You Know You're a Mommy When....

You know you're a mommy when. . .

. . . all you watch anymore is Toy Story 2. That's it. My TV spectrum doesn't go any further than that.
. . . you give your child a "spit bath" (and I said I would never do this to my child!).
. . . you sing now more than you ever did, without being able to carry a tune to save yourself.
. . . you see a child at the store without shoes and you have to stop yourself before you blurt out "Where are your shoes?!"
. . . as much as you hate to admit it and thought you would never say it, a mini-van would be very nice to have. It would be roomier and so much more convienent.
. . . you have been peeped on, pooped on, and puked on, and you don't even flinch. (And yes, I have a HUGE germ phobia!)
. . . you only have one, maybe two, shirts without spit up stains.
. . . that hug, smile, voice from your babes makes you forget all your stresses and worries.
. . . you absolutely adore seeing that little body in the adorable little jammies in the middle of the name wait for you at the top of the stairs, then walk back into his room and crawl in his bed waiting for you to snuggle in next to him.
. . . there's so much more you could put on this list, but time is limited! :)

Toys Toys Toys!!!

Sometimes when you buy a toy, you never know just what you are going to get. Will it be fun? Is it durable? Ebeanstalk relies on opinions like mine and yours to ensure that their customers are 100% satisfied with the toys they buy. What do you think the safest baby toys are? Have you found the most fun kids toys out there? What are the best ways to find the perfect toddler toys? Go to ebeanstalk and let them know what you think. Maybe you will even discover something new!
I recently visited ebeanstalk and boy did I ever discover new things! I am head over heals in love with this site! Oh my gosh! It is amazing! If you are a parent, grandparent, aunt, uncle, or just know kids, you will LOVE this site as well! If money wasn't an issue I do believe I would be buying almost every single item in my children's age group. It's just so amazing. I am acutally almost speachless because I am in total awe of this site. You can look at toys by gender and age group and in that age group it will tell you toys that are perfect for each development your child will be expereinceing around that age. If you want to give your kids the best and help them be the best they can be (and what parent doesn't?!) this is the site!! Their price isn't bad either. Oh how I want to continue looking on this site and making my dream list for the day I become a millionaire. :) This site is amazing, you must check it out! I will definitely be toy shopping here from now on!

A GREAT Way to Help!

I discovered a wonderful site I couldn't help but pass along. September is Childhood Cancer Awareness Month so I am getting a little ahead of myself but everyone should check this site out now... and continually after that! childrensart.org is a great place to do some shopping! All products are designed by a pediatric cancer patient rom M.D. Anderson Cancer Center's Children's Art Project. There are numerous items that are adorable, and the price is good too! Hope you enjoy the site as much as I did.

Just another way to show our children to care about others and help when we can. :)

Truly Savor Every Second

I know a man who lost his 12 year old granddaughter in a car accident earlier this week and his other granddaughter is in the hospital. I cannot imagine, nor do I want to imagine, what that family is going through. It makes me relive a moment almost two weeks ago that is forever sketched in my brain. I was driving home from my mother-in-laws after picking up my two little boys and I was stopped on the highway waiting to turn left. There was a red blazer that was going too fast, wasn't paying attention, and/or was being plain dumb & careless! (Yes, I would LOVE to have "mother" talk with that man. You know the kind of talk you could hear your mother giving.) When I saw this blazer speeding towards me, I had no time to react, nor could I. All that went through my mind was what will happen to my boys if he hits us. Thank goodness for our guardian angel that day as the blazer took the shoulder at the last second and passed us. The blazer was going so fast and went by us so closely, the entire car shook. And I have been shooken up over it ever sense. I know you can't dwell on "what if's" but all I can think about is what would have happened to my two beautiful baby boys if that blazer hit us. It breaks my heart and makes me SO grateful to have every moment I have with them. I like to think I am a person who truly appreciates life and savors each and every precious moment. But still sometimes I don't savor and appreciate it as much as I truly should. As each healthy, living second is such a precious, precious gift. So, all the mommies and daddies out there, play with your children a little longer tonight, spoil them a little, hold them tightly a little longer and press this wonderful time into your brain. And thank the wonderful Lord each and every day for the amazing blessings he has given you in your life.

