week and a little more tweeting. I have tons of stories to fill you in on, such as Valentine's Day with our girls, Little M's incessant 'we go to Mickey's house in March' and oh yeah my SEVEN MONTH OLD {who is 8 months old now} WHO STARTED CRAWLING. I thought just two kids was exhausting, but two mobile kids?!?! Let's just say I'm pretty sure I don't need to work out again with all the running around I do!

My Memories Winner!

2012-02-20T10:44:00.000-05:00

Hey guys, we have a winner for the My Memories Software giveaway!! I wrote out everyone who entered based on all the ways they entered, numbered the list, then used random.org to pick the winner.

So a *huge* congratulations to Lins! I'll be emailing you about how to get your free software. And thanks so much to all who entered!

My Memories Review and Giveaway!

2012-02-13T12:08:00.000-05:00

I was so so soooo excited when My Memories contacted me about doing a review/giveaway. I had seen reviews of their company on other blogs and was just dying to get a chance to work with them!

So what is My Memories you're asking? It is a website where you can buy digital scrapbooking software! I know there are tons of you out there who love scrapbooking, and now you can do it online! Once you've made the scrapbook, there are so many different ways to share it with your friends and family! You can print it, make a movie, or even add it to your Ipod!

Besides the scrapbooking software, My Memories also has wedding software {for invitations, thank-you notes, etc} and a photobook studio!

I was able to review the scrapbook software. Of course I immediately started making one for my baby girls. I was happy with how easy the process is, and how many options I had to change and tweak things around. Check out my sweet girls

Now here's the best part for you. My Memories has graciously offered to give one of my readers the My Memories Suite software {an $80!} for free!!

Here's how you enter:
{Mandatory}
Go to My Memories and tell me which scrapbook design is your favorite!
Here are some ways to earn some extra entries into the contest.
1. Go to the My Memories Blog and become a follower.
2. Like My Memories on Facebook

3. Follow My Memories on Twitter
4. Be a follower of my blog
5. Like my page on Facebook
6. Follow me on Twitter

That is SEVEN total entries to win!!! Good luck everyone!! Contest will run until February 18th at midnight EST.

They have also offered a Share the Memories code that provides a $10 discount off the purchase of the My Memories Suite Scrapbook software and a $10 coupon for the MyMemories.com store - $20 value! Just make sure to enter my discount code : STMMMS43255 when you place your order!

Disclaimer: I received the software for free in order to do my review. All opinions are my own.

It's Not Just Morning Sickness...

2012-02-13T11:17:00.000-05:00

Sorry to fool you with the title, but no I am not pregnant. I never will be again in fact, and this post goes into detail as to why. I'm going to be taking a little break from social media for a while, blogging included. Maybe I'll be gone a week, maybe more. But there is a lot going on over here right now, and I really need a break from all the Twitter drama. I do have a giveaway I'll be posting later that will be running all week, so I will be staying on top of that. Otherwise I'll see you all when I get back...

Last night when I was on Twitter, Diana linked on her latest blog post, "Done". I immediately clicked over to check it out, and by the end I was sobbing. For the first time I felt like all the emotions I felt while pregnant were so eloquently put into words by someone else.

Growing up, I always thought I'd love being pregnant. The belly, the attention, and sweet little kicks, I wanted it all. But what I got was hyperemesis, a really severe case of morning sickness. With Little M it lasted 20 weeks {which seems like nothing to me now} and with Baby C it lasted every single day of my pregnancy. The only times I wasn't huddled around the toilet, literally unable to stop throwing up, was when I took the maximum amount of Zofran allowed...8mg 3x a day. And even then the nausea never went away. 24/7 for 40 weeks I was nauseous. The medicine gave me headaches, other stomach problems, and made me even more tired than pregnancy should. Healthy foods? Made my nausea worse, as did not eating a little something all day long. So thankfully I was able to put on the weight my sweet babes needed to be healthy.

I thought it was tough when I was still teaching while pregnant with Little M, but it was nothing compared to the pregnancy with Baby C. Having another child to take care of made everything so much more difficult. My pregnancy really took a toll on my family. Skip didn't work much overtime because I couldn't deal with him being gone too much. I needed him to watch Little M whenever he was home so I could rest. He let me sleep in every single day he was home in the morning. And when he had to leave for work at 6? He's pack a lunch bag with milk for M, and breakfast for both of us, since it was too much for me to get out of bed without eating something first. Poot Little M didn't have her mom really...I was a shell of my former self. Thankfully she is so independant and would play alone, but all the other time together we would just watch TV. It was all I could handle.

My mom and sisters came over to help out all the time too...cleaning my house, doing laundry, and taking turns watching Little M. As much as I appreciated their help, it was so hard not to do it myself.

