DEAL FINDER

Stop & Shop has Huggies diapers on sale for $8.88 a pack!

Hello..what about me?!

The dishwasher needs emptying, the dogs are barking and the baby is fighting her afternoon nap. I find myself needing a time out and wondering if I am the one who tends to my husband, my daughter, the dogs and my house then who is left to tend to me??

I woke up this morning hitting the snooze button after having my sleep interrupted not ONCE but TWICE last night. I hoped into bed at 9:15, very early for me but my body needed to rest, at 11:30 the thunder started and my dogs hoped into bed in fear of the noise. My oldest dog panted for a good 30 minutes. Not sure how I feel asleep again but I did. I awoke again at 4:30 a.m to a hungry little baby. She ate, and slept until 7. Up we go to start the day.

An hour later I drop her off to my mother's head to my interview and try to relax on the short ride. An hour later, I am at the grocery store, I stuff everything into the car, run by my mom's to pick baby up and go home to unload. As my stomach rumbles I make my husband and the baby their lunch, let the dogs out, and put away all the groceries.

I look over the sink is full, the dishwasher needs emptying while I scarf down my sandwich. It's 90 degrees and my husband finishing his lunch before he heads back to work is questioning why aren't I at the pool. Well, buddy oh pal, how will the groceries get home, dogs go out and baby get fed if I was floating around on a raft right now?

Funny but he is right! Why can't I clean later, why do I have to do things now. I guess because I know if I don't do them NOW no one else will do them later. So that is my mood right now. Hot, tired and cranky. Maybe I should jump into the crib with the baby and have her rock me to bed or better yet, say the hell to everything and go into the pool to cool me down a bit.
That'll solve all my problems!

Breast Cancer Bracelet

Being a BRCA gene carrier, having a strong family history of breast cancer and loosing my grandmother 3 years ago to this horrible disease I am always delighted when I can donate to a cause that supports organizations to help fight breast cancer. My husband bought me a bracelet from the "Friends of Mel Foundation." For only $15 you too can purchase this wonderful bracelet for a wonderful cause. www.friendsofmel.org

1ST Family Vacation

I arrived back home yesterday from our 1st Family Vacation. We went away to Cape Cod for a week and had a blast. Our baby girl was sooo good. It was nice to be with my family 24/7 for 9 days. How lucky am I!! We ate out, went for ice cream, visited museums, did a duck tour, laid out on the beach and did a ton of shopping. It was great!
I think 8 months was the perfect age to take our baby away. My daughter doesn't walk so I am still in control, but she can sit up and use a high chair. Her naps aren't too inconvenient and she can stay up til 8- 8:30 tops. She loved the beach and didn't complain at all, especially since she can't really talk yet.
In the beginning of the week I would constantly try to prevent her from putting her sand toys in her mouth. By the end of the week her shovel became her new teething toy. What can I say, she is going to do it whether I go crazy or not. And dinners, my word I started ordering stuff off the menu because she wanted to be like the adults. At one restaurant I couldn't take the menu away from her so I let her play with it while we ate.
She went on a boat for the first time, ate ice cream and loved every minute of it. Looking at the pictures made me realize how lucky I am. I have this perfect little family, and by perfect I mean of course not PERFECT to everyone but perfect for me. I have a husband who adores me and my baby and a baby who adores us.
I am looking forward to the many family vacations we'll have together. It is great building memories and being away from the daily duties. We tend to get caught up in everyday life that is nice to take a break from them once in a while and really enjoy one another.

So now it's back to reality. The mail is all sorted, the bags are unpacked and put away. Tomorrow is another day, back to the daily grind, but for now I'll just enjoy the last hours of my day!

Wish Life Could Stand Still For A Little While

Tonight I cried holding and rocking my baby to sleep. It wasn't a sad cry, or a happy cry. It was a "wish life could stand still for a little while" cry.

I remember when I was pregnant sitting in her room wondering what type of person she would be, what she would look like, what color hair she would have. And tonight there we were. My eight month old and I rocking back and forth. I thought about how heavy she had become, how in four months I will be planning her first birthday. Soon she will be too heavy for me to rock, she will be too indenpendt to need me to rock her nor would she want me to.

I know one day I'll have other babies, but she is MY baby, my first, my experiment for the other children to come, my test of what type of parent I will be. She choose me to be her mommy, provider, protector, and teacher. I love this little girl so much that the thought of her not needing me one day made me cry.

She hung onto me tonight so tight as if she knew she was growing up to fast, she knew soon she will become less dependent on me. We had a special moment, a mother daughter moment that reminded me of how much I loved every minute of these last 8 months. Regardless of the weight gain, endless sleepless nights, and sore breasts.