Sleep Deprivation

I know, two posts in one day - crazy! This one is short and to the point just because I know other mommies can relate:

You know you are greatly sleep deprived when you cannot read your children stories before naptime. Your eyes won't focus, nor will they stay open. You've read these stories so many times you have them memorized so you start reciting from memory but you are so tired you start combining stories and making up things, so the story does not make any sense! Then you look at your children feeling horrible that no matter how hard you try, you just cannot read them a story, and those beautiful blue eyes look back at you so sweetly, not caring that you are making no sense, they just like to be snuggled up next to you. That's when you treasure your sleep deprivation because it means you get that much more time with your beautiful, amazing children. And I know that some day in the far future, I won't be so sleep deprived, and I will be longing for more snuggle time with my babies. It's truly bittersweet.

Two Mommy Saviors!

Going through parenthood, I have discovered many "Mommy Saviors" but for the lack of time, I will focus on only two right now.
First is a "Mommy Savior" as it is a significant money saver, which all mommies need more of these! The "Mommy Savior" - Target brand diapers! It only took me 2 years to discover these but at last, they have been discovered. And with two in diapers, thank goodness for them as a box is only $13.69! Yes, that's right, only $13.69 a box, not $20-30 a box! It took me so long to discover these as my first born is a diaper leaker. It didn't matter the brand of diaper, he leaked through them. We stuck to Luvs as they were less expensive as some and the leaking wasn't excessive. He leaked the same in Luvs as the expensive diapers. I tried store brand diapers with him, but then EVERY diaper was a leaker! Then my second child came around who wasn't quite the leaker. I got brave once again and tried store brand diapers and my second born didn't leak but I wasn't in love with the diaper quality. Then it happened. I bought Target brand diapers as they are the cheapest diaper I have found. Their quality is wonderful, almost identical to Luvs. They worked for my second born, so I tried them with my first born, and no more leaking than usual! (I can hear angels singing in the background.) Thank goodness for Target brand diapers!
The next "Mommy Savior" I will fill you in on today is a mommy must have! A dry shampoo called Batiste from ulta.com. It's not the cheapest but it's not that expensive either (Target brand diapers savings will get you this with money to spare!). I do not know how I survived without this. Oh wait, I didn't have kids. :) All moms need more time in the morning, sometimes a shower is not a possibility, and sometimes due to the lack of sleep, moms need to sleep the extra minutes it would take to wash our hair and dry it. With this wonderful product, you simply spray it on your hair almost like hairspray, massage into your roots, wait a few minutes (perfect time to apply make-up), then brush hair & style. What a big savior!!
If you have a "Mommy Savior", I would love to hear it. All us moms need help on what else can save us. :)

One Gigantic Bump in the Road

There is a new Angel in Heaven. One who has left a great void in our life and is already deeply missed. My boys' Bompa went home to be with Jesus a couple weeks ago. There is so much going through my mind that I am unsure how to put into words. My amazing 2 year old can't possibly grasp what has gone on but I am sure it's more than I give him credit for. I am surprised he hasn't been asking for Bompa but he did understand that he was sick so maybe that is why. How do you explain to a 2 year old Bompa is no longer here, he had an illness only God could fix so he went to be with him in Heaven? How do you explain to a 2 year old without making him terrified of anyone being sick? I don't want him to think that if he or someone he loves gets sick it means they will be going away. I am not sure anyone has these answers. I know he understands a lot has gone on these past couple months as he doesn't want to sleep alone for very long, is longing for his "firer" (pacifier) a lot more, and is extra clingy to Mommy. I am sure some people think he's too old to have his "firer" as much as he does, but he has had so much go on in his little world that only he knows how much he understands, so if he wants to hold on to his "firer" a little longer, it's okay. Potty training has slowed down and that's okay too. And if he needs more hugs and snuggles than usual, that is definitely okay. It breaks my heart he probably won't remember how much love and compassion his Bompa gave him. How Bompa would do anything he wanted him to. And all of those wonderful 4-wheeler rides he looked forward to with Bompa. I hope I can keep these alive for him to forever cherish like I will. And that brings me to my 5 month old baby who was named after his Bompa. I know he won't remember anything but I hope the picture we have of them together will give him an understanding of how much unconditional love Bompa had for him. When you see the picture I am talking about, you can't help but feel the love. I want him to know that he is named after an incredible man. A man who knew no stranger, always had a smile on his face, would do almost anything for anyone, has touched many lives and was loved by many, and a man that deeply loved and cherished his grandchildren. I look forward to watching my boys grow up and seeing characteristics of Bompa in them. And I am grateful they have a wonderful Angel watching over them.
(I appologize that this is choppy and rambly but as I said earlier, there are so many thoughts going through my head and I don't know how to put them all into words.)