I cried every single day I was pregnant. That is not an exaggeration....every single day. I just wanted to crawl into a whole and not come out. I cried going to bed since falling asleep is hard when you're nauseous. I cried when I woke up in the morning because the sweet relief I hoped for was not there. I constantly had to cancel plans and disappoint my friends because I was just too sick. I could only shower every other day because it was too much to do every day. I would have to lay down for about 45 minutes after every shower before I had the energy to get dressed. As much as I tried, I could not think about anything other than my sickness. And it wasn't just nausea...I was achy, my body hurt all the time. It's like having the stomach flu all day every day for nine months.

So the day after I delivered Baby C, when the doctor came in to check on me, and she said that if I was thinking about another pregnancy in the future to know it would be worse and that my only next option would be the Zofran pump, I knew I was done. I couldn't do this to myself again, or my family, or my future baby. What if the Zofran didn't stop the throwing up? What if I had to be hospitalized the whole time? What if I lost the baby by not gaining enough weight? What if something happened to me? Those were not risks Skip and I were willing to take. So Baby C is definitely our last baby.

Am I okay with that? Sometimes no. I never wanted two kids. I wanted three or maybe even four. I'm mad at my body. Yes, I was super lucky to get pregnant very quickly with both girls, but my body does not gestate them the way it is supposed to. I so want to be one of those girls with a little sickness in the beginning and then coasts through the rest of pregnancy. If we are only having two kids, I wanted it to be more of our decision, instead of feeling like it was out of our hands. And other than Diana? I haven't found anyone else that has suffered through this and come to the same conclusions as me. That's why I was so happy to have read her blog last night. I felt like it validated my feelings. I'm not being selfish in that I just don't want to be sick again for 9 months. Hyperemesis is life altering, and I cannot put my family through this again.

Everytime Baby C out grows an outfit or baby toy I shed a few tears, for the babies we will not have in he future {adoption is just not something Skip and I are called to} I know it will get easier as time goes on, but it is still a tough reality to live with that I cannot have all the children I want to. But then I look over at my two beautiful girls and know that I am blessed more than I deserve.

Thursday Five

2012-02-09T11:16:00.000-05:00

Today I'm linking up with Nicole over at Flip Flops and Combat Boots for her Thursday Five!

Today I'm going to talk about the five things that make me.....

Joyful

Giddy

Excited

Thankful

Jubilant

The fact that the Giants won the Super Bowl is still making me feel so joyful! The parade and rally NY/NJ threw for them were just awesome!

I'm giddy about Skip's and my upcoming date on Monday {we're going out a day early for Valentine's Day} We haven't been on a date since the beginning of January and we are long over due!

I'm excited that we leave for Florida in just FIVE weeks today!!!! It will be so amazing to be away and in the warmth!

I'm thankful for my sweet little family. We are all happy, healthy, and I couldn't ask for anything more.

The fact that it's Thursday makes me jubilant....girls night with my bestie to watch Grey's tonight!!

What is making you extra happy this week??

eShakti Custom Clothes

2012-02-08T20:01:00.000-05:00

Raise your hands if you've ever had to return something that you ordered online because it didn't fit correct. Yeah that's what I though. It's so tough because I love the convenience of ordering online {what you thought dragging two little girls to the mall to try on clothes endlessly was my kind of fun?!?! hahaha} But I hate that sometimes the exact size I wear, still doesn't fit me correctly. But with the website I was recently introduced to, eShakti, that problem is no more.

eShakti is seriously revolutionizing the way we, as women, order clothes online. Their mission statement is: "We want to make you look and feel fabulous by providing uniquely classic styles in a wide variety of fabrics and color choices in sizes from 0-26W. Giving you the ability to tweak measurements for any item, ensures the best possible fit. We also offer options like changing a neckline, hemline or sleeve design for a truly customized garment, all for just $7.50. "

It is amazing, seriously. When you go to order your item, you can choose a standard size {which lists the measurements for you, and you also input your height} or a custom size. With the custom option, you put in your measurements for everything, and the piece will come tailor made to YOUR SIZE. You also have the option of custom styling...such as the length of the piece...how you want the sleeves on the dress to look, etc. And you would think with all of these specifications, the clothes would be really expensive. But they're not!! I have yet to find anything on there that is more than $100.

I was lucky enough to be able to review this dress.

You can never have too many little black dresses right? It shipped in a timely manner and I could not wait to try it on. And believe me when I say it fit like a GLOVE. It is perfect to, because with strapless dresses I am constantly pulling them up if it doesn't fit properly. Not this one! I'll be able to dance the night away without having it slip down at all.

So make sure to head over to eShakti and check out their vast array of stock and place your first order today!

Disclaimer: I did receive this dress for free in order to do this review. I was not monetarily compensated at all. All of these opinions are my own and I was not swayed in any way.

How-to Throw a Super Bowl Party

2012-02-08T11:07:00.000-05:00

With my Big Blue boys in the Superbowl this past weekend, you had to know that I would be throwing a Super Bowl party!!! It was just a small gathering with eight of our closest friends. But with the Giants on, it was one heck of a party! Now, there are a few key things you need to include if you want a successful Super Bowl party.{I am apologizing for the pictures now...I was in a big rush and a lot of them aren't in focus}

{1} First up? Decorations. Make sure you team, and football in general is highlighted all around.

