Sunday, December 25, 2011

Merry Christmas!

Posted by Melinda C at 12:20 AM 0 comments
Merry Christmas (or Happy Hanukkah) everyone!

We just got home from my Italian Christmas party.  It is my favorite part of the holidays and it's basically what I look forward to all year.  I love my Italian side of the family, they are hilarious!  We have a White Elephant game with some fun twists.  So I ended up winning Fanny May pixies this year.  Anthony won nothing, haha! He tried really hard for some SKYY vodka and Captain Morgan glasses but they were stolen from him in the nick of time!  It really stinks that my camera broke today.  It was in my pants pockets and fell out when I took them off earlier, I saw a flash, and now it won't turn on!  First my computer dies and now my camera, I have no luck with electronics!

Here in Chicago, it doesn't even feel like Christmas to me!  Normally by now, we've had snow for at least a month and it's COLD.  This year, we've seen hardly any snow and definitely don't have any right now.  Plus we've seen temperatures in the 50's in the past week, ridiculous!  I cannot imagine how those of you in warmer climates get into the Christmas spirit!  The cold weather and snow just bring it all together for me!

Maybe it's because we didn't go all out for Christmas this year?  We decided that since Leo is so little and doesn't care about presents anyway (plus the grandparents are spoiling their first grandchild to death this year), we'd save money instead of spending it all on each other.  We're trying to start a fund for the very expensive private school education he will be getting if we don't move out of the city, he is definitely not going to a Chicago public school if I can help it.  Besides, the greatest gift for me this year was having a happy, healthy, adorable baby.

I hope everyone is having an enjoyable holiday!  Enjoy spending time with your families tomorrow, I know I will!

Friday, December 16, 2011

Happy Mommy, Sad Wallet

Posted by Melinda C at 12:48 AM 7 comments
Lately, I've been on this buying spree.  I can't seem to stop.  It is awful.
I've bought myself a Digital SLR camera, two ring slings by Sleeping Baby (and I have my eye an on GORGEOUS Sweet Pea one), an Ergo, Ecosprout detergent, some teething/nursing necklaces, and other crap. I can't even remember everything I've bought.

Oh god, I've become an alcoholic.  Okay...I just typed alcoholic and meant to say shopaholic. I figured I'd keep that in there (see, I am exhausted!)  I don't even know why I keep buying this stuff! Do I need it? No. I do not need it.  I just want it.  This is awful.  After this, I'm having Anthony change the password to my paypal account and I'm handing him my debit card.  I'm going to unsubscribe myself from my Co-op page so that I can't see all the good deals I'm missing out on.  And I'm going to try really hard to stop checking Babyhalfoff and babysteals.  I'll have to stop looking at my favorite cloth diaper website (and their facebook page..they keep posting amazing deals).  I'm seriously going to be asking Anthony for a weekly allowance (maybe 20 bucks a week) for the next few months.

I just need to buy one more thing.  I found a Didymos wrap for like 10 bucks.  10 bucks for a wrap that normally costs 100+.  I will never find that deal again.  After that, I am seriously done.

Most of this stuff will just have to go under the Christmas tree.  Maybe I'll have Anthony wrap up that Didy and save it for me for my birthday.  It's all the way in July but he could give just that to me for my birthday and I'd be happy.

Has anyone else been on a shopping spree?

Tuesday, December 13, 2011

Kebbie's Diaper Bag is looking for bloggers

Posted by Melinda C at 12:46 AM 2 comments
Kebbie's Diaper Bag is looking for bloggers to review their products!  I found it funny that they were looking since I just bought a diaper from her recently!  Their customer service is wonderful!  I've been contemplating buying their wipe cubes for awhile now!

I've found that finding giveaways when you're a new blogger is very hard!  I've been working hard to try and get more followers and more traffic to my blog and to my giveaway. It hasn't been awful but I definitely need more!

If you're interested in becoming a reviewer for Kebbie's Diaper Bag, head over to Midnight Mommy and apply to become one!

Monday, December 12, 2011

I am exhausted

Posted by Melinda C at 11:37 PM 2 comments
Thank goodness finals are almost over.  I only have Organic Chemistry left on Friday.  I am so exhausted though!  Trying to study, write a paper, take care of Leo, and work all weekend has definitely taken a toll on me!

I wish I had started the paper earlier...and that I had started studying for my Calculus final earlier!  Then again, I say this EVERY year.  I am the world's worst (actually best) procrastinator.  Every year, I say I'm not going to procrastinate...but, every year, I am in the same boat.  But, I can say that I AM studying early for Orgo.  It will not be an overnight cram session mainly because other students are getting together with me for study sessions.

I will be so happy once finals are over and I can finally sleep, at least a little! Having a 4 month old doesn't really allow for it.

Thursday, December 8, 2011

Bad luck-Post 2

Posted by Melinda C at 4:21 PM 0 comments
So remember I posted about my horrible luck?  Well, it doesn't stop!  My computer died.  Now, my computer dying is no big deal to me...I can live.  But, OF COURSE, it breaks the week before finals.  I have a paper to write due Monday..plus a lot of studying to do in between. 

Luckily, my little sister just bought herself a Mac.  (Lucky her, she doesn't have a job and can afford to buy herself a mac!!!  I guess that's my trade-off for having an apartment, five animals, and a baby!)  Since she just bought herself a new computer, she gave me her old laptop.  Only problem is, this laptop is, quite literally, falling apart!  The entire screen is falling off.  I have to keep it on a table or else it just plops backward, haha!  I will be bringing my laptop into Best Buy tonight to get it sent in and fixed.  Thank goodness I bought the service plan on it so I won't have to pay for it.

I guess I should count my blessings, right?

Saturday, December 3, 2011

Diamond Candles Campaign!

Posted by Melinda C at 10:21 PM 0 comments


Diamond candles aren't just any typical candles. Not only are they great smelling and beautiful soy candles but every candle has a ring worth anywhere in between $10 and $5,000 inside. Unbeknownst of what surprises may lie wrapped in that tell-tale gold foil, burning a Diamond Candle is the adult version of a Cracker Jack box. I guarantee you will wait patiently by that candle for hours until you can finally pull out the ring!

 Intrigued?  Diamond Candles is hosting a campaign for bloggers!  It's a wonderful opportunity for you to potentially have the chance to review a reveled Diamond Candle.  Head over Celebrate Today to learn how to apply!

Friday, December 2, 2011

Baby Amber Teething Necklace Review and GIVEAWAY!

Posted by Melinda C at 8:22 PM 19 comments

Mary Ellen is a formerly single mom to two beautiful daughters.  While she was pregnant with her second daughter, Donna, she began to look into prices of baby wraps and carriers.  After a lot of research, she found that it would be much cheaper to create her own!  When baby Donna started teething at two months, Mary Ellen was appalled at the prices other retailers charge for amber teething necklaces.  Again, Mary Ellen decided that it would be cheaper (and more fun) to make these herself!

