My dirty habit

Wow - life is expensive.  I mean I always knew life was expensive but it really is and now I also must figure out how to pay for everything I have had the privilege to enjoy.  

I love books and reading the "new" stuff  out there.  The downside to this is, as a new mom all this information can honestly drive me crazy because I question EVERYTHING.  A kobo or an eReader would be great and all, but the reality is, I can't afford it and I don't find technology all that relaxing anyway!  The library is good but if I forget to return my books, I then get dinged with a fine which really defeats the purpose.  As such, I have been purging my book shelfs and selling my books to the used book store to support my dirty habit.  I now have a list of used books I'm looking for and it's a game for me to find them an the truth is, I enjoy it.

While on topic, here is a book