Lots of team colors around!

My new CRUUUUUUZ Jersey {from my dad!} and some other Giants shirts hanging in the window

I also had a blue table cloth, and Giants plates and napkins.

{2} Next you need to make sure you have some favors. Always fun to pass out to your guests!

Blue mardi gras beads

Small soft footballs...perfect for throwing when your team starts losing!

{3} Obviously you need to have a ton of food. We had chips, pizza, candy, some delicious appetizers and of course, some Giants-specific items:

A giant Giants deli sandwich! Made by a local pizza place in our town

Cookies and football trophy cakes

More football cake

Close-up

{4} Dress the part! Make sure to throw on a team t-shirt or jersey....or at least wear the team colors! Make sure your guests do the same....adds to the fun!

{5} Facepainting...possibly a little excessive, but again gets you in the spirit!

{6} Have some cute sidekicks....remember...football is a team sport and I could not have done it without these cuties!

And that my friends is how you throw a Super Bowl party and successfully help your team become SUPER BOWL CHAMPIONS!!!!!!

2 on Tuesday - Hair Products

2012-02-07T10:44:00.000-05:00

I am also linking up with Andrea today for 2 on Tuesday!

It is such a good topic this week I just had to join in! Today's topic is:
What are your two favorite hair products.

Okay now the first thing you need to know about me, is that I am no longer a natural blond....I'll let that sink in a minute. I had blond hair as a kid, but it slowly got darker as I got older. But I really hate dark hair on me, so I've been going light, pretty much ever since. And well, that much bleach on a person's hair can really wreck it. Hence the short hair right now...I had to just chop off all the dead ends and start again. So I am constantly looking for great conditioners to help repair the damage.

The two I have found to work best so far are these:

Pantene beautiful lengths replenishing mask
Image found here

Bio Silk hair therapy
Image found here

These are the best products for my hair that I have found yet {without paying a fortune} I also try to do an olice oil treatment on my hair every few weeks. Saturate your hair with olive oil and leave on for at least 1/2 hour {I normally do much longer} Wash and condition as ususual!

What are your best hair products?? I am always looking to try new things!

Our Love Story

2012-02-07T10:00:00.000-05:00

I am so excited to be linking up with Becky today to share Skip's and my love story!

Here are the questions Becky asked:

1. How long have you and your significant other been together?

The day we started dating

Skip and I have been together for 8 1/2 years

2. How did you meet? {What's your "love" story?}
We met back in August of 2003. His best friend from high school and my best friend from high school were both dating. One night Skip was over her house and describing who is perfect girl would be. K said she looked right at him and said, "I know her!" They then invited me over the next night to hang out {I had no idea it was a semi set-up} We hit it off that night...all hug out a few nights later....had our first date the night after that, and even though he took me shooting I still wanted to see him again!! It was rough in the beginning because I moved back to college in Connecticut two days later and Skip was in the police academy here in Jersey, but we made it work. Lots of phone calls and visits back and forth. He "officially" became my boyfriend on September 20, 2003.

The bench we met on

3. If married, how long have you been married? If not, is this the guy you hope to marry? {do tell}
We've been married since July 2005....6 1/2 years!!!

4. If you are married, where did you get married at? Big or small wedding? If not, where would you like to get married? And will it be big or small?
We got married at the church I grew up in, and the reception was at the same place my parent got married. It was a smallish wedding with just 70 guests. I liked it better that way, because I felt like we were able to just hang out and relax with everyone. I do wish Pinterest had existed when I was planning my wedding, as there are a few things I would have done differently, but overall I had the most wonderful day.

5. Do you have any nick-names that you call one another? Do share!
I call him Skip {obviously} Skipper, or Skipper Man. He calls me Mandy, Wubbie {because he says he "wub be" lonely without me} or The Wub.

6. Name 3 things you love most about your honey.
1. He is honest and straightforward. He never played any "dating games"
2. He is one of the most generous people I know, with his time, love, and money
3. He is the best dad I could have ever dreamed of for my girls. He jumped right into the job head first and has never looked back.

Holding Little M

7. Tell us how he proposed? Or your ideal proposal?
Skip was activated by the Marine Corps in May 2004. He did two weeks of training in PA before heading out to California for two months of pre-deployment training. Before he left for CA he gave me a promise ring.

My promise ring

He told me it was "A promise he was going to come home safe from Iraq and a promise he was going to spend the rest of his life with me." Because of this I didn't think we would be getting engaged before he deployed.

Saying goodbye in PA

I spent some time with Skip out in CA over Fourth of July weekend. I thought it was going to be the last time I saw him before he deployed.