After both she and her husband found themselves out of work just recently in November, Mary Ellen decided to start her own Etsy shop to help provide some extra income!  She also has a shop on her facebook page.  Not only does she make custom baltic amber teething necklaces but she also makes quite a few items that Mommy's need on a daily basis: minky (and non) cloth diaper covers and pockets, burp rags, blankets, taggie blankets, hair bows, nursing covers, car seat covers, Moby-type wraps, and Mei Tai's.  You name it and she can probably make it!  Since she creates these all on her own, she's able to keep costs down to help save others money.  Everything she sells is made to order and is customized however you like it.  You pick the print(s) and can even have your items customized with your baby's name. 

I recently had the opportunity to review a Baby Amber Teething necklace from Dear Baby Donna Creations on Etsy.  I remember wondering exactly why her necklaces were a quarter the price of other teething necklaces, so I messaged her.  Her reply was just that she's a mom and wants to help other moms.  She's not into looking for a huge profit, just barely enough to cover what she spends.

Luckily,  I stumbled upon her store by accident and promptly picked up a baby amber teething necklace for Leo.  I knew I wanted a multi-colored but I have never seen a store that offers a multi-colored stone amber teething necklace.  I really loved both so asked her to surprise me.  She was in constant contact with me from the day I ordered.  She messaged me the day I purchased the necklace to tell me she received my order and asked for Leo's neck size.  She also messaged me when the necklace was finished and in the mail.  I love that personal touch! And I received it only 3 days after I ordered it. 
I was extremely happy with the necklace she sent me.  It's well made and you can really tell it's made with love.  I personally love the heart shaped magnet she uses to fasten the necklace instead of a screw or lobster claw; Anthony wasn't a big fan of it since he says it makes the necklace look more "feminine". Then again, he gives me glares when I put him in a black diaper with red hearts on it too.  I'm sorry if I don't let colors and hearts determine what my son can wear. 

Before getting this necklace, Leo was having a really hard time with teething.  He would wake up about half an hour after putting him down for bed and cry.  This pattern would continue for the rest of the night.  During the day, he'd fuss all the time and would constantly have his whole fist in his mouth to relieve himself of the pain.

After receiving the necklace, I put it on him and I was extremely anxious to see results right away!  Mary Ellen reminded me it would take at least a few days for the oils to absorb into his skin and take effect.  Now, about a week later, I do see results.  It is not a miracle cure and will not make teething painless but it does help him quite a bit.  He now goes to bed right away and wakes up maybe only once during the night to eat!  He chews on his hand less throughout the day and has been smiling more than he has been since this teething ordeal started.

 It was really hard to get a picture of him wearing the necklace.


He does look awfully cute wearing it though!  I was slightly worried that the magnet wouldn't be strong enough and that Leo would be able to just pull the necklace off.  I was reassured when I received the necklace and found that the heart magnet was strong.  I had trouble opening it at first.  Now it's easier to get on and off since I'm used to it.  As you can tell, the necklace fits him perfectly now at 4 months old.  I will be ordering another necklace in a couple of months!

Buy it: You can buy your own amber teething necklace for 8.99 plus shipping at Dear Baby Donna's Creations.  She also sells Mei Tais, blankets, etc all at reasonable prices.  Check out her facebook page for her Christmas gift set where you get a custom blanket, 2 burp rags (or a Taggie blanket in lieu of the blanket and burp rags), a diaper (or diaper cover), an Amber teething necklace, and a Mei Tai all for $65! 

Win it: Mary Ellen has generously offered one lucky winner their own personalized teething necklace!  The winner can pick out any colored stones for their necklace in whatever length is needed.  Enter in the rafflecopter form below.  The giveaway will end December 22nd at midnight CST.  She also has her own personal giveaway ending on December 25thgoing on for a $40 gift card plus $10 gift cards.  There are multiple winners and one person can win twice!!  Rules for her giveaway are here.


Friday, November 25, 2011

Thanksgiving (Post 2)

Posted by Melinda C at 1:13 AM 2 comments
Thanksgiving has come and gone, it's a bittersweet goodbye.  I love it because I love turkey and pie and seeing the family but I hate it because now it means I'm just going to be eating my heart out until the spring and I'm going to get soooooo fat.

In my last post, I said I was going to be making 3 pumpkin pies and my brother would be making the 2 apple pies. Well, we decided to go spend Wednesday night at my parents house so we could just bake the pies there and get sleep.  I guess, since I was coming out, my brother decided he wasn't going to bake?  I was up until 2 am baking Pumpkin pies and then had to be up at 8 am to start the apple pies.  I am so tired of pie baking!  I had to roll out 7 pie crusts!  But, on a good note, they were a HUGE hit.  I was sure we'd be bringing a whole pie home but, no, they were all completely devoured.  My dad was so upset because he only got a slice of pumpkin pie and didn't get a piece of apple pie so now I have to make an entire pie just for him.  And we had a ton of pumpkin mix leftover so I gave enough for my grandma to make 2 pies and we still have enough here to make at least two more pies ourselves.  I wonder if I can freeze it?

All the food was delicious today, I have to give credit to my entire family for all getting together to make such a big, awesome meal =)

And here are a couple of pictures that we took today before my camera died, I seem to have misplaced all of my four battery chargers!
                                      Here's our little family!  Cheeks, Doc, and Xavi are the boys.

I really wanted to get a little "family" picture.  We'll have to get a professional one done eventually, probably when Leo is a year old!

This is my little sister, Deanna, with Leo.  We may not look exactly alike but we must look somewhat alike because Leo kept thinking Deanna was me and kept reaching for her...that is, until she held him and he realized that she was not me!
Leo with his Great-Uncle Phil and Great-Grandpa Held.  I have to cherish the pictures of Leo and my grandparents!
And these were the kitties before we left.  They were snoozing on Leo's changing table/pack n play (aka our cloth diaper stash area, as you can see from the background)..but they were cuddling and obviously Simba has his little arm around Sole.  Too adorable.

I was hoping to get more pictures but my camera died =(  Tomorrow I'm going on a cleaning spree to find my chargers.  Otherwise, that's what I'll be asking for for Christmas!

I hope everyone had a happy Thanksgiving and enjoyed it as much as I did!

Tuesday, November 22, 2011

Thanksgiving

Posted by Melinda C at 10:51 PM 0 comments
This year, I was given the job of baking pies for Thanksgiving.  I was supposed to make 3 pumpkin pies (from scratch) and 2 apples pies (also from scratch).  I have no problem baking all these pies, I mean, I like to bake. 

