Playing school...

I realize I have had this blog for almost a year and I've blogged maybe a dozen times....pretty lame, but oh well. I guess being a mommy, maid, wife, friend, daughter, nurse, vet has kept me rather busy.

 Now that Holden is almost a year old, I feel that we finally have a good schedule down- albeit a changing one (I always say I make plans, and Holden craps on them...sometimes literally.). I have been trying to compile some ideas and activities so we can have a more structured learning time every day.

                                               Attempting to teach color recognition.


 I am not a teacher by trade, but I think once you have a baby you become the most important teacher to your child! I look to so many different books, websites, friends etc... for inspiration so I thought I would share a few of my favorites these days. Thank you to all of you who post your fantastic ideas online so we can all be better parents! If you have any sites, or ideas to share, I would greatly appreciate them!

http://www.mommywithselectivememory.com/p/fine-motor-skills.html

ttp://www.facebook.com/pages/Play-at-Home-Mom/174614952594331


http://www.amazon.com/Wonderplay-Fretta-Reitzes/dp/B0023RT0E0/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1348582179&sr=8-3&keywords=wonder+play (got this book from the library, made copies of what i liked)

http://www.growingajeweledrose.com/2012/08/56-sensory-play-ideas-for-babies.html (from pinterest)

http://www.playcreateexplore.com/p/activites-for-ages-1-3.html

http://www.productiveparenting.com/aspx/Activities.aspx?aid=247 (FANTASTIC ideas)

I also try to take aspects of any mommy and me classes that we've tried.

I am victorious against the beast!

While most people are just getting home from their night out of dinner and drinks on this lovely Friday night (well, Saturday morning if your technical), I have been home all evening. My son went to sleep at 7pm, and after cleaning up my kitchen, I settled in to ice/heat my aching back and catch up on this past season of Law & Order SVU while cuddling with my dog. So, there I am, minding my own business when I see a huge (HUGE.) insect come toward my face. Naturally, I fling my unsuspecting chihuahua on to the floor as I jump off the couch screaming and promptly remove (rip off) my sundress for fear that the bug somehow made it into my clothing. Now, in my bra & undies (hey now.), I am searching for the culprit that almost gave me a heart attack. I see it crawwwwling, jummmping under my coffee table.....Cave Cricket. Not just any cave cricket, the freakin' king of all cave crickets. This thing was gigantic. I grabbed my slipper and threw it at the beast, and it jumped under the couch. I ran into my bedroom to grab a flashlight and then went into the kitchen to get some paper towels so I could clean this thing's carcas up after I was done killing it. I turn on the kitchen light and it's THERE. I swear, there was freaky, Norman Bates- Psycho, music playing in my head when I saw it on my kitchen floor. I mean, I was gone for 1 minute and the thing traveled 2 rooms. It then proceeds to jump toward me. I then proceed to loose my shit. I think I actually said "Come at me, bro" out loud. I ran to my bookshelf and started to throw everything book from "What to Expect when You're Expecting" to "Black Hawk Down" at it trying to smoosh it from afar. It kept averting my attack. I needed something stronger. So, I ran to my bathroom and got the bottle of Windex from under my bathroom sink. Windex is usually my weapon of choice for killing bugs (and cleaning mirrors). I know it's a little My Big Fat Greek Wedding, but it works...ammonia gets stuff done. I start to spray. A lot. I keep hitting this creature, yet it keeps moving. I continue throwing books, and every once in a while I scream when it jumps toward me. Finally, after my kitchen smells like a sanitized hospital and many books have been thrown (see above photo, this is after I picked up all the books from the floor) I finally hit the SOB. Smushed. Dead. Now, it lies under a copy of Anthony Bourdain's "A Cook's Tour" and a large orange tupperwear. The tupperwear is just a precaution in case it decides to get all zombie on me overnight. Now, for my signature move....I will leave the cricket/book/tupperwear Triple Decker there until my husband picks it up in the morning. He's such a lucky guy.
So, this was my exciting Friday night- Exhausting.
And through my obvious craziness, the slamming of books and the occasional scream...my son is still fast asleep. Always have to look on the bright side....