I know the best is yet to come, I know we will always be buddies, but for now I will allow myself to cry. Because those 8 months came and went as if they were only weeks and days. Those 8 months I can't ever get back. Those 8 months made me the mommy I am today!

Inspiring Quote

"Life isn't about finding yourself... Life is about creating yourself."

by George Bernard Shaw

THANK YOU

WOW it's already been a week since I created this blog. It's been a lot of fun and I want to give a big THANK YOU to all my followers, supporters and motivators. I am a mommy like everyone else and want to tell my story so everyone knows that you are not alone. It is OK to feel how we feel, as our children grow so do we. I also want to give some love and support to all the Dads out there, your job is just as hard as ours!

I truly feel if I've touched one person than it's been worth it! Please stay tuned because the best has yet to come!!!

Mommy DOES Know Best

I had my first lesson with "Mommy Knows Best" with my 8 month old daughter. She's at that age where she wants to touch EVERYTHING and as I watch myself saying "no" or "don't touch" she seems to do it anyway. Until yesterday when she finally learned.

I was making sauce. I decreased the temperature on the stove, turned the sauce with a spoon and as I began to take the spoon out of the pot I watched my daughter eagerly embrace the opportunity to grab it. I said "no" and tried to give an explanation of why she should not touch it but by then it was too late.

The spoon grazed her hand and the tears started to stream out. I lifted her up, made eye contact and said in a normal tone of voice "See I told you not to touch it for a reason. The spoon was too hot and now you hurt your hand. You have to learn to listen and trust me. Always trust me."

We had a brief moment of understanding between the two of us. It kind of made ME want to cry. For the first time it really hit me that I was not only her mother, I was her teacher. I will have to shape this little girl to be who she is. Yes, she will still do things even when I tell her not to, but I will have to be there to do my best to explain what's right and wrong and why it's right or wrong.

I watched how fast she changed when I made my way back to the pot to finish turning the sauce. This time she kept her hands in and leaned forward to watch what I was doing. My job for the day was done. I succeeded in teaching her one of many lessons in life to come. I was proud that day to be her mom!

SMILE

Have you smiled today? Have you smiled at someone today?

Have you smiled at a STRANGER today?

Try it and see what they do.

You'll be shocked with how they react!

There is no better feeling than bringing happiness into some one's life!.

Help Ease Teething Discomfort

My daughter is teething and I feel so bad for her. I always catch her gnawing on something from the corner of my eye. So to help ease her teething discomfort I came up with some "chilling" tips.

• Cut an apple & freeze the core. Make sure to leave some apple on it in case when they are gnawing on it if it defrosts there will be some apple left. My daughter loves this!
• Keep baby orajel in the fridge so when you apply it's nice and cold.
• Add one ice cube to their sippy cup. The cold water feels great on their gums.
• Freeze big slices of watermelon and let your baby gnaw away!

Restaurant Deal

My husband, the pizza junky called me tonight at 5:45 to tell me about this awesome deal.

If he called a little sooner I wouldn't have bothered to cook dinner.

So for all you late night snackers out there check this out.

Tuesdays at Italia's Restaurant in Norwalk large cheese pizza's are $6.00.

$6.00 for a large cheese.

You know what we'll be having for dinner next Tuesday night!

Recycle Tip

Did you know that the Playtex Drop In Liners are Recyclable?

Once I found out I just left an empty recyclable container on the counter and every time I used a liner I put them in the container until it was full.

I wanted a place for them since they aren't the best looking things to be floating around in your recycling bin. So now every time you make a bottle you can feel good that you are helping the earth by recycling.

Do your part and Recycle :)

Cooking Tip

Have ripe fruit you just don't feel like eating and don't want to throw out?
Why not cut it up and freeze for later recipes.
You can:

• Defrost the fruit and make a mixed berry pie
• Boil and make baby food
• Buy a bottle of Jose Cuervo Margaritas and add it in a mixer, no need for ice since the frozen fruit is cold and adds thickness

Crazy Week

This Photo Represents the Type of Week I've Been Having...

Seems like my daughter feels the same way.

Funny how one photo can put a smile on your

face and make everything better!!

Baby's First Italian Word

My husband and I are both 100% Italian and coming from a household that spoke Italian it was very important to us that our children did too. I must say I am not the best Italian speaking woman out there but I do understand it extremely well and if it wasn't for my sisters teasing me I would probably be less self conscious when I spoke it. I know that is what sisters are for.

My parents both came from Italy at the age of 16. They became young parents and basically learned English when we did so they focused more on teaching us the proper English language than Italian. They regretted not pushing the language on us, although we always followed the culture. But once my baby girl was born they were determined to teach her the beautiful language we all love. They even bought her Italian cartoon DVDs.