However, my parents called me this morning and told me that I don't have to bake any pies (since I've been sick) and that they will buy all the pies.  I am appalled.  I mean, not to toot my own horn or anything but my pies, especially my apple pies, are amazing.  I have won and kept many boyfriends because of my pies (maybe lost a few due to my cooking but that's another story).  I mean, Anthony asks (sometimes begs) me to make apple pies almost every week.  I don't only because an apple pie every week would make Anthony one fat papa!!

After a lot of bickering of the phone, I finally agreed that my brother could make the apple pies and I would make the pumpkin pies.  I did make them swear they would use my recipe though since no other apple pie has stacked up to mine.  I am sad though, that I will not get to make the cute little flower cut out design on top like I always do with little heart crust cutouts on top =(

I will post pictures of my pumpkin pies tomorrow though!!

Friday, November 18, 2011

A boy and his dog.

Posted by Melinda C at 1:00 AM 17 comments
 I  just had to share this picture.  It melts my heart.

Thursday, November 17, 2011

Bad luck?

Posted by Melinda C at 10:19 PM 3 comments
Why is it when you have something really important to do, the worst things happen?  Every night before a big test, Leo is up all night screaming.  Tomorrow, I have a huge Calc test.  It's really important since I haven't done too hot on the past two (partly in thanks to his screaming plus me not understanding the material).  I thought it'd be different tonight since the baby is actually sleeping.  However, now I'm sick.  So now I'm trying to study and do homework while running to the restroom every 15 minutes.  Terrible.

Other examples of my bad luck:
My car was broken into earlier this year and the radio was stolen.  More importantly, they broke a few windows (not just one?! The point?!?) and stole our Ipods.  But to top it off, remember that horrible snowstorm in Chicago you must have all heard about...it was DURING that.  Must have been a really determined thief.  Do you have any idea how much snow was in my car the next morning?

My bike was stolen...from our locked basement.

And I stub my freakin toe EVERY day!  Every day!!!

Okay, so I get that my luck isn't really the worst ever..but it still sucks.  Just had to have a little pity party and you're all invited!

Monday, November 14, 2011

Three Posts in one day, Wow!

Posted by Melinda C at 11:29 AM 5 comments
Obviously, instead of doing homework or taking a nap, I've been on the computer in between classes.  That's what I should be doing while the baby is taking a very long nap (it's been two hours already, that's amazing!)

Anyway, I've been learning how to navigate around blogger and I've actually made some very important changes.  I have a background!  It's just brown but it has a little texture.  I was hoping to find something with monkeys but I had this already on the computer and it's plain and alright for now.  I also learned how to make a page.  I mean, okay, my page still looks like crap!  I really need to change the green background and text color and font.  I'll get to that..eventually!  Right now, I'm just so excited that I figured out how to make a page for my buttons so that my blog doesn't look so crowded. 

Obviously, I'm ecstatic or I wouldn't have made an entire post dedicated to a page full of buttons.

Cuddle Time

Posted by Melinda C at 11:11 AM 1 comments
I just wanted to say that I love cuddle time.  Whether it's with my hubby, Leo, or my pups (or even kitties..when they rarely come to cuddle) it just makes me so happy.  I wish I could have cuddle time all the time!!

Who else just loves to cuddle?

Chicago School Boad Execs Must Be Idiots

Posted by Melinda C at 10:24 AM 1 comments
Since they took away my favorite radio station here in Chicago and replaced it with an all news radio station, I've been listening to the news A LOT.  There are no good radio stations (unless you consider rap music great music) so I've decided the news is the next best thing.  I didn't hear this today but they mentioned on the radio last week that they may be closing a couple Chicago Public Schools due to the fact that they are falling below standards necessary to stay open.  This makes no sense to me.  Why? you may ask.

If they close a public school, that means that the kids from that school will have to go to the nearest open school.  I've never been to a CPS so I can't say I know exactly what it's like but I do know that they have at least 30 kids per classroom.  I also know that no CPS is doing particularly awesome at scoring well on tests.  Some are pretty average, some are less than average, maybe some are slightly more..but none score extremely high.  So what makes these school officials think that closing one school and sending MORE kids to another school will do?  With more students, the teachers will just have a harder time spending one-on-one time with students.  To me, that's the most important thing.  When I was a kid, there were few enough students per classroom so that the teacher could spend individual time with all of the students who needed help.  This was, kids didn't fall behind on subjects.  My high school was big enough to allow a max of 25 students per classroom with four different levels for each subject (trans, prep, accel, and honors/AP). 

I feel like this is just going to be a downward spiral.  They will close these schools and then more schools will start to fail to meet standards and they will close their doors.  When will it stop?  I get that closing these schools will help them save money but how much money do they think they're going to save...at the cost of children's education?

I'm so glad that my husband and I decided that we are either definitely moving out to a suburb where the public schools are just as good as private (my home town, *crosses fingers*..too bad it's so expensive out there) or fork up the money for private school.  I'm a big advocate for public schools but, when it comes down to my son's education, I'll definitely do what I think is best for him.

Sunday, November 6, 2011

Why I chose cloth

Posted by Melinda C at 11:34 PM 0 comments
In health class in high school, we were forced to do a project where we were having a baby and had to estimate all the costs that a baby would bring.  Aside from insurance and rent, I found that diapers would be the most expensive thing a baby would really need.  I mean, you're spending around 30 bucks per week on just diapers alone.  Of course, I hadn't thought about it much back then because I wasn't really having a baby!

However, it never really occurred to me to use cloth on my baby until after I was pregnant and was actually just messing around on Costco's website.  They had a really great deal on GroVia diapers and I thought maybe I'd be interested in buying that package since it was the first package.  Then I actually looked into cloth diapers and was totally overwhelmed by all the different kinds of diapers and brands and prices.  What really helped me was to read reviews on blogs and join cloth diapering forums to ask questions.

I didn't find the reviews or forums until later in my pregnancy.  I wish I had found them sooner!  I ended up buying a bunch of Gdiapers and Kushies only to find out that I hated them.  Now, reading these reviews from blogging mommies, there are a few brands that I do really want to try!

Now I can't wait for the Falling Into Fluff Event that is being hosted soon by Eco Baby Mama Drama!  I'm so excited to read more reviews on fluff so I can contemplate what to buy and where next!  I hope one day to host my own fluff event..once I get more than one follower!

Friday, November 4, 2011

Keepsakes

Posted by Melinda C at 12:05 AM 0 comments
Has anyone seen that really cute Chrome commercial?  The one where the dad makes an email to Dear Sophie Lee?

If you haven't seen the commercial or have no idea what I'm talking about, please take a minute to watch it here.
It is SO cute.

I love this idea.  My boyfriend and I were recently watching it and we both wished we had done something like that for Leo when he was born. I mean, I guess we could still start it..three months late.  It wouldn't be that big of a deal.  I mainly love it for the idea that I could send videos to myself.  I was pretty good at doing the baby books before Leo was born.  Since he's been here, I haven't really had time to update them..plus I keep forgetting.  And you can't add video to a baby book!  Although, I do like the fact that a baby book is something he can hold on to.  He can show it to people and keep it forever. 