The force is strong in that one...

I saw this little comic and seriously LOL'd. Target can play Jedi mind tricks on you, I don't care how strong you think you are. Case in point:

I went to Target yesterday for one thing. Like a good, obedient (paranoid) Mommy, I listened to all of the books, blogs etc... when planning my nursery and did not order a bumper with our custom crib bedding before my son was born. Now, for the past 2 days, my son has gotten his leg (his ENTIRE leg up to his thigh this morning) caught in between the slats of his crib. His scream at 7am,when this happened, scared the bejesus out of me. So, we decided to take a trip to Target to pick up the mesh crib bumpers that fellow mommies have said good things about. Again, one thing was to be purchase at said store of the Dark Side.

I walked out of that store with a Starbucks iced coffee (love that my Target has a Starbucks...) and:

- A size 12 month boys shirt that has Elmo on it that says "Give Peas a Chance" (seriously, how could a diehard Beatles fan like me resist that cuteness)

- A size 9 month onesie with a dog on it that says "I'm Dad's best friend" (Obviously needed for my son to wear this upcoming Sunday for Father's day)

- A graphic tee for my husband that says YOSEMITE on it (since the 1,246 graphic tees that he already has are apparently not enough)

- A NUBY teether for my son (We lost our Sophie the Giraffe- Tragedy! A two pack of Sophie's is  on order from Amazon...but he needed something to hold him over, right?)

- Dayglow yellow nailpolish (WTF, right? Solid proof of the Target Dark Powers because it was obviously not a 15 year old girl that bought this nailpolish)

- Peanut brittle (that I think I bought because the tin it was in was so totally adorable. Note: We don't even really like peanut brittle)

I think I need not write that my final Target bill was a bit more than the $27.98 that the mesh crib bumpers cost.

Next time I will not give in! ....or maybe I'll just go to Wal-mart.

I'm addicted to Groupon...

As a Stay at Home Mom, there are a few major life changes that I have noticed (you know, aside from the having an amazing child to care for on a 24 hour basis):

1. Making your own coffee is not fun. My (whatever's on sale) coffee does not come out nearly as good as my $4 latte from my Penn Station Starbucks.

2. I am about 110% more busy than I was when I was working. Now, my days are totally filled with playdates, swim classes, cooking 3-4 meals a day, mommy & me gym classes, day trips to various places that house animals and intensive learn-to-crawl sessions on my bedroom floor.

3. Staying home = going out more during the day = the opportunity to spend more money (True story- I think the Kohl's cashiers might know me by name). Which brings me to my next point...

4. Although our home & my heart has exponentially grown in love, we have exponentially gone down in funds.

Being a Stay at Home Mom means living on one income, so our days of 4 vacations a year and our famous (well, to us anyway) $1,000 trips to the Home Depot are over! Now are the days of pinching pennies as best we can. We got rid of our cable & got an internet TV box & I price shop a lot when looking into any purchase. I tried doing the whole couponing thing, but honestly, I think food is the one place I cannot save! We eat primarily fresh produce & organic foods, so the coupons don't work for us usually. I do use coupons for baby items whenever possible, and of course, love my store coupons (especially when I get a Kohls 30% off hence see #3).

The one coupon-ish thing I do take advantage of are sites like Groupon & Living Social. Especially when there are deals for things to do with my son, or something for us to do as a family! While I do think that the experience you get when using a deal voucher is not always the same as if you were to pay full price, I think it is usually worth it. My most recent purchases were 4, hour long swim lessons for $29 & a 3 hour whale watching tour at the shore for $39 (for when we are vacationing there this summer). Not too shabby.

