Writer's Workshop

This week I chose prompt #5 from Kat's List. The following list is my Top Ten Reasons (a la David Letterman) why hubby and I should start trying for another baby.

(Our little Noah James - 1 day old)

10. Because Summer's new baby is so adorable, she makes my ovaries hurt.
9. I could tell my mother it was her Christmas gift.
8. No periods and bigger boobs!
7. More Blog Fodder (just kidding....I think)
6. Pregnancy is a great cover-up for holiday weight gain.
5. So Noah will not have "Only Child" Syndrome.
4. To have a little girl. (Hurray for dress-up and Disney Princesses)
3. Baby making is fun!
2. Because I only have 2 more months left of Noah's babyhood (cry!)
1. I am insane.

Wordful Wednesday - My Halloween Grinch

And I thought no one could possibly hate Halloween costumes more than my cats.....

The following two pictures are attempt #1 and 2 to get Noah excited for his first Halloween.

The first photo is Noah just wearing the hat from Grammy Tutu's lovely "Monkey Suit." His grandma ordered it special from one of those fancy baby catalogues where nothing is under 50 bucks. Funny, as I looked through the catalogue I saw nothing but smiling, happy babies. In fact the kid wearing the monkey suit is about the cutest thing I have ever seen. Here is Noah's take on the costume:

(*note: photo is blurry due to vigorous head shaking on Noah's behalf. I guess he thought he might be able to fling the thing off...Or maybe he is wishing it away?)

So no luck with Mr. Monkey.

Insert Attempt #2.

I got really jazzed when I went into Gymboree and saw this penguin costume - ON SALE!

It was only $15 (a third of what the monkey suit cost my poor mother). The "hat" element didn't seem quite as binding and didn't go around his neck, which is what I think really pissed him off in the first place. Its soft and adorable and much like a hoodie sweatshirt (which Noah has no problem with).

Here's what he thought of it:

Again with the blurry photo, not so much from head shaking, but a fantastic back arching in attempt to throw self out of costume.

So now I am left with 2 days until Halloween and no costume for my kid.

Really, I am thinking of going with the Captain Underpants idea I saw in a magazine...diaper and a cape. I know he can rock that.

What's the Word?

The "Word on the Street" today is brought to you by my nine month old, Noah. It's his first word, so drumroll please!

(pause for effect)

And the word today is CAT. Not mama, not dada, nope, it's cat. The cat who bolts out of the room when Noah enters. The cat who glares menacingly at the baby who has taken rights to my lap. The cat who LOATHES the baby.

A little ironic, don'tcha think?

Writer's Workshop

Under "Fabulous Links" you will see a fabulous lady called Mama Kat. This is my third attempt at her Writer's Workshop.

*Warning the following post contains excessive dorkiness. Please bear with me.

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This may come as a surprise, but I AM COMICON-ATTENDING, WORLD OF WARCRAFT LOVING, GAMER. It all started at the tender age of 9 when I received the oringal Nintedo NES from Santa (my dad's way of trying to compensate for living in an all female house surrounded by ballet lessons and tutus.)











After about 2 days of trying to "bond" with my little sis and I, and being completely schooled by his two young daughters at Super Mario Bros, he gave up. That year I spent hours challenging male cousins to tournaments in games like Elevator Action and DKJ. Oh the giddiness at beating them -my passion for gaming was born!


In high school, I graduated to a more sophisticated N64. I once played Mario Cart for 18 hours straight. No, I am not making this up. Lucky for me I later started dating a boy (now my husband) who also had a thing for Mario Cart. It is through that passion (addiction?) that I got the nickname, "Peach." Well, "Princess Peach" to be exact, but just call me Peach for short (he still does).

I love how unforgiving Peach is as she shoots on past her buddies with a smarmy little "Thank you!" She's seems like she is being proper, but really you know she's thinking, "Eat my tiara boys!" She's my favorite kind of princess!

After my Mario Cart years, I spent a lot of college playing Zelda: Octarina of Time. This is probably why I got a C in Calculus (stupid Water Temple, oh how you taunted me!), but boy was it worth it.

In the last few years I had moved on from console games to PC gaming. I REALLY loved Diablo until I discovered the World of Warcraft. And I thought I has spent a lot of time gaming before.....oh boy.... Have you guys seen the episode of Southpark about WoW? Yes, it really is like that. (Minus the fact that I DID take potty breaks, that's just dirty.)

Anyways, my husband and I had to put our games away when we discovered I was pregnant with Noah. I just couldn't be a mommy and be pwning mage too. So now I blog instead! ;)

Long story short. My husband still calls me "Peach" after all the time we have spent gaming together. And that's how I got the nickname "Peach."