My grandma makes these beautiful books for all of her grandkids when they turn a certain age.  She includes pictures of every year of your life from start until she gives it to you.  She leaves extra pages so you can add pictures as the years go on.  She also adds old pictures of the family, which is almost my favorite part.  She started doing it for everyone when they turned 16, then she made it 18, then she made it graduation.  She has a hard time doing it now, especially since she's getting older.  Maybe I'm a little selfish but I'm glad I graduated five years ago because that means she was five years younger.  She still hasn't finished my little sister's, who turned 18 in February and graduated this past June.  I think I'll offer to help my grandma put the book together so we can give it to my sister.

I know it's something I'll always cherish, same with the blanket she knit me when I was a baby, the blanket she knit Leo for his shower gift, and the matching hat and scarf set she made for him.  Plus, it's a tradition that I would like to pass down to my kids and my grandchildren, hopefully it will continue on. 

Thursday, November 3, 2011

Diamond Candles? What?!

Posted by Melinda C at 12:15 PM 0 comments
So I read a review/giveaway for Diamond Candles on Momma Told Me.  When I read the title from her email, I said to myself, "Diamond candles? What?!"  I had no idea what a diamond candle would be.  Maybe just a candle with sparkles in it so it "shines"?  Upon reading the post, I found out that there are actual rings inside the candle.  Crazy right?  So I assumed the rings were all just cheap rings you'd find in any gift shop.  Turns out the rings can actually rang in value from $10, $100, $1000 and $5000.  Granted, it's probably very, very rare to find a ring in your candle that's worth 5 grand but, still, it's like an exciting little game!

I remember we went to the Wisconsin Dells once as kids and my sister and I went to this mining store and sifted around the sand to find gems.  My sister didn't find anything but I did find an actual amethyst.  Of course, since my sister's birthday is in February, I had to give her the stone and we made a necklace for her.  It was fun...but that was when I was a kid of course.  I think I'd look a little weird if I went in there now and did it by myself.  To me, this is almost the same except you're GUARANTEED to find something.  Plus, the candle is only 24.95, which really only means 14.95 since you're definitely going to get a ring worth at least 10 bucks.  Great buy to me!  This is going on my Christmas list =)

If you think you're lucky, enter to win a set of five here on Momma Told Me's blog.  If you're really lucky, you'll win the set of 5 and win awesome rings in each one =)

Wednesday, November 2, 2011

Life with a Pit Bull

Posted by Melinda C at 2:01 PM 1 comments
There is a lot of negative hype towards Pits these days.  I think it's mainly the media's fault always showing dog attacks by pit bulls on the news.  They never highlight other dog attacks and, half the time, that "pit bull" wasn't even a pit bull.  People just like to place blame on the easiest target.






If anyone has read my blog before, you all know that I own three big dogs:  one of which is a pure Pit and the other is half.  I tell everyone I own a pit.  I'm proud to be his owner since he is such a great dog.

This is what 95% of Americans think living with a Pit bull is like:
I must be afraid to enter my own house because my own dog will attack me and kill me.  I can never have company over because the dog will attack and kill them.  I cannot own any other dogs because he will attack and kill them.  I cannot have children because he will attack and kill them.  I must keep my dog on a short leash and a prong collar because he will attack and kill.  I must make sure he is caged at all times otherwise he will attack and kill. And last of all, I must get rid of him because he is a pit bull.

This is what living with a Pit Bull is REALLY like (I'll be adding pictures once I load them onto the computer!):

We MUST make sure we get into bed first.  Otherwise, it is taken over. 

We also must get into bed at the same time, otherwise one or the other will have no room to sleep.

Our dogs are best friends and try to cuddle with each other all of the time.

Really, beware of the Pit Bull when you come inside, he will attack you...with kisses.

Also, beware of their backsides, they will release some stinky farts.

Beware of having your blanket stolen.  Doc insists on sleeping under the covers most nights.  

He'll let you play dress-up. And he'll look super cute while you do it.


Beware of drool when he shakes his head.  It really flies.

You really have to make sure you watch him at feeding time, or he will eat everything in site.  Every. Thing.

Watch out for your children, he will just smother them with love.

He's a terrible watch-dog.  He'd let anyone walk into the house.


Anyway, what I'm trying to prove is that people really don't even get to know these types of dogs before they put them on some sort of bad list.  My dog is a great dog, one of the best I've ever owned actually.  I don't think it's fair that he's discriminated against simply because of his breed.  That would be like saying, since the percentage of black men in jail is higher than any other race in jail , therefore, all black men are criminals.  Does that make sense to you?  I didn't think so.  If it does, you have serious racial issues.

Monday, October 31, 2011

Babywearing

Posted by Melinda C at 10:35 PM 0 comments
I am a big fan of baby-wearing, I have been since day one.  I mean, a stroller and car seat combo were the first things we bought (well, Anthony's mom bought them for us) and the stroller was so big and bulky that I knew I would NOT be lugging those things around with me everywhere we went.  I knew baby-wearing was for me so I set out to buy one on our very, very tight budget.

Since I have never had a baby before and had never even thought about having a baby before I found out I was pregnant, I only knew about Baby Bjorn.  It's the one you see first on all of the end displays at Babies R' Us.  I added it to my registry and it was the only one I added since it's the only one I knew of.  Nobody did buy it for me (I mean, it is a little expensive at 80 bucks!) so I was a little upset that I'd have to buy one on my own. 

I'm actually really glad nobody did waste a precious shower gift on it though, I ended up finding one used on Craigslist (you'll find that I find A LOT of things on Craigslist.  I've pretty much furnished my entire apartment from there for about 1/16 of brand new in stores) for $20.  The woman we bought it from was very nice, she showed us how to use it.  The fabric was slightly worn and faded but still in great condition and it still has a ton of life left in it.  I thought, "Great!  I can't wait to use this once my little guy is born!" And thought I'd be very happy to use it once he arrived.

However, towards the end of my birthing class with Denyse Ffrench (if anyone is from Chicago and you are interested in ever taking the Bradley Method, please take it with Denyse, she is awesome!), she told us about the Moby wrap since she loved it so much.  Per her recommendation, we ended up buying two off of Craigslist so that we could keep one in the car and have one in the house.  At this point, I was still pregnant so I had no idea which of the two carriers I would like more!