San Diego

But on August 6th, I came home from work and he was standing in my bedroom waiting for me! He had gotten five days of leave to come home one more time.
That Sunday Skip said he wanted to hang out with his sister for a bit. Totally understandable. I was going to be at my grandma's house celebrating my cousin who had just returned from Iraq. I just asked that Skip not be gone the whole day, since I wanted to see him for at least some of it.

Long story short, a few hours turns in 5pm and now I'm really mad. And when I accuse Skip of not wanting to see me, he just starts laughing {because he had just bought an engagement ring!} and I get REALLY mad and hang up on him. Thankfully I soon went up to his parents house, and after bringing me into the backyard, Skip proposed. All that anger was quickly forgotten!!

First picture as an engaged couple

8. Is he a flowers and teddy bear kind of guy for v-day, or strawberries, champagne, and rose petals?

If I had to pick, I guess flowers and chocolate kind of guy, mainly because those are two things I love! But honestly, we really don't make that big a deal out of Valentine's Day for each other any more.

First Valentine's Day as a married couple

9. Are you a sunset dinner on the beach kind of girl, or pop a movie in and relax on the couch?

On the beach in Punta Cana

Sunset dinner on the beach. Anything on a beach is better than not being on the beach! I am my most happiest on the sand and in the water.

10. Tell us one thing you'd like to do with your significant one day. If you could do anything? Go anywhere?

After Skip retires, we have big plans to travel Europe for six weeks, spending most of our time in France again. I can't wait!

Don't go to Paris 10 weeks pregnant...trust me

11. Tell us what you plan on doing on this Valentine's Day.

Other than taking Baby C to the doctor that morning, we have nothing planned yet. Skip is actually off this year, but it's hard to find free people that night, so we're just going to stay in. We might take the girls out to lunch or try and do something else fun with them.

March 2005...Celebrating Valentine's Day a little late..after Skip came home from Iraq

12. Are you asking for anything this Valentine's day?
Honestly, nothing. We've never really been that big on Valentine's Day gifts and with our upcoming trip to Florida, all extra money is going towards that!

13. Give us one piece of advice of keeping a relationship strong and full of love.
Talk to each other. Tell him if you're mad, or sad, or how much you love him. Life is too short to be vague with people. Also, always kiss and tell each other you love each other before you part.
14. Show us a picture of what love means to you.

"Distance cannot separate two hearts that really care"

Our family is complete

I'll Be Back....

2012-02-06T11:30:00.000-05:00

...tomorrow....or maybe the next day. I'm way too busy celebrating the fact that THE GIANTS WON THE SUPERBOWL!!!! WE BEAT THE PATRIOTS AGAIN!!!!!! It was a great {but way too tense of a game for me} and the win is so so sweet. Great job Big Blue!!! You went hard and the Patriots went home!!!

Me and Little M during the game...she's showing off her blue nail polish!

Baby C was ready to go!

The pictures {I found on google.com} say it all!!!! Great season boys...let's do it all again next year!

Question and Answer

2012-02-04T12:55:00.000-05:00

Even though I already did that question and answer post thing going around the blog world, Kodie tagged me in it again, and her questions were so good I wanted to take the time to answer them! Don't worry, I won't bore you with any more random facts about me or tagging anyone else.

Kodie's questions are:
1. Why did you start blogging?
I started blogging just over three years ago. I was a new mom and since none of my friends had kids yet, I was feeling pretty lost. I started blogging to share in the struggles of parenthood with other new moms

2. If you could go back and re-live one day/one moment, what would it be and why?
The day Skip came home from Iraq. Nothing in the world beats that feeling.
3. Where do you see yourself in 10 years?
Good lord I'll be 39, and Skip will be FORTY. Hmm, the girls will be in middle school and I will be working again....probably as a teacher again or in a school in some capacity.
4. Favorite genre of music and favorite band/artist?
I like mainly club-type music and rock. My favorite bands are Bon Jovi {obviously} Nickelback, The Calling, Hinder, and Daughtry
5. For those of you that are married, what was the song you and your husband danced to for your first dance? For those of you who aren't married, what song do you want to be your first dance with your future hubby?
Hubs and I danced to "I'll Stand By You" by the Pretenders
6. Biggest fear?
Dying or something happening to Skip or the girls
7. Favorite vacation destination?
Long Beach Island, NJ

8. Favorite TV show that you cannot miss?
Grey's Anatomy

9. What's one of your bad habits?
Indoor tanning
10. Twilight or Harry Potter (or neither)?
Harry Potter!!

11. If you could have ANY kind of job, what would it be?
Ballerina, NFL cheerleader, actress, or pastry chef

Fitness Friday

2012-02-03T12:10:00.000-05:00

You're never too young to start doing some yoga!

The Great Sleep Mystery

2012-02-02T10:32:00.001-05:00

Don't let this fresh-looking face fool you....

....Up until two weeks ago, Baby C hated sleeping. I talked about it a little bit here in regards to her swaddle. But after that post it just seemed to get worse. She wouldn't sleep swaddled, or unswaddled. Most of our nights looked like this.....greasy, exhausted, zombie-like Mommy and a baby who had been up for two hours starting at 11:00 pm already.