So this past Sunday morning my sister was trying to teach my daughter to say Zia, Italian for Aunt. She shook her head "NO" and said "Nonna", which is Italian for grandma, four times loud and clear.

Yep, I did miss it but she said it again today when we went to visit my mom. Nonna lit up of course. I am proud of my little girl. She doesn't realize it now but one day she will be happy she knows a different language. Especially the beautiful Italian language.

DEAL Finder

SIMILAC ADVANCE EARLY SHIELD:

I went shopping at Costco today with my mom and figured I would check the infant aisle to see if they carried any formula. I knew they carried Enfamil but I use Similac Advance Early Shield and to my GREAT surprise it was there.

So ladies you get a 34 oz container for $27.95.

This has got to be the best price I found yet. The cheapest I ever found this formula for was at Toys R Us for $21.99 and that was only for a 24oz container. This comes to be about 10 cents cheaper an oz, that is $3.40 cents cheaper to be exact. I know you may think $3.40 is not a big deal but for all you mommy's who know how much formula we go through the savings add up!

You can also purchase it online at Costco.com but the min is 3 containers.

Stay turned. I am waiting for a coupon link from Similac but was so excited with the deal I found that I had to post it!!
You can also sign up on similac.com to receive coupons in the mail!

Cooking Tip

Tips when making Pesto Sauce:

• I always like to add some spinach in with the basil.
• Today I tried something new and added some leaves from my garden celery.
• I can't take credit for this tip I heard but it is clever. Add the parmigiana cheese at the end so the heat from the blender doesn't melt it and you get a richer flavor.

Surving Baby's First Sleep Over

Last night we survived our first night without the baby sleeping home with us. My husband and I thought it would be best for her to sleep out since we had plans that would run very late. Although she was staying at my parent's house I must admit I wasn't thrilled with the idea.My husband was not 100% about it either and found it even hard to drop her off at the house to say goodbye so I had to do it alone. Luckily we knew she would sleep through the night and would not realize we were gone, but waking up this morning with out her was tougher than we thought.

I think when you become a parent you tend to judge other people's parenting skills less. YES LESS. And I will tell you why.

Before children many people I knew would leave their babies very young- and young I mean a couple of months old for the night with family when they didn't have any plans and would stay in. At the time I didn't agree with it. I felt if you were home why would you leave a baby so young with someone else. Today, being a parent, I now think it was something they needed at the time and it worked for them. When I first became a parent I realized that my husband and I needed to raise our daughter the way that worked best for US! Not the way other people did but the way we chose.

The reason I say this is because people may think that 8 months old is an appropriate age to sleep out. Some people may say it's too young. I say we discussed it and decided that we both needed a night with old friends and we both didn't think having a babysitter stay till early morning would be fair to them.

However, will I have her sleep out this young while my husband and I stay home on a Saturday night? NO. I enjoy having my baby home, I enjoy waking up to her in the morning and laying with her in bed and watch cartoons. I believe those kind of nights are for when they are 5years old and can appreciate the sleepover as a special treat. Granted they are staying with family but growing up I never slept out as a young child unless my parents where out late. Sleepovers were not common before the age of 5 and by then I think I was sleeping over my friends house.

As for surviving not having her home for a night, of course we did. But as soon as we woke up I picked her up while my husband showered. As soon as I pooled into the drive way I found my husband was waiting for us. Even the dogs missed her. She slept through the night and was wonderful for my parents. We were very grateful to be able to have enjoyed a late night out without worrying about how she was- even though we still did. Not having her for one night reminded me how much I love having a family.

Superstitions

Happy first of the month!

Hope today is a GREAT day for all of you!!
I always believed however your day was on the first of the month was how the rest of the month would be. I know, I know what can I say?! I am superstitious.
For Fun Give it a try!!

Cooking tip

Have left over eggs & don't know what to do with them?

• Add them to soups
• Fry them up with some green peppers. (Try this with italian green peppers- yum!)
• Hard boil them and top your salads with them
• Mix them with rice and chicken

Breakfast for Two

I always enjoyed a hearty egg white sandwich in the morning. I always felt so wasteful tossing the yoke in the garbage. It's not that they aren't good for you, it's just I never really liked the taste of them. One day it dawned on me, why not keep the yokes and scramble them for the baby! So that's what I did. I didn't want to add any salt or oil in case she had a reaction. They say babies can be allergic to eggs and so I wanted to add as less as possible to them. So needless to say as I practiced I had to threw them out quite a few times, until I finally got them right.