Once Monkey was born, I started using the Moby right away since he seemed a little too small for the Baby Bjorn.  Plus, I could carry him in the cradle position in the Moby which I thought he would like more.  He did love being in the Moby, he'd be all squished up in there, comfy as a little bug.  I also love the Moby, it is extremely comfortable to wear and I can adjust it so well.  However, that thing is HOT in Chicago summer weather.  It's super humid and hot here, which means a lot of sweat.  With that Moby on, plus a baby inside, you are sweating up a storm.  Now that it's October (almost November!), I love the Moby because it keeps me warm!  Anyway, I like the Baby Bjorn simply for the fact that it's cooler.  I don't like that it can only be worn on the front, that it doesn't have any support anywhere except for the shoulders really, and that it really won't grow with my baby!  I would continue to use my Moby, except for the fact that I will not be wearing it during the summer again next year...I will just sweat buckets.

I've been looking into buying and Ergo or Beco carrier (on Craigslist, of course!) and have been scouring for giveaways.  Luckily, I found this Beco Carrier giveaway from Shannon on Peace, Love, and Poop.  Of course, with only one day to go and over 2,000 entries, my chances are slim.  I'm crossing my fingers in hope that I will win and won't have to spend money I don't really have!!

Sunday, October 30, 2011

There is such a thing as restaurant etiquette, even if it's not four star.

Posted by Melinda C at 4:47 PM 0 comments
I work in a bakery/cafe restaurant chain.  It's not a fancy or glamorous job by any means, it's not even a job I'm really proud to say I have.  However, I am a college student.  I am working my butt off to get myself through school so that I no longer have to work a minimum wage job.  It's a stepping stone for me.  I hate that a lot of the people who come into the place have a tendency to think that I am stupid or incompetent.  I'm sure those a lot of people who have worked in a restaurant or retail in general know what I am talking about.  I hate that people talk slowly or count out their money very loudly as if to give me a hint that it's 10 dollars.  Sorry, but I can do math pretty damn quickly and well in my head.  I'm sure I can calculate the percentage of something a lot faster than you can..and I sure can freakin toast your stupid bagel correctly so I don't need step by step instructions.

There is also a certain etiquette that I feel like people should have.  At my job, there are "dining room personnel" who are assigned to clean up plates, make coffee, clean tables, etc.  However, as a customer, we ask that you bring your plate to the garbage, throw the garbage away, and place the plates, bowls, and silverware in their respective areas (similar to Chipotle).  It really makes us mad that you leave your plates and all of your garbage strewn everywhere.  It's not Denny's, you do not leave us a tip for us to clean up after you.  And it's not just my work either, I hate when I see people at regular restaurants leave their tables a mess!  It really angers me when people leave the nastiest of things on the table.  Please do not hawk up a giant mucous ball and spit it onto your plate for us to deal with.  If you blow your nice, please take it to the trashcan so that other people don't have to touch it. 

I just don't get it, if you were at a four-star restaurant, you'd never do these things.  You wouldn't talk to the waiter like they were complete idiots who wouldn't know the difference between a quarter and a penny, you wouldn't leave nasty bodily fluids on the floor, you wouldn't let your children run around like crazy animals and running into people carrying hot soup, and you definitely would not act like complete slobs when you leave the table.  It's one thing I plan on teaching my son, to be humble and respectful.  He shouldn't think he's above anyone or that anyone is above him.  Everybody is equal.

Sunday, October 23, 2011

In Honor of the TaTa's

Posted by Melinda C at 7:51 PM 0 comments
I really think this new giveaway train called In Honor of the TaTa's is amazing and it's for a really great cause.  There are over 80 blogs participating, each hosting a giveaway of something worth at least $50 and having something to do with breast cancer awareness.  Since two of my aunts have had breast cancer in the past two years, this is something that really touches my heart.

I encourage you to check out some of these blogs and help support them for this cause, plus you also get the chance to win a bunch of awesome items! Head over to Boobies, Babies, and A Blog to win over $100 bucks worth of items.  It includes a gorgeous awareness bracelet by Charm Factory:




A Cutie for the Cure Cupcake Kit from Cupcake Cuties:

A $25 gift certificate to Fantasy Jewelry Box:
And a $55 gift card to Eden's Fantasies!

Saturday, October 22, 2011

What I hate about weather changes

Posted by Melinda C at 9:09 PM 0 comments
I'm a summer person.  I love sunshine, heat, the beach and everything else that comes along with summer.  As you can imagine, I get pretty down when it starts to get cold.  Despite the fact that I love everything else about fall..the changing colors, the smells, the food, etc...I just cannot stand the cold.  I always tear up a little (okay, not really..but almost!) when I have to put away my summer dresses and pull out pants, Uggs, and sweaters.  Promptly after that, I go turn the heater on!

Normally this would not be an issue but we've had some weird weather here in Chicago the past few weeks.  It got really cold...then the next week weather went back up to the mid/high 70's...right in time for the Chicago Marathon.  It was nice for awhile and then, all of the sudden, it got really cold and rainy.  I thought surely it meant that summer was over for the year and turned the heater up to 75 since Monkey has a little cold.  

But today was a beautiful day!  I'm not sure what the exact temp was but it was in the mid 60s or so.  I was comfortable walking around in jeans and a tank top while wearing my Moby wrap while taking the boys for a walk.  However, after having the heater on for the past few days my apartment is a little on the warm side..uncomfortably warm, not a welcoming warmth.  It's stuffy in here. 

Since I'm the kind of person who always has to sleep with a blanket, no matter how warm or cold it is in the apartment, it means I will probably sweat tonight.  This is why I think the Cooling Mattress pad could do wonders for me!  It would also probably be nice since my boyfriend and I tend to be on opposite ends of the spectrum.  I get cold easily, he gets hot easily.  Then when he is cold, I steal all of the blankets anyway and he's forced to suffer.  We now sleep with two comforters for this reason.  I really think this cooling mattresspad will do the trick though since it helps to regulate your body's temperature throughout the night!

You can enter to win one of these awesome mattress pads over at My Silly Monkey's blog, but hurry up cause it won't be open for long!

Wednesday, October 19, 2011

Newborn pictures

Posted by Melinda C at 1:50 PM 0 comments
I wish I had thought more about what I was going to do about newborn pictures when Monkey was born. Of course, I didn't. I thought I'd just take all the pictures myself and it'd be fine. I mean, I am a semi-pro photography, after all. No...I found that I just don't have the time anymore to take good pictures. Not to mention, I really have no place to take pictures since the lighting in my apartment is just AWFUL.

Of course, we ended up buying the newborn pictures they take at the hospital. They were adorable but I did find that some of the pictures were overexposed so then I had to go back and edit them on Photoshop to my liking.

Now we're getting 3 month pictures of Monkey tomorrow (well, he's not even 11 weeks yet but it's close enough). We're doing it at Olan Mills, so the place you find inside K-Marts and stuff. I've never actually been to one of these places but they're decently priced and we have some great deals. I found an ad in a paper that gives you a bunch of prints in one pose for 10 bucks. Plus they offer "newborn" prints of your baby for free up until 3 months old. Since we didn't know about this offer until recently, I decided to use it for his "almost 3 month" pictures!