The best option we got was swaddling her in the beginning of the night while we were still up. She slept for a few hours like that most of the time. Then we would go unswaddle her before we went to bed. She would wake for a bit, sleep a bit, wake a bit, etc. It was miserable. She was napping during the day pretty good, but with a very energetic three year old running around, there was no opportunity for me to nap with her. Something had to give. I was prepared for sleepless nights when she was a newborn. But after seven long months of this, I was done.

First off {and I know this is a very controversial topic, but this is just my person belief} we put her crib bumpers back in. I had used crib bumpers with Little M until she was able to pull herself up to standing. It's not that I wasn't educated on the subject, that is just the option we chose. But when we had Baby C, I was way more nervous something would happen to her {more calm with the second baby? I think not!} so I took the bumpers out. However, when she was unswaddled, so was constantly banging her head on the rails or getting her foot stuck between the slats. Now, I would much rather have her break a leg or have a bump on her head, than God-forbid she suffocate. But I think she needed the comfort of something surrounding her. It was something for her too look at before she fell asleep {she has a mobile but doesn't seem to like it much} We are very careful with the bumpers...moving her if she gets to close and making sure they are tight and secure everytime we put her in the crib.

As well as the addition to the bumpers, we also became more consistent with using her sleep giraffe.

We had gotten him for Baby C at Christmas, but did not use him every night. We played around with the settings and have found one she really likes. That combined with her fan seem to provide enough white noise so she doesn't wake up when ~~her crazy mommy is screaming because the Giants are in the Superbowl~~ we have a few friends over.

We also decided to just cut the swaddle out all together. I think unswaddling her in the middle of the night was not helping things. So one day I decided to just stop it. No swaddle at nap, none at bedtime. Baby C immediately rolled onto her belly and only sleeps that way now.

We were really committed to helping her sleep, and so for us we knew that it would also involve a little crying, on hers and my part. No mother likes to her her kid cry, but when I know Baby C is full, dry, not sick or hurt, and just tired, it's okay for me to let her cry a little. I wanted her to learn to self-soothe when she falls asleep...so if she wakes during the night she can get herself back to sleep. I was prepared for a few weeks of hearing her cry for a decent amount of time. But honestly? I guess the other things are working so well that she only cried for five, maybe ten minutes at most. And that's been it. Pretty painless now!

So with all of these things working together, Baby C now takes two naps a day, at least an hour each, and sleeps for 12-13 hours a night. No that's not residual sleep deprivation talking....she goes down at 7:00pm every night and sleeps until 7:00 or 8:00am....without waking up in the middle of the night. It's amazing, truly. I feel like a whole new person! Now I know these methods won't work with every baby, but this is what has worked for us!

Wordless Wednesday - Sunshine Girls

2012-02-01T12:53:00.000-05:00

Valentine's Day with Tiny Prints!

2012-01-31T11:21:00.000-05:00

I don't think I've sent out Valentine's Day cards since I was in middle school. Nope...high school. You could send a chocolate rose to the boys at the local boys schools and cross your fingers you got one in return. And of course they would hand them out during homeroom so everyone would know if you did, or did not get one. I wasn't the most popular girl by any means, but thankfully did receive a few roses over the years.

Okay, enough of that rant...back to the topic at hand. Like I said, I hadn't really planned on sending any Valentine's Day cards this year, but then I started browsing through Tiny Prints collection of Valentine's Day cards and I was hooked! I have seriously never seen cuter cards than these.

I mean I will *have* to get this card for Skip since we are Fantasy Football Superbowl winners this year!!!

Card found here

But what about the girls? They have enough family and friends who I'm sure would love a card! I could definitely see my sweet girls' faces on this card.

Card found here

What I like as well, is that you have the option to add a gift card to anyone of the Tiny Prints Valentine's Day Greeting Cards. It makes everything so simple and easy. So if you are in need of some fabulous quality, adorable Valentine's Day cards this year...run over to Tiny Prints now!!

You can also find Tiny Prints on Twitter
Or you can check out their Facebook page.
They're even on Pinterest!

Disclaimer: I will be receiving 50 free Valentine's Day cards for this review. However all opinions are my own. I was not monetarily compensated in any way.

2 on Tuesday - Favorite Recipes

2012-01-31T11:10:00.000-05:00

I haven't done this in a while, but I'm excited to be linking up with Andrea for her 2 on Tuesday!!

Today's topic is: What are your two go-to meals?

One of my new favorite recipes {which I'm actually making tonight, is based off a recipe I found here.

It is for Sausage and Peppers.
Here is my version of it:

1 package of sausage {I prefer hot}
1 green pepper {chopped}
2 sweet onions {chopped}
Extra virgin olive oil
salt
pepper
garlic powder
tomato sauce
rolls, rice, potatoes, etc...just something to serve it with

1. I prick the sausage with a fork and put it into a skillet I had already put some olive oil in. Keep turning until they are nice and crispy...about 8 minutes. Then move the sausages to an oven safe dish.