Wordful Wednesday - I Plan My Escape

Hey, check me out Mommy, I can totally reach the door lock now. I know you took lots of care growing me all those 9 months ....and I know you like to chase around and snuggle me (yuck) and kiss me (blech) ....but hey, I am an independent guy now. I have things to do and people to meet. The whole world is waiting for me outside this door! It's like that book you read to me,"Oh the places I will go!!!!"

Hey wait....why are wearing a sad face Mommy? Don't cry Mommy....

Ok, Ok, I won't leave you yet Mommy. I can't reach the door handle anyways.

Writer's Workshop - "I wish someone told me..."

The prompt I chose from Mama Kat http://mamakatslosinit.blogspot.com/this week is: "I wish someone told me..." I wrote it more like a list of things that I have learned through life experience, but need to remind myself.

Here's my list:

• Life is short. Do something everyday that you would do if you only had that day left.


• Your husband was once your boyfriend. Try and remember to romance him once and a while.


• Youth fades. Wrinkles happen. Get over yourself.


• Don't count pennies with friends. It all comes out in the wash.


• Babies grow up so fast. Take time to dance, sing , play and enjoy the innocence.


• It's easy to make a child feel important, praise means so much (to big people too!)


• You don't have to be the best at everything.


• It feels good to be kind to stangers. Hold doors, let them go first in the grocery line, give them that parking spot.


• Not everyone is going to like you. Don't worry about it.

I have to remind myself daily of these things. Some of them I am reminded of while reading your blogs! Thanks for being so honest and open with each other.

Hugs, Rachel

Tricks Are for Mommies: Part 2

Dear Noah,

My sweet boy, do you know how proud of you I am? Every smile, every clap and wave, mommy is there with you cheering you on. Your accomplishments are mine. In your joy, I share. When you did this today I can't explain the feeling that filled my heart. I have danced for you so many times, but today you danced for me.....

Thank you little man.

I love you.

Wordful Wednesday

According to Noah, "hay" is not just for horses......

SITS Sistas - Keep on a bloggin'!

Thought I would join in and spread the love.

I found SITS (http://thesecretisinthesauce.blogspot.com/) while blog-stalking my neighbor Summer. Even though we only live 2 houses apart, I can't wait to read new entries from her fabulous blog: http://www.lemusingsofmoi.blogspot.com/.

Through SITS I have also found some other sistas who I think rock too:

Fresh Mommy: http://tabithablue.blogspot.com/ has some beautiful photos and ideas.


Mama's Losing it: http://mamakatslosinit.blogspot.com/ keeps me wanting to write.


Tiara's and Tantrums: http://trosehoney.blogspot.com/ cracks me up.


S Club 3: http://thesclub.blogspot.com/. I love it cause she has a little dude like I do and can really relate.

These ladies really help me keep the whole "mommy" thing in perspective.

Thanks for the support and the laughs!


Hugs,
Rachel

My Butterfly Effect

I can't tell you how long I have wanted to see the Sex in the City movie. Unfortunately, I had a 3 month old when it came out and rarely left the house. I suffered through missing it, while I watched commercials, heard about it on the radio, had friends see it and discuss it. I even had a friend who went to the NY premiere. All the while, I kept thinking, "THIS IS NOT FAIR!!! Why am I imprisoned in this house? Why can't I go out and drink Cosmos and be fabulous? Why does my hair smell like formula vomit?"

During my self-imposed imprisonment, I did however manage to Tivo "The Butterfly Effect." Having no desire to shock the poor teens working at Blockbuster, I just went with entertainment that didn't require leaving the house. As my husband and I watched it (in baby-sleeping shifts) I remember thinking it was just ok. Something to think about, but nothing really special. What was special was what followed....

The next day, I woke up with this note:

"Thinking about the millions of different paths life can take makes me remember just how lucky I am - for somehow our little paths crossed and have been intertwined ever since. I am completely and literally happy right where I am - with you, our little boy, the kitties, and our whole lives ahead of us. Love, Bri"

Somehow, despite my post-preggo grumpiness and questionable cleanliness, my husband wrote me a love note. Had we never watched the movie, I would have missed out on this.

Who needs "Sex in the City" anyway? I may not own a pair of Manolo's or be fabulously fashionable, but I found a sweet guy who loves me. Besides, Cosmos always give me a raging hangover anyway....

10 Fears

The following post is written as part of a blogging-world writing prompt. Kat over at http://mamakatslosinit.blogspot.com/ (a hilarious momma I blog-stalk), gives a few prompts to choose from each week and folks get to write about them and share. I have read many so far, but this is my first time participating....which leads me to my first fear....

