The Babymoon

Some couples go on "Babymoons" - the last hoorah vacation before baby arrives. Well, I guess the first time around, our Honeymoon doubled as our Babymoon, since we found out we were prego not even 24 hours after we returned from the white sandy beaches of Mexico. This time around, we weren't planning any big vacay before Lil D arrived. But, we did want to make some special memories with Miss Paige during her last months as an only child, especially since her time in the sun as an only child was pretty short : ) And as luck would have it, I ended up winning an all-expense-paid trip to San Diego! I know what you are thinking... "Won? Yeah right! Like when those telemarketers call on the phone and tell you you won a cruise, and all you have to do is buy 500 subscriptions to Cat Fancy magazine?" But I really did! And it had nothing to do with this blog, sponsorship, getting paid, etc. Suprising, I know : ) Last summer/fall I entered a contest through Tiny Prints (TinyPrints.com) to "Name The New Logo". I guess they were going through some sort of re-branding at the time and decided upon a new logo of an elephant. And this elephant needed a name. Randomly, I entered the name "Ollie". Not overly creative for an elephant name, but I thought it was super cute. And I guess lots of other people did too, because I won the contest! The prize was a trip for me and my family to San Diego to see the new elephant exhibit at the San Diego Zoo! So cool, right? What can I say, I'm a lucky duck.

So last week we packed up our bags and headed out for a fun-filled adventure to the West Coast. They put us up in a great resort right on Mission Bay. We spent one whole day at the Zoo, where Paige discovered a new love for animals - specifically Giraffes, Zebras and Camels. Camels? Yup - camels. I think she identified with their strong odor : ) One came right up to her and it was love at first sight. Since meeting Mr. Camel (as he is now referred to), Paige has been making an interesting face. I've yet to catch it on camera, but it kind of looks like this:

Cute on Paige. Scary on Mr. Camel.

It was a little chilly in San Diego so we didn't get to hit the beaches or pool. But we did some shopping, eating and sleeping. And most importantly, we spent lots of quality time as a family of 3. Although Lil D did make his presence known through constant kicks, punches and daily Tae Bo sessions.

The next few posts will detail our journey to and from (and during) our "Babymoon plus Paige". Fun times... for the most part!

Walk it Out... Or Maybe Not

When Paige pulled herself up for the first time at 9 months, and started cruising around (walking while holding onto things)a few weeks later, I figured walking would soon follow. I mean, isn't that the logical next step? Well... Miss Paige had other plans. 11 months, 12 months, 13 months... no walking. She was very content cruising her way around the house, and dropping down to a quick crawl if there wasn't a clear path of "handles" that led to her destination. She could stand on her own for a significant amount of time. Dance. Bend over and pick something up from standing. But walking? Not so much. We're now at 14 and a half months... 2 weeks away from the "deadline" of normalcy that my doctor offered up... and she is FINALLY taking steps on her own. (Cue the angles singing...) HALLELUJAH! I wouldn't quite classify her as walking yet, but she is definitely taking three or four steps at a time on her own, then tumbling over. Luckily she doesn't seem too phased by falling, and it certainly isn't dampening her spirit for movement.

However, this walking thing - or lack there of - has seriously stressed me out. Everyone tells me it shouldn't, but it really has. I of course jump to the instant conclusion that I'm not doing something right. You know what I mean... that feeling that creeps over you when you are overly tired, haven't taken a shower in two days, and just got smacked in the side of the head with a flying piece of apple? That little voice that says, "Um. You kind of suck as a mom." A classic case of mommy guilt. I think to myself - "Jeez! I stay home with her. Play with her, read to her, teach her all day long. Why can't I figure out how to teach her to walk??"

What is it about us mamas that makes us personally burden every little negative thing (or things perceived as negative) that arises, as if we did something to create it, deserve it, etc.? From day one, it's always something. She isn't breastfeeding? Must be me. She is crying? Must be me. She keeps waking up in the middle of the night? Must be me. And then we wrack our brains trying to figure out what we did, and how we could do things differently next time for a better result. And no matter how supportive our spouses, friends and families are... no matter how many people tell us that everything is ok and totally normal... we still walk around thinking we're not doing enough, doing it right, or keeping up our end of the deal as "Mommy of the Year."

It's weird because I've never been one of those mamas who thinks everything has to be perfect. I pretty much go with the flow on any given day and don't get too worked up over the little things. But even I am struck with regular spells of mommy guilt. You would think if you told yourself "things aren't going to be perfect..." then you could build up immunity to mommy guilt. But you can't. And that's why God created Chardonnay : ) Just kidding... kind of.

Modern Mama Coupon Clipping

Thank you to P&G’s Have You Tried This Yet? program and Kroger for sponsoring my writing about trying new things and breaking out of my everyday routine. Click here to find great savings on high-performing P&G products at a Kroger store near you. I was selected for this sponsorship by the Clever Girls Collective, which endorses Blog With Integrity, as I do.

My friends at P&G and Kroger challenged me to step outside my comfort zone and try something new. I HATE routine and am always up for a change - major or minor - so this was right up my alley. A few months back I wrote a post about making our money stretch (literally, every single dollar) so I could stay home with Miss Paige (read that post by clicking HERE). In the post I noted there was one major place I could cut back, and really SHOULD do more of, but I just hadn't yet... and that is clipping coupons (cue dramatic music). Something about sitting down with a stack of coupons and my handy dandy scissors made me cringe. Not because I think I'm above it or anything like that - but more so because I feel like it would take SO much time for very little ROI. But, in the name of trying something new, I decided to become a coupon clipper. Well - sort of. More of like a coupon PRINTER and electronic coupon DOWNLOADER : ) I started by searching for products that I use all the time and buy on every shopping trip - bread, spaghetti sauce, chicken, toilet paper - and seeing if the manufacturers offered any printable coupons on their websites. Lo and behold - they did! Maybe I'm the only fool who never did this before, but I was really impressed with all the coupons available. On some of the sites you have to sign up for email newsletters - which is kind of annoying - but with the newsletters I found you receive coupons for $1.00 off everyday products - which can make a big difference! Here is the P&G one which is pretty great: http://www.pgeverydaysolutions.com/pgeds/index.jsp?utm_source=charmin

And then - during my searching - I came across something I consider utterly amazing... downloadable digital coupons! HELLLLLLLO?! Where have you been all my life?! I happen to do all my food shopping at Kroger, and if you go to Kroger.com and click on "In Store" and then "Coupons", you'll be amazed at this whole new world of savings that will open up right before your eyes. I know - I'm being a little dramatic. But for someone who's never done anything like this before, it really is pretty cool. In a nutshell, you register your Kroger swipey card thing (the one the cashier swipes anyway whenever you shop)... and then you click through all the coupons and click which ones you want downloaded RIGHT ONTO YOUR SWIPEY CARD. Genius! 

So here's to turning over a new leaf, saving money, and keeping Mama at home another few years : ) Thanks Kroger and P&G for the inspiration... I owe ya one!