2. Put the cut up onions and peppers into the same skillet and cook until either slightly crunchy still or totally mushy {the way Skip and I like it}

3. Towards the end of the cooking process, add some salt, pepper, and garlic powder. I just kind of throw it all in there until I think there's enough. Then I add enough tomato sauce {I just use whatever jarred red sauce I have lying around} to cover it all, with a slight amount of extra.

4. Then mix the pepper/onion mix in the pan with the sausage.

5. Put the whole thing in a 400* oven for about 25 minutes.

6. Serve on rolls or over pasta or with rice. I always save the leftovers and serve over pasta the next day...Enjoy! {and if you made it through reading this you know why I'll never write a cookbook}

My second go-to meal is this Crispy Cheddar Chicken I found on Pinterest.

The Ritz crackers really bring a great flavor to it. I have not yet, however, made the sauce with it. But I included it with the original recipe in case you wanted to try it out!

Crispy Cheddar Chicken
Time: 15 minute prep + 45 minutes baking

Yield: 7 servings

Recipe from adapted from What's Cookin' Chicago via Pinterest

Chicken:

4 large chicken breasts

2 sleeves Ritz crackers

1/4 t salt

1/8 t pepper

1/2 C milk

3 C cheddar cheese, grated

1 t dried parsley

Sauce:

1 14 ounce can cream of chicken soup

2 T sour cream

2 T butter

1. Cut each chicken breast into 3 large chunks.

2. In a small food processor grind up the ritz crackers.

3. Pour the milk, cheese and cracker crumbs into 3 separate small pans. Toss the 1/4 t salt and 1/8 t pepper into the cracker crumbs and stir the mixture around to combine.

4. Dip each piece of chicken into the milk then the cheese and finally the cracker crumbs.

5. Spray a 9x13 pan with cooking spray and lay the chicken inside the pan.

6. Sprinkle the dried parsley over the chicken.

7. Cover the pan with tin foil and bake at 400 degrees for 35 minutes. Remove the tin foil, bake for an additional 10 minutes, or until the edges of the chicken are golden brown and crispy.

8. Into a medium sized sauce pan combine the cream of chicken soup, sour cream and butter with a whisk. Stir it over medium high heat until the sauce is nice and hot. Serve over the chicken.

Enjoy!

Sometimes....

2012-01-30T16:26:00.000-05:00

Sometimes I get tired of picking up the girls toys all day long....
.....but then I think about all the children without toys.

Sometimes I get so tired of Baby C not sleeping well....
....but then I remember she is my last baby and I will soon miss these days.

Sometimes I worry about money and how much our mortgage is....
....but then I remember how lucky Skip and I have been to be homeowners since I was 22.

Sometimes I get stir crazy sitting at home with the girls because it's too much to bring them out.....
....but then I remember just how lucky I am to stay at home with them everyday.

Sometimes I complain about my husband's weird/long hours....
....but then I remember to be thankful he has a job.

Sometimes I forget Skip was ever deployed..it was so long ago and I occasionally take advantage of seeing him every day now...
.....but then an image like this burns in my mind.

It is our front yard. We are flying the flag at half staff..in honor of the New Jersey Marine who was killed in that terrible helicopter crash and is being buried today.
....but then I remember how lucky I am that Skip came home, alive and safe. We were able to get married, buy a house, work, and raise our girls, only because he came home to me.

Sometimes we just need a reminder....

I've Been Tagged!

2012-01-28T20:11:00.000-05:00

I was tagged by two of my favorite blog ladies, Allie and Bri to answer a few questions about myself! And rather than bore you with multiple posts, I combined them into one! Here are the rules:

The Rules
1. You must post the rules (and link up who tagged you)
2. Post eleven fun facts about yourself on the blog post.
3. Answer the questions the tagger set for you in their post, and then create eleven new questions to ask the people you've tagged.
4. Tag however many people you want
5. Let them know you've tagged them!

Eleven Facts About Me
1. I am allergic to alcohol. Can't have a drop or I'll immediately start puking. It's one of Skip's favorite things about me, haha

2. I will only drink coffee out of a travel mug..I don't like it in a regular mug.

3. I majored in English and Elementary Ed in college

4. I went to an all-girls Catholic high school.

5. My girls will go to private Catholic school for elementary and high school.

6. I have to have my toes polished at all times

7. Bon Jovi, Nickelback, and The Calling are my favorite bands of all time

8. I never wanted to have dogs once I moved out of my parents house and got married...I now I have two....amazing what love does to you

9. I naturally have light brown hair but I hate it, so I'm constantly coloring it blond.

10. My dream car for years was a silver Nisaan Xterra...hubs surprised me with one back in 2006!

11. I love working out...seriously. I always had, but my love of it has grown since I had babies. It's an hour all by myself every day!