Since we're getting pictures done now, I've been really thinking hard about what we're going to dress him in for him to look the absolute cutest. Of course, I found Pink Pumpkin Crochet Studio today.  I couldn't have found it last week to order something or even last month.  I really wish I had found it before he was born, talk about the PERFECT thing for newborn pictures!   By the time I get Monkey in for his 6 month pictures, he'll be way too big for something this cute!

Still, I am entering the giveaway at Adventures in Fluff!  If I win, I'll definitely be pulling out my SLR and taking lots and lots of pictures.  I may have to go and borrow some photo lights from people but I will get some very cute pictures of him in it.  If only I could get my dogs to sit still in a picture with him, then it'd be the absolute cutest picture ever.

Tuesday, October 18, 2011

What to get the hubby for Christmas/Birthday?!

Posted by Melinda C at 11:32 AM 0 comments
I consider my son and myself lucky, we have birthdays in the summer so our birthdays are nowhere near Christmas.  As a kid, I always felt bad with kids who had birthdays close to Christmas because that would mean that they got fewer presents (in my kid mind, I still don't know if it's actually true!)  As a parent, I'm now glad my son wasn't born anywhere near Christmas-time cause that just means I'd have to spend more money! 

However, my husband's birthday is January 30th.  Even though it's a whole month after Christmas, it's still hard to have enough money to buy him a nice gift.  I torn this year on whether to spend smaller amounts and get him smaller, less important gifts...or whether to pool the money together and buy one big gift.  My big gift options would be 1) a new king size mattress (all three dogs sleep with us, it's a very crowded Queen sized bed)...but this would have to be a gift from both of us to both of us.  2) a new tv for the bedroom (He has been complaining about our small 19 inch tv in the room so I was thinking of getting a 32 inch..they are pretty affordable these days.  3) an xbox (however, I get absolutely no use from this...I mean, it IS a gift for him but, of course, we live together so I'd like to enjoy this present too..plus, he already has a ps3 and with a full time job, a baby, and three dogs who are like three toddlers, he won't get much use out of it anyway!) and 4) an Ipad.

He has been wanting and begging me to let him get an IPad since they came out.  I honestly think he just wants one so he can play games and go online when he's bored at work.  I'm pretty sure he's admitted it in a way but he still claims he'll use it for "other stuff".  I don't know if I'd call looking up sports scores "other stuff".  I'd really love to get him one to make him happy since I know he's sacrificed a lot since having the baby.  We both have but I really don't care about buying new shoes or clothes like he does (You'd think it'd be the opposite, right?).  If the price-tag for an IPad 2 were 200 bucks, I'd happily get him one.  However, they are just way too expensive to justify spending 500 dollars for something that I'm sure he'll only use for "other stuff."

My only option now is to try and win one.  Since I won a stroller, I'm on this high that I can win anything.  Who knows, maybe God will answer my hopes (I feel like praying for something so trivial would be prayer abuse) and let me win so I can surprise my hubby with something so nice.  Then I can still get "us" a nice tv or mattress without having to go without food for an entire month! 

If you'd also like to try your luck, you too can enter to win this IPad 2 or $550 cash giveaway hosted by a number of blogs!  I entered the giveaway with Darcy from Tales of the Nursery.  Here is the link:

Win an IPad 2 or $550 cash!



iPad, iPad2, Tablet Time, giveaway

Saturday, October 15, 2011

I Cannot Afford a Wedding!

Posted by Melinda C at 9:06 PM 0 comments
My mother has been pushing my boyfriend and me to get married, soon.  He hasn't proposed to me but we've pretty much decided that we will be getting married...eventually.  We don't want to rush into it just because we had a baby together.  A lot of people have babies and don't get married, my mom doesn't seem to understand this.

I really want to have a nice wedding.  I've always been to big weddings so a big wedding is something I really, really want.  Unfortunately, they are expensive.  Racking up thousands of dollars in school bills doesn't really help my situation and definitely does not leave me with any savings in the bank to plan said wedding.  One place I've learned we can save a little money is on the wedding rings.  I know my boyfriend doesn't really care if his ring is gold or silver or platinum so buying a Tungsten ring would be a great way to save a little money!
And, right now, My Silly Monkey's blog is giving away a free ring!  So, for those of you who are dirt poor right now, this would be a great giveaway to enter if you're planning to get married soon!

http://mysillymonkeys.com/2011/10/titanium-wedding-band-giveaway/comment-page-1/#comment-115740

My house looks like the old west--tumble weeds of hair!

Posted by Melinda C at 7:25 PM 0 comments
Since I own 5 animals: 2 cats and three dogs, I have a lot of hair floating around my house at all times.  I've given up on wearing black clothing due to the fact that it doesn't matter how much I avoid the animals, their hair is coming with me. 
Having five animals also gives my vacuum and broom a run for their money.  I hate sweeping because the hair either sticks to the bristles and I have to pull it off with my hands, which is pretty gross.  I would use a swiffer sweeper, I love the swiffer in fact, but...I don't like spending all that money on the covers.  I would use microfiber and reuse them but I've learned that the animal hair balls up on them in the washer and dryer and is nearly impossible to get completely off.  I like to vacuum!  However, being a full time student with only a mere part-time job doesn't give me the budget to go out and buy a nice, fancy vacuum.  Instead, I bought a cheap one for 20 bucks on Black Friday 2 years ago.  Well, I'm sad to say that my little tiny Hoover has finally died.  I wasn't too upset since the thing was only 20 bucks and was awful.  The roller motor stopped working and wouldn't suck through the mouthpiece anymore so I had to use the hose to vacuum the rug.  (Imagine how fun that was!)  That lasted for a few months before it finally kicked the bucket recently.  In order to keep my apartment looking clean (okay, sort-of clean..I have three dogs, what do you expect?!), I stole my parents Oreck.  I love it and it works great (and it's only 8lbs!) but it uses bags...going back to the Swiffer dilemma...I do NOT like to throw stuff away, I try to be as green as I can! 

I have wanted a Dyson vacuum for years and years and years.  Ever since our vacuum at work (when I worked at Best Buy) died and we got to use a floor model Dyson to vacuum our floors for closing.  It was great.   I never thought Best Buy's carpets were extremely dirty until that night because it picked up a ton of dirt that the other vacuums did not.  I also loved the ball because it made it super easy to maneuver.  As you can imagine, when I saw a Dyson giveaway on a blog...I flipped out!  I am determined...DETERMINED...to win my Dyson!  I definitely do not have the moola to buy a new vacuum...except another cheap $20 one.

Here is the giveaway:
http://www.5minutesformom.com/2334/dyson-pink/

I'd say you guys should enter too and maybe you'll win!  Except...nobody is reading this =P.  In my case, that's a good thing because the less competition, the better!

I won a stroller!