 I just love that these sites afford us experiences that we would otherwise, not be able to afford :)

Fun stuff

Holden's Pea Face

So, I realized this morning that I have not done the bloggy thing in quite a while. This is not due to lack of time or lack of things to say. I think it's because whenever I think of fun or witty things to write about, I am never by my computer. Or I think of them at 4am. Needless to say, life has been marching on, and Holden is getting bigger (and chubbier) by the day. He continues to amaze me and make me laugh every second- life is good!

After 5 months of being a mommy, I think I am finally embracing all things that come wtih stay at home mommy-hood. I am making my own babyfood (update: Holden loves pears, carrots & sweet potatos. Peas? Not so much.), and I started a playgroup. This is seriously the most excited thing to have happened to me in the past 5 months (well, besides the whole having a baby, and him amazingly changing my life, but whatev...). I am a planner. It's what I do. It's in my blood. If I am not planning a party for myself, a friend, a family member or a perfect stranger if they were to ask, I feel bored. This is the same reason why Pinterest has become an unhealthy obsession of mine, but that's a whole other story. So, my new little playgroup is the perfect answer for my love for all things organized & event-like, and getting out of this damn house and meeting with some new mommies and babies. I have a notebook with all of my ideas...yes, seriously.

I am so excited to socialize Holden with other babies (maybe they can "teach" him to roll over, and he can help them be amazing sleepers....hey, a mom can wish right?). I am also really looking forward to chatting with other moms. I am so(ooooo) blessed to have such amazing & supportive family and friends, but I don't have many people with young babies around me. I tend to talk about babyfood, poop, and Gymboree when I am with others, and I am not sure my friends that are not yet parents enjoy this line of conversation as much as I do. I  really do try and have well rounded conversations with people, but honestly, this is my life right now and I suppose these are things that are important to me. So, it will be very nice to have some likeminded mommies to hang out with from time to time.

Well, I have to go make a batch of green bean babyfood, change my baby's blowout diaper (maybe it's time to move to size 3's??) and figure out how the hell I am going to pay for a $75 a month baby music class (ha.).
 xo E

Meal planning on a budget

When I took on this new job position of CEO of StayatHomeMommyINC, I took on a whole new list of job responsibilities (totally self inflicted, by the way... the only job responsibility my husband gave me was keep Holden happy. Easier said than done sometimes, but hey...). One of these responsibilities was to save us as much money as possible so I could keep my current position....wouldn't want to be let go due to lack of funds and my position in the Rispoli company being eliminated, ya know?

One of the ways I am attempting to do this is by meal planning, and yes, clipping coupons. I am no extreme couponer yet...I go to the grocery store and get crazy excited if I save $20 off of my $120 shopping order. Problem with coupons is that I don't need things like taquitos, Macaroni Grill ready dinners and Chef Boyardee!

I've realized that it's very hard to plan 6 or 7 dinners, some lunches and breakfast for under $100 ~ especially because we are somewhat snobby eaters...no hamburger helper in this house. So, I scour the Internet for $5, $10 dinner sites, clip, print and buy coupons (yes, buy. I purchased a bulk lot of 100 coupons on ebay for $1.35 cents. I saved about $5 in total with a few of them...don't think I'll do that again) and only purchase what is totally needed for said meals. This is not an easy task for a girl like me ~ I have to curb my expensive random imported cheese buying binges. This is also probably a good thing, since my freakin' cholesterol is at 270 (thank you heredity...).

So, what's on the dinner menu this week? Here we go:
-Matt's favorite Sausage Pasta (made with the fresh ziti I made on Sunday)
-Chicken Enchiladas (found on Pinterest)
-Baked Rosemary Garlic Chicken Thighs
-Calzones (with the yummy dough from my dad's restaurant)
-Shrimp Creole (if this tops my delish Shrimp Jumbalaya from last week, I will be shocked!)
-Slow Cooker Shrimp Curry (The large bags of frozen uncleaned shrimp are a great deal- I can usually get 3 dinners out of one bag)
-Crab Cakes (ok, a little bit of a splurge. Lump crab meat was on sale, and we get dinner and lunch out of it)

Bon apetit and happy couponing (good grief)!