Here are the questions Allie gave me
1. If you had to eat one thing for breakfast for the rest of your life, what would it be? I don't really like eating anything for breakfast..but my favorite breakfast food is a sesame bagel with butter.

2. What is the one chore you despise doing? Putting away clean laundry....I am the WORST at it. I'm that girl with clean baskets of laundry in her room for days.

3. Are there any books you can pick up and reread over and over again? Little Women and Dear John

4. Who would play you in the movie of your life? I'd like to think Claire Danes....we're both blond and around the same age

5. If you had to rename your blog for any reason what would be its new name? I have no idea...maybe A Cop and his Ladies?

6. What is your favorite outfit to wear? Summer clothes...shorts, tank top, sandals

7. If I gave you $100 what completely non practical thing would you spend it on? Hair and make-up products

8. What is your favorite childhood memory? Our summers spent on Long Beach Island

9. If you could be an instant expert in any subject matter, what would you choose? The French language

10. What is your favorite joke? The only one I can think of right now....What do you call cheese that's not your own? Nacho cheese!!

11. Where in the world is Carmen San Diego? I have no idea...but I used to love that show!!

Here are the questions Bri gave me
1.What is your go-to outfit? Ideally? sweatpants or workout gear, haha. But mostly skinny jeans, boots, tank top, and cardigan

2. What is your guilty pleasure? Secret Life of the American Teenager and Pretty Little Liars

3. What is the most valuable lesson you've ever learned? Pick your battles

4. How did you overcome one of your fears? One fear I have is something happening to Skip while he is at work. While it never goes away, I have learned to try and relax about it and not think about it.

5. If you won the lottery today, how would you spend the money? Pay off my mortgage...give money to friends and family...go on a shopping spree....take a loooong vacation somewhere tropical!

6. What is one thing you never thought you could do but now enjoy? Drink coffee

7. Tell us about your proudest moment. The moment Little M was born and I became a mommy

8. What motivates you to be a better person, employee, etc.? My girls. I want them to be proud of their mom one day.

9.What is one of your goals for 2012? Why did you set this, and what is your plan to make it happen? To organize and purge our house. I just feel like we have too much stuff everywhere and want to streamline our house a little more. I have slowly been going through things and see what I want to donate/sell/throw out. I started off strong but have been slacking off...need to do more!

10.Do you enjoy answering survey questions? =) Yes!!

11.Is there any portion of your life you wish you could do over? Describe that time and explain why. Sometimes I wish I could relive college. I seriously loved it, but if I could go back with the knowledge I have now, I think it would be even better!

12. What is your go-to, signature recipe? It's this recipe for a cheesy Alfredo sauce. Quick, easy, and everyone loves it!

My Eleven Questions for the People I'm Tagging
1. How many kids do you want?
2. Where is your favorite place to vacation?
3. What time do you go to bed every night?
4. What is your favorite book?
5. Where do you live? {you can just put your state or region}
6. What show could you watch over and over again.
7. What is your favorite holiday and why?
8. What is your favorite brand of clothing?
9. What is your favorite quote?
10. Where do you want to retire?
11. Who will you be cheering for in the Superbowl??

People I'm Tagging
1. 5oh Wifey
2. Lindsey
3. Kim
4. Pam
5. Emmalee

Friday Brain Dump

2012-01-27T13:13:00.000-05:00

It may be decently warm today, but it is so rainy and crappy out that my brain can't see to put anything more than a random list of ramblings together.

1. I think we *may* have turned the corner with Baby C's sleeping. She has slept unswaddled from 7pm till 7 am the past three nights. Let me tell you, the sleep I've gotten because of it has been *amazing*

2. Also, Baby C is sooooo close to crawling. She can scoot backwards and rocks back and forth on her hands and knees. Two mobile children is going to make life a whole lot more ~~exhausting~~, ~~tiring~~, interesting very soon!

3. Not sure if I mentioned it on here before, but hubs and I have been working on refinancing our mortgage {wow, how old does that make me sound?!?!} We really needed our house to appraise for a certain amount though, and with the market being down so much, we were really nervous. But we finally heard back from the bank and the house appraised for more than we needed it to!!! It's still under what we paid for it, but more than we owe, which is the important thing. Can't wait for all of this to go through and start saving money every month!

4. Moms and women need to start supporting each other more, instead of being all high and mighty. Life is hard enough...can't we just work together?

5. There are a few things that people are obsessed with out in the Twitter world that I honestly don't understand. I'm not judging, I just don't get:
               a. Toms shoes. Aren't they really just fancy sneakers?
               b. How a day planner costs $50...I know a lot of people got these great coupon codes for them,
                    but I just don't get how it costs that much
               c. Chevron prints everywhere...just doesn't appeal to me I guess

6. Are you all getting your blue clothes and accessories ready for the Superbowl?? BIG BLUE needs to represent!!

7. I'm finally feeling like my body is back to pre-pregnancy normal again. Not 100%, but pretty close. Need to work on the abs some more...I'm determined to be able to wear a bikini when we go to Florida in March.