Posted by Melinda C at 7:13 PM 0 comments
Entering giveaways is what got me attempting to start my own blog.  I've learned it's not easy.  Maybe it's because I have NO CLUE what I'm doing.  I have no idea how to even make my site look nice, it kind of hurts my eyes right now...but I know nobody has really read my blog so it doesn't quite matter to me.  Anyway, my boyfriend thinks blogging is all sort of pointless.  He thinks me entering in giveaways is a total waste of time.  Maybe, for the most part, it is..but not always.  Why, you ask?  Because I WON a stroller from a giveaway on the Born to Impress blog! It is a peg perego and looks pretty nice.

The only thing is, we have two strollers already.  My parents took the Graco stroller that came with our carseat and we have one of the small metal ones that the Graco carseats just snap onto. My only concern with that stroller is that it only fits his carseat now.  Monkey is growing pretty fast and may soon be too long for his current carseat.  The Peg Perego one can be used now until his toddler years.  Okay, well maybe not now, I may have to snap his car seat on top if it's compatible with a Graco. 

I'm wondering if I should keep the free stroller, I mean, it is free after all.  I'm also thinking I could sell it.  It does sell for $165 ARV so maybe I could get a decent amount of money for it since it is brand new in the box. I'd ask my readers what you think but, since I have none, I will just ponder this out on my own!

Tuesday, October 4, 2011

Pets and Allergies

Posted by Melinda C at 8:35 PM 0 comments
I don't know why it surprised me so much when I found out that two of my dogs have allergies.  For some reason, it never really occurred to me that animals (like humans) could be allergic to a number of things.  I started noticing it with Doc (my now 3 year old Pit Bull) when he was a puppy.  It started out as a small rash on his inner thigh but then continued to spread.  Of course, I took him to the vet thinking it was ringworm or something terrible like that but, no, he tested negative for everything.  (Thinking back on it now, I wish it had been ringworm....that, at least, has an easy fix)  The vet suggested it was allergies, either to a certain type of food, to an external source, or to some sort of bug.  I could almost immediately rule out the external allergen because he developed the rash in all seasons and we have all hardwood floors.  The vet wanted to put us on that specialty Science Diet food...which I would have gone with in a heartbeat had it not been fifty dollars for a 15 lb bag.  When I adopted Doc, I was working part-time, going to school full time, living on my own, and had another dog and two cats..it simply was not in my budget.  I quickly started experimenting with more natural foods trying to eliminate either corn, wheat, or soy.  I found Fromm Family Foods which were great!  We tried the Duck and Sweet Potato formula at first, which completely stopped his itching and red skin.  We later switched to the Gold formula because it was cheaper but would occasionally buy the Duck and Sweet Potato for them!  However, Fromm recently botched their 40lb bag and now only sells their 30lb bag.  Since we have three big dogs, it's too difficult to buy our dog food in 30lb increments...the extra 10 lbs really helps. 

So now we're searching for an answer to Doc's allergy problems.  Our older dog, Cheeks (an eight year old Cattle Dog/Pit mix) also has allergies which cause him to have awful ear infections and lick his paws.  I don't know if anyone here has a dog with allergies but what food do you use?  Does anyone have any suggestions for me on something I could do?

Thursday, September 29, 2011

Baby and School Dilemma

Posted by Melinda C at 11:35 PM 0 comments
So there is one thing I've been thinking about recently.  Between my mom, husband, and I, we've all been able to work our schedules out so that I can still work 3-4 days a week, go to school full time, and make it so my hubby can work his desired schedule.  However, despite all this, I'm still forced to skip a class on Fridays.  It wouldn't be a big problem aside from the fact that it's organic chemistry.  It may quite possibly be one of the hardest classes in my whole college career.  I've been thinking about bringing the baby to school with me.  Overall, he's a good baby and doesn't cry much.  I'm sort of in a predicament here.  I'm contemplating just bringing him and telling the teacher it was either skip class or bring the baby.  If he doesn't cry, I can't imagine it being a problem.  What do you think?  Is this a horribly awful idea (worst idea ever)?  Of course, all of the younger girls in my class (since I'm unfortunately the oldest) are so excited for me to bring him!

*UPDATE*

So I ended up bringing Monkey to school with me.  None of my professors had any problems with him.  My first professor (a woman) was very excited and just wanted to see him and hold him after class.  My second teacher showed me pictures of his grandkids and just asked me not to breastfeed in class because it would be a distraction.  My third teacher told me that it was okay because his students cry during his exams and apparently college students used to bring dogs to class with them?  I've never heard of that before!  Of course, a lot of the kids loved him.  But along with all of the "aww's", I did get quite a few weird looks and even some exclamations, "Is that a real baby?!?!"  Obviously, I'm not going to make this a regular thing where I bring the baby to class with me every day..but it's nice to know that if I absolutely have to, I can.

5!

Posted by Melinda C at 11:30 PM 0 comments
I've had a total of 5 blog views.  FIVE!  These people probably didn't even look at my page or read anything on it.  If they did, they probably thought it was pretty dumb.  I haven't really had the time to do anything with this blog recently.  Being a mommy, student, and worker hasn't been the easiest thing.  Maybe I should start doing some reviews or something.  I wish I could get a give-away started so that people would actually look at my site but I doubt anyone would want to put a review up on a site that doesn't get much traffic.

Wednesday, September 21, 2011

I'm tired of unanswered texts and calls!

Posted by Melinda C at 10:06 AM 0 comments
I don't know if your parents are like mine, but if they are, they are the type to call you at the most inconvenient times.  They like to call when I'm at work or when I'm in class..or, even worse, at 2 am when I'm trying to sleep.  I don't know why they do this because I have a pretty set schedule, so I'm in the same place every single Monday at the same time.  It wouldn't be so bad if they just called once, but they don't.  If I don't answer, I get multiple calls.  And I'm not talking like 1 or 2, I'm talking like 11.  Yes...eleven.  Eleven calls within a matter of 15 minutes is a little excessive.  After that, they start to text me.  If I weren't 22, they'd probably call in the National Guard thinking I was a missing person.  Just last week, I came home to my mom (who was babysitting the monkey) crying because I was half an hour late coming home from class and she had run out of pumped milk and thought I was dead. 

However, I found the solution to my parents' craziness with the Moby App.  The application, which can be downloaded on your iphone, blackberry, or Android phone(not available yet but coming soon), allows you to track family members and friends.  Users are able to let their friends and families know their location, check-in to places, and even alert people that you need help.  Unlike other programs that allow you to let others know your location, the Moby app allows you to let only certain people know where you are (so yay! to no stalkers) and for a certain duration.  While this may not be great for teens who never want their parents to know where they are or for affairs, it does prove to be useful for the most part. 

Right now, if you head over to Between the lines, you can enter to win an Ipad 2 from Moby!

Friday, September 16, 2011

Want to win a food processor?