Here's how to make them:

I always coat a frying pan with no stick cooking spray. I fry the eggs whites and leave the yokes aside in a separate bowl. Once my breakfast is done, I remove the egg whites and lower the heat. With a fork beat the yokes with a tablespoon of water. Add them to the frying pan and start scrambling. Once you see the pan getting a little dry add another tablespoon of water. This helps cook the eggs while keeping them nice and moist. Once complete enjoy your breakfast for two.

How easy was that! You just made an easy, hearty, breakfast for two with the mess for one! I must say my daughter is a huge fan. Enjoy!!

Recycle Tip

Did you know that your empty medicine

bottles are recyclable??

Yep, they are. After your medicine is complete just peel off the label so none of your personal information is revealed and toss it into your recycling bin. Simple right!!! Now if we all did this think about how many bottles that would add up in a week, month and year.

Do your part and Recycle :)

Creative Tip

Recycle greeting cards by cutting out phrases or images on the card and use them for your scrape booking projects.

Cartoons of 2009

Good Morning All:

I lay in bed with my baby and her cartoons are on. I love to watch her eyes light as a familiar cartoon pops on and she will even bob back and forth a little to their theme song. I grew up in the 80's and it amazes me how much has changed since them. The Mickey Mouse Club that I knew ended with " M I C- see you real soon," today it's " Hot Dog Hot Dog Hot Diggiety Dog." Amusing I must say!

My daughter is a fan of many multi cultural cartoons. I must say she loved Dora and Handy Manny from 3 months on. It is great that they speak both English and Spanish. The "tools" crack her up and I even catch myself wondering what Dora and Boots are up to next.

Right now "Blue's Clues" is on. Did you know that Blue, the dog, is a girl? Yep, she's blue. Funny Right?! Some episodes have the old Steve or new Joe.

I think the one cartoon that changed the most for me was Winnie the Pooh. "New Adventures of Winnie the Pooh" is now "My friends Tiger and Pooh". They now wear bright color outfits and solve clues. Darby, the young tom boyish girl, helps solve clues with Tiger, Pooh and her dog. You still occasionally see Piglet, Egor and Rabbit. Their theme song " Think Think" replays in my head through out the day.

I can't wait to see what the future for cartoons bring. I hope it doesn't end up that you can only access cartoons on the Internet. What a shame that would be.

Baby girl is trying to use my remote control as a pacifier so I must say my goodbyes.

Enjoy the day and stay dry- looks like a rainy day out there today!

Finish this sentence...

It's time for bed but I wanted to end this posting with a fun little exercise. So...

Finish this sentence:

Tomorrow I hope I........

Job Searchers- Keep your head up!

I dedicate this post to everyone looking for a new job. Whether you've been laid off, downsized or in search for a new direction I want to sympathize with all the job seekers out there. This job market is a tough one and boy do I have experience with looking for a job!

I think I have pretty much been in the "job searcher" mode for a long time now. Once I graduated the market place was horrible. I was a college graduate getting catering jobs. Nothing wrong with that but I was looking for a position in my major and catering was not it. I stayed in a position that had nothing to do with my major but I enjoyed the company and the people I worked with.
In 2006 I began my search again. It wasn't so bad. I landed a nice position with great pay. I was very happy. Sad to say that lasted about 17 months when the company sold.

So in Fall 2007 /Early 2008 I was back in the Market. Economy was OK. I found a job and the company was interesting to work for- I'll just leave it at that! Needless to say after maternity leave I didn't stay there.

In 2009 I start- or should I say- continue my search. I must say that people are asking for more and want to pay less for it. Wouldn't you think that they would get what they paid for. Not sure what they are thinking! Why not stay away from hiring someone new every 6 months who is under qualified and offer a decent salary and have that employee for years to come.
And benefits, what benefits. I luckily do not have to worry about that. But for those who do they are extremely important.
On the plus side everyday there are new job posting. I must say I do have a list of favorite sites I make a daily stop to. I had my share of interviews.
My biggest problem is I enjoy being a mom. I love my baby girl and watching her grow. It is the biggest job I have ever done and the reward is priceless. Would be great if I got paid to do it but I have yet to find a posting for that position!

Below are a couple of job sites I have come across:

• Indeed.com
• Ctjobs.com
• Fairfieldcountyjobs.com
• Marketingjobs.com

Please help our friends with their job search and recommend some helpful sites too...

Welcome to my blog!!

Welcome to MOMMY CT
A Place Where Every Women Can Relate!

I decided to start my own blog to connect to women, whether mommies, wives or girlfriends.
I love to share my experiences of being a wife, new mom, sister and friend.
So please enjoy my posts as I share my experiences with you and hope you all share YOUR experiences with me.