8. I'm super SUPER excited about said trip to Orlando, but we are driving {which I want to do} with TWO kids this time. Let's hope we all survive this in one piece!

9. Little M is talking more and more like a big kid and not a toddler anymore. She corrects me if I say 'Punzel instead of Rapunzel. It's great that her speak and vocabulary are constantly advancing, but it's still a little sad at how fast she is growing up!

10. I have a whole bunch of product reviews, and even a giveaway, coming up in the next few weeks. If that's not your thing, just ignore, but I'm really excited about these products. They are all super awesome!

11. Sometimes I get sad that we're not having anymore babies with all these pregnant Tweeters around. But then I drink like 3 cups of coffee, or put on my skinny jeans, or do a long workout at the gym, or just realize that I'm not nauseous 24/7 for 40 weeks and I feel much better!!

12. It's Skip's first day back at work so while everyone is excited it's Friday, it really feels like Monday to me. Oh life as a cop wife.

What random thoughts have been swirling around your head recently??

IParent - A Book Review

2012-01-26T10:19:00.001-05:00

I was recently given the opportunity to review a book entitled "iParent: Gender Trends, Online Friends, and the Soul of your Child", and I am so glad I did. It is written by a man named Don Pearson. His "28 years of youth ministry and legendary mistakes have led to increased prayer walks and growing insight. A graduate of MoodyBible Institute, Cornerstone University, and Grand Rapids Theological Seminary, Don splits his time between student ministry and working with parents of adolescents. He and his wife, Julie, have three grown children and a son-in-law, and have recently entered the magical world of grandchildren." {taken from the back of the book}

I seriously believe that every parent should be given this book when they leave the hospital with their newborn. It is a technology world we live in now...hello, I am writing this review on my blog:) But with that much technology comes a lot of opportunities for children to get into trouble. And it is our job as parents to help prevent that from happening.

This book is a quick, short read and covers the following topics in its chapters:
- Rate of Change
- Decline of Dating
- Rise of Social Networking
- Extended Adolescence
- Blurring of Gender
- Invasive Technology
- Hooking up
- Alpha Girl
- Beta Boy
- Girl Redeemed
- Guy Redeemed
- The Issue is Never the Issue
- Authentic Parenting

As you can see, this book not only discusses a lot of problems in today's society, it also gives us parents some suggestions on how to raise our children in a more well-rounded, moral way. I did not agree with every point in the book, but it sure did make me question and evaluate my parenting, as well as make a plan for when my girls are older.

I strongly urge you to go pick up a copy yourself. Here is a link to where you can buy it on Amazon.

Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book to read for this review. I was not monetarily compensated. All opinions are my own.

A Book Review - Confessions of a Catholic Cop

2012-01-26T10:19:00.000-05:00

I was recently given the opportunity to review the book entitled "Confessions of a Catholic Cop". As a cop wife myself I knew this would be a really interesting book. The book is written by a man named Thomas Fitzsimmons and I was actually surprised I had not heard of him before. As per the book, Fitzsimmons "worked ten years as a New York City police officer in the precinct dramatized in Fort Apache, the Bronx. He is a Vietnam era Navy veteran, film/soap opera/TV commercial actor and the former co-host of the NBC-TV magazine-format talk show, 'Now'. A private investigator and recognized security expert, he has appeared on shows such as 'Good Morning America,' 'Geraldo Rivera,' and 'Montel Williams'."

Based on his background, I knew this book would very realistic and accurate. And it did not disappoint at all! I normally don't read books like this, so I was pleasantly surprised at how much I liked it. Here is a little description from the back of the book:
"The rough streets of the South Bronx. Home to countless gangs, pimps, and hustlers. Where a gunshot is as common as a baby crying. Where a day without murder is an oddity. This is where ten-year police veteran Michael Beckett has spent most of his career. When he lands a walk-on role on a popular network cop show, Beckett hopes to trade chasing rapists, drug dealers, and murderers for a new life in front of the camera....and maybe even settle down with the young, hot writer on the show, Solana Ortiz. But when Solana's neighborhood in the south Bronx goes up in flames in a string of arsons, Beckett must out aside his caviar dreams and do what he does best - police work. With the help of his mercurial partner,Vinnie D'Amato, Michael Beckett unlocks a heinous scheme that reaches into the deepest pockets of power and greed in New York City."

This book is a really fast read. Mainly because the drama is so excited I kept trying to stay awake to read just one more page. The dialogue and character personalities are very believable and realistic. And there were definitely a few surprises and twists that I did not see coming! I have already passed the book onto Skip, and he has been enjoying it so far!

Overall I would recommend this book to anyone...but I think cops and cop wives will especially appreciate it. An you can easily head on over to Amazon to grab a copy!

Disclaimer: I received a free copy of the book from which to base y review. All opinions are my own. I was not compensated monetarily in anyway for this review.