Posted by Melinda C at 6:25 PM 0 comments
If you want to win a food processor, go to:
http://skdeliciousrecipes.blogspot.com/2011/08/august-31-2011-giveaway-brand-new-food.html?showComment=1316215182310#c5027998877642633598

Not only does she have this awesome giveaway, but also has others and, as the name suggests, some delicous recipes!

Cloth Diapering

Posted by Melinda C at 4:25 PM 0 comments
When I found out I was pregnant, I knew I wanted to cloth diaper.  Being a college student, money is very, very tight at times.  I knew cloth diapering would be a great way to save lots of money and help save the environment too.  However, I quickly learned that building up a stash would not be as cheap as I had hoped.  I was looking at spending at least 300 to just get started on a smaller sized stash.  It wasn't long before I discovered Ebay diapers and Craigslist.  On Ebay, I got 12 diapers with 2 inserts each for less than $100.  From Craigslist I got: a decent stash of small Gdiapers for free, 17 Kushies diapers for $60. and then a mixed stash of Kawaii, GoGreen Pocket Diapers, and JustSimplyBaby pocket diapers (31 in total).  I spent less than $300 on my stash which has given me a grand total of 68 diapers!!!  With one baby, I DO NOT need 68 diapers but this was a great way to give me a chance to try a bunch of different diapers to see which ones I liked best. 

The Gdiapers, which were the most popular brand of diapers, were alright in my opinion.  I really liked the fact that I could use the same cover and just use the insert.  I also liked the fact that you could use either cloth or disposable inserts.  What I did not like was that it was a little difficult to get the insert to stay in the liner, it seemed to fall out a lot.  This difficulty is what made Monkey's Daddy HATE the Gdiapers.

I really liked the Kushies.  The nice thing about them was that they were just like a disposable in the fact that there were no pockets to stuff or unstuff and they held a ton of water.  I never had any leaks with them, even when he wore then for 6 hours overnight.  What I did not like about them was that they were HUGE.  These were meant to fit babies from 10-22 lbs but when Monkey was 10 lbs, these still looked giant on him.   They're also all gender neutral.  Gender neutral is great but I'm really a fan of cute diapers...and, face it, gender neutral things are never as cute!  These diapers also take a lifetime to dry since they are so thick.

My favorite diapers were the pocket diapers.  Aside from stuffing the darn pockets, they work exactly like a disposable.  At first, I had trouble with leaks overnight.  I fixed this by double stuffing them and making sure I didn't leave them on for any longer than 6 hours.  Since I've bought them, I've played around with inserts and discovered that a microfiber plus bamboo insert works best for overnight.  I also love that these are one-size so fit him now and will continue to fit him until he's potty trained.  That means I no longer have to worry about building up my stash.


Another way I've discovered to try diapers is through giveaways!  I wish I had found this out BEFORE Monkey was born so that I could have read more in-depth reviews about which diapers people liked and didn't like.  Maybe then I could have been steered in the right direction in the first place. 
If you're interested in trying to win a diaper, head over to Momma Told Me's giveaway of an Oh Katy! one-size pocket diaper.

http://www.mommatoldmeblog.com/2011/09/make-way-for-baby-oh-katy-pocket.html

Monday, September 12, 2011

Giveaways

Posted by Melinda C at 2:26 PM 0 comments
Since I've been really bored this past month being at home alone with Monkey, I've been entering in a lot of these giveaways online.  I guess I could be doing something more productive with my time...like cleaning the apartment or something but I figure, maybe one day I'll win something.

Well, I have yet to win something but I'm crossing my fingers.  And I'm trying to get this whole blog thing started so that maybe I can start doing giveaways of my own.  I have no idea what I'm doing when it comes to setting up a blog much further than this.  If anyone ends up reading this and you know how to set up a blog, then please help me!  I'm so lost!

Here are some giveaways I recently entered in.  Enter yourself and maybe you'll have good luck and win.  Let me know if you do!

I entered in a Romanico's chocolate box give-away by Susan's Disney Family.  I am a chocoholic so of course this one would catch my eye.  I think Monkey's dad is a little tired of me sniffing out all things chocolate and eating it before he gets a chance to have any.  To be fair, he never wants it until it's all gone!!
http://www.susansdisneyfamily.com/2011/09/romanicos-fine-artisan-chocolates.html#comment-form

I entered in a giveaway for a Eureka vacuum.  The last time I bought a vacuum was on Black Friday two years ago...and with all of the dog and cat hair we have in our house, it's basically dead after sucking up so much hair!  So I recently "borrowed" (stole!) my parents older Oreck vacuum.  It works well but needs bags in order to work.  Plus, they came over the other day and noticed I had it....they want it back!
http://www.nycsinglemom.com/2011/09/12/eureka-airspeed-gold-review-bagless-vacuum-review-and-giveaway/#comment-13349

Sunday, September 11, 2011

9/11 Then and Now

Posted by Melinda C at 2:21 PM 0 comments
Ten years ago on 9/11, I was 12 years old.  I had just started the 7th grade, which here in Chicago, means the first year of Junior High.  Classes started at 8:30 AM and I arrived at school around 8:15, after the towers had already been hit.  Before I had heard of the WTC being hit, I had chosen to wear a New York t-shirt.  When I got to school, everyone was appalled that I was wearing a New York shirt.  I had no idea why until someone told me the towers had been hit. 

The rest of the day went by in a blur.  Some people I knew were crying, some went home.  I was saddened by what had happened but I couldn't really grasp it.  I hate to say it but I didn't really care.

However, now I find myself caring.  I don't know if it's because I'm older and wiser now or if it's because I'm a mom.  I couldn't imagine myself losing my child, my parents, or my boyfriend like that.  I just watched a TLC special about how two men stayed in the building to help others from the 88th and 89th floors get out alive but didn't make it themselves.   I don't even want to know what it was like for those who were in the towers and knew they were going to die.  To think that some people found themselves flinging themselves from open windows to escape from being burned to death. 

Today, my heart goes out to the families and friends who lost someone; to all of the firefighters, policemen, and good Samaritans who lost their lives trying to help others. 

Do I have anything interesting to say?

Posted by Melinda C at 11:14 AM 0 comments
Since I've been home the past month with my newborn baby boy, I haven't had much to do.  There's only so much to do by myself when Monkey's daddy isn't home.  So I started to browse the internet and found tons of blogs by women who do reviews and giveaways.  I figured, I could do this, despite the fact that my plate is already pretty full being a full time mommy, full time student, and working part-time.  However, Monkey's dad says that I won't have anything really interesting to say and that nobody will read anything I blog about.  I figure if there are hundreds of other mommy-bloggers, what's one more going to do?  There must be someone out there interested in what I have to say.
Powered by Blogger.
 

3 Dogs and a Baby Template by Ipietoon Blogger Template | Gift Idea