$25 worth of stationary and stuff for free...Happy Thursday!

Saw this on another mommy blog this morning, and it's legit, so I thought I'd share. Click on the referral link below and get $25 off orders of $30 or more at Minted.com when you. Credits will be applied to your next purchase. Excludes shipping, handling, taxes or other fees. Coupon code BEMINE35 gets you free shipping on orders of $35 or more through 2/7.

The site sells baby announcements invitations, Valentines Day cards, “Mommy calling cards" (this is what I am buying because they are so damn cute) and more... Another idea I had for deals like this for when Holden gets a bit (like, years) older, is to order little "love" notes. i.e. notes for his lunch box, notes from the tooth fairy, even design cards to use as chore incentives or good deed incentives. Hmmm...maybe I should pinterest that?!

http://www.minted.com/referral/landing/9ft3y4
Buy some cute V-Day stuff for the hubby,grandparents, and kiddies...have fun!

Free Stationery card!

Fun little coupon for your Monday...use the promo code CARD4U at Shutterfly.com at checkout and receive a free card! Great time to order a photo Valentine's day card for your honey from the kiddies. <3 E

Many Hugs Kisses Valentine's Card

Click here to browse Shutterfly's modern graduation invitations.

View the entire collection of cards.

I think I should buy stock in Rogaine...

When you're pregnant, you expect your body to go through changes. When you have a 3 month old, you expect everything to go back to normal. Being a mom has taught me not to expect anything...

For the past year, since the moment I conceived (or so..), I have had the most beautiful silky hair of my life. Whether it be the prenatal vitamins, the hormones or that pregnancy glow...my hair was shiny, thick and frizz free. Holden turned 3 months old last week, and since then, I am starting to get nervous that I won't have any hair left by the time he's 4 months old. Seriously, why did no one tell me that all of the sudden I would start losing my hair in mass clumps! It's kinda scary when it looks like a small animal is in your shower drain after a 5 minute shower. To add insult to injury, I saw 3 (THREE!) gray hairs while blow drying my hair this morning. I may want to start saving those hair clumps and make myself a wig, because by the time I hit 30 (holy crap- I'll be 30 in 3 months!) I might be bald or totally gray. Ok, ok, maybe I am being a bit over-dramatic...but the dog started barking during Holden's nap, making said nap over after only 22 minutes, leaving me without my morning cup of coffee. Hence, my Sunday morning rant ~

 On a side note- Hubby and I decided to start the workout regiment P90X this week. I'm scared, but I also want to loose 10 lbs. I'm down to my prepregnancy weight (yay), but I wanted to loose 10 lbs. before I got pregnant...so I'll give this craziness a try.

Happy Sunday ya'll....and GO G-MEN!!!

Officially a stay at home mommy. wow.

So, I have about 2 minutes to write this post. I have to do the laundry, wash a sink full of bottles, make the bed, eat breakfast, shower and make my self look presentable to the world, cuddle the dog, clean the bathrooms and pump all before my baby wakes from his nap. This is my new job description- the description of a Stay at Home Mommy. Matt and I made the decision to make some major lifestyle changes (i.e. sacrifices) so I can stay home with the little one.

I always thought I'd be a working mom but after actually having a baby, I knew I needed to be home with him. I knew I was willing to eat cereal for every meal for the rest of my life if that's what it took ( and I only like 1 type of cereal. Kashi Blueberry- it's yummy, try it...). This decision did not come easily- at this time we are a one vehicle family and we cut out our cable (which seriously, is no biggie...I can watch everything by hooking up my laptop to my tv). But, knowing that I can stay home and raise my little Holden myself, watch all of his milestones in person would make any sacrifice worth it! My husband is now (even more) my hero. He is working so hard just so we can make this work, and I know he totally loves having dinner cooked every night and not having to worry about anything around the house. I'm hoping this new found profession will also allow me write some more on my blog!

So what if my new uniform might have spit up stains on it...I have never, ever been more happy.