I fear:

1. I suck at writing.

Mostly this blog is just me ranting and raving about Mommy life. I don't get much adult conversation during the day, so I don't care about grammar, punctuation or really even content. Its more about venting, and it's cheaper than Prozac. So I fear, that when people actually do read my entries, they think, "eh, BOR-ING."

2. Birds.

I know this is a weird one. But with pea-sized brains, scratchy feet and sharp beaks, these creatures are a recipe for evil. And, as an added bonus, they carry avian bird flu. AWESOME.

3. Germs.

I am not too neurotic about this, but this fear is definitely fueled by those damn Lysol commercials. You know, the ones where you "see" the virus spread from the toilet, to the hands, to the door nob, to the crayons, to the (ahhhh. must stop or will spend the next 2 hours spraying remotes and door nobs).

4. Ghosts.

Completely irrational, yes, I know. But my sis and I have a pretty spooky story about how we both frequently saw the same mysterious woman throughout our childhood (often in our house) and neither of us told each other about it until we were teenagers. My parents, who think we are nuts, never saw her.

5. My car will run out of gas.

I can't let the tank go below a quarter full. I start to sweat when that happens. Can't wait for the day when a own a fully electric car...though I will probably just worry about running out of battery juice....

6. I won't be able to have more children.

Again this is pretty irrational. I was also worried we wouldn't have our first child, so we started trying a little earlier than we planned. He was conceived THE FIRST MONTH we tried. My husband likes to brag about this, claiming his super-sperm only needs "one shot." I guess if they are that "super" I have nothing really to worry about, but I would like Noah to have a little bro or sis someday.

Another child will only add to my list of fears, which brings me to my next one:

7. Noah will:

choke, suffocate, be kidnapped, fall out of his high chair, drown in the bathtub, contract tuberculosis, be exposed to too much violence on t.v, become one of those teenage boys who wears girl's skinny jeans, etc.

8. I will outlive my child and husband.

Too morbid and horrible for explanation.

9. Any part of a fish will touch any part of me.

This one is sort of under the same line as birds, except that instead of sharp, pointy appendages, they have slimy, scaly ones. The thought of any fish (even a nice, sweet one like Nemo) brushing up against me makes my skin crawl.

On a side note, my husband and I went to Bora Bora for our honeymoon. AMAZING place to snorkel. He was a little frustrated at my opting for the "glass bottom boat adventure." Did I also mention he likes to surf? Poor guy. Hey, Bri, if you read this... I am still waiting for a swimming body-bubble (think giant space suit) to be invented. Then, it's sooooo on.

10. I will never complete my book which I started 3 years ago.

Which brings me back to fear #1. But hey, someday I might get there. Let's start with the small things. Maybe I should first try standing next to a bird, or put my toe in the ocean.....does it count if I wear a flipper?

Pennies for the Peanut

If you are a penny counting mommy, you are light years ahead of me. I usually shop for what's the most convenient with cost being the second consideration on my mind. I usually justify this an a completely irrational manner, such as "I don't spend money on Starbucks, so of course Noah needs another 50 dollars in Halloween onesies, etc" and "I don't shop for myself much anymore, so yes, weekly trips to the Right Start baby store in my neighborhood are necessary."

However, with all the crazy things going on in the economy, I have decided to try and be more responsible when it comes to baby spending. In this spirit, I have tried some new items I would like to review.

1. Pamper's Cruisers vs. Costco Diapers:

The feel of Pampers seems a little nicer, but that may just be because I know they cost more.

However, since wearing the Costco kind, Noah hasn't had any leaks or rashes and seems not to notice the difference. And Costco is way cheaper.

Winner: Costco

2. Target brand wipes vs. Costco Wipes:

Funny, but it seems whenever my son uses the Target wipes, he gets a diaper rash. Could be coincidence, but it's happened 3 times now. Costco wipes work well on bottoms, counter tops, cleaning the hair chair, wiping up spilled food, cleaning up mommy when she didn't have time to shower (maybe that's TMI).

Winner: Costco

3. Aveeno Baby Wash vs. Johnson's:

They both smell decent, though Aveeno smells more like "boy" to me. Ok, because I have a boy. However, even though its a few more dollars, Aveeno wins hands down. After repeated use, Johnson's dries out Noah's skin and the shampoo makes his hair stick straight up. Funny, but in a sad sort of way.

Winner: Aveeno

So far, those are the major three things I have tried. If you have any other recommendations let me know!