October 28th, 2009
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When I got married 8 years ago, we often heard the same question repeated, “When are you going to have kids?” It got old after a while, but we kept people guessing for many years. Now that we have Bella, people ask, “When are you having another?” Usually I smile and sigh, but what I really want to say is, “Are you outta your !@#$%^&*^% MIND????”
For those of you who are a little less freaked out about the prospect of another crying, diaper-exploding, screaming bundle of joy, you are going to love this freebie.
I have found a fun blog called Couponing To Disney. I used to love to send away for free things when I was a little girl. Now that I mostly get bills and junk in my mailbox, I have really had fun signing up for freebies. It’s funny how a free chocolate cherry granola bar can really make my day. (Here’s another one!) Every few days, Kristin adds links to her site for 4 free things that you can send away for. I have signed up for samples of diapers, cleaning supplies and food. But when I saw this link for the ovulation and pregnancy kits, I know that I have many friends who are trying to get pregnant. I thought that somebody could really use these!
Of course, if you aren’t looking to get pregnant, there are freebies for you too! LOL!
October 27th, 2009
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A month ago, Bella and I were leaving a store and walking back to the car as I held her in my arms. It was the middle of the day, but we were in a parking garage. It was well lit, as parking garages go, but still a dim, dark concrete, unwelcoming structure. As we walked down the aisle of cars, I noticed a large, muscled, broad-shouldered man walking directly toward us. Instinctively, I looked away, stiffened my grip on my baby girl, straightened my posture and quickened my pace. As we approached each other, I heard Bella laugh in my ear. I looked over and this big man, twice my size, was making googly eyes and waving to my little baby.
"Hello, Happy Baby!"
I am often amazed at how powerfully disarming a smiling, little baby can be. Bella laughs, waves and flirts with nearly every person she meets. Two weeks ago, we were among the first to board a plane to DC. I was exhausted after having trudged through security, pushed her stroller across the concourse and entertained and fed her while we waited at the gate. Once we were seated, I was tired and stared out of the window at the baggage handlers pulling up to the side of the plane. Bella stood in my lap and held onto the chair back in front of us. Her laughter pulled me back from my daydreams and I looked up. I saw a full aisle of people streaming onto the plane. They were all exhausted travelers lugging suitcases, overcoats and laptop bags. It now costs $20 to check your first bag on Delta and $30 for your second, so we are all our own pack mules. For the moment, however, there was something very different about this crowd. » Read more: “Hello, Happy Baby!”
October 21st, 2009
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Image courtesy of Wikipedia
Cooking baby food sounds laborious and tedious, but most of the time is super simple. You can make it complicated, but like most things, it only appears more complicated than it is. I don’t spend much time making food just for Bella. If I know that I need more squash or sweet potatoes for her, I’ll put it on the dinner menu for the family, but I’ll roast twice as much! Don’t devote an afternoon cooking for the 20 lb munchkin, just cook when you are already cooking. If you happen to be baking a cake, heating up a frozen pizza or whatever, let the oven do double work. You are home anyway. Might as well let it work for you!
Hands on time: 10 minutes Total time, including baking: 90 minutes
October 20th, 2009
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image courtesy of Penzeys Spices
If you ignore your spices and use whatever you have on hand, you will be in for a treat if you splurged (just a little!) and bought fresh, fragrant spices from this wonderful store. Penzey’s Spices has a successful mail order business, but in the past few years they started opening stores all over the country. Bella and I are in DC this week visiting her grandparents and I had to go visit the Rockville, MD store in person.
I easily could have gone wild, but I gave myself a 20 minute time limit and a $20 budget. I came in under budget at about $16. I am really pleased with what I bought:
» Read more: Shopping for Spices
October 19th, 2009
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At more than one airport security checkpoint, my husband has sat on the sidelines rolling his eyes at me as I have stood my ground in discussions with TSA about my needs for bottles of water, milk or formula. As long as we have the time, he seems to understand my deep seated need for “defending the rights of mothers everywhere”. Well, that’s how he puts it. Nobody likes the TSA rules and nobody feels any safer because they are in place. They are arbitrarily followed and until recently I haven’t seen anything that addresses the particular needs of traveling with an infant.
Thanks to Maggie Norris, the Phoenix New Moms Examiner, and her great new article on her first trip traveling with an infant, she gave me a link that I had looked for many months ago, but could not find. I don’t know how recent this update is, but I am happy to have it. I am grateful to have had the luxury to breast feed Bella because the times that I have tried traveling with formula powder and water were unnecessarily frustrating. It is considerably easier to travel and breast feed your baby, but that isn’t an option for all parents.
The TSA info allows mothers (curious that they specify mothers) to bring breastmilk, formula and juice in quantites larger than 3 ounces if you:
- Separate these items from the liquids, gels, and aerosols in your quart-size and zip-top bag.
- Declare you have the items to one of our Security Officers at the security checkpoint.
- Present these items for additional inspection once reaching the X-ray. These items are subject to additional screening.
While those 3 rules above are directly copied from TSA’s website, please read the full post for all the important details. Expect that going through security will take longer than usual as they might test your liquids, but you should be able to do it without much hassle.
So, don’t expect your TSA experience to be quick and enjoyable, but print out a copy of this page and tuck it in your carry-on bag or backpack. You never know when you are going to need it.
Welcome to Next Top Moms! We are all new moms trying to figure out this maze of our new lives. Liz and Becca live in Atlanta, so we will have a lot to say 
about our hometown, but mostly we will be talking about a wide range of subjects, so moms and friends from all over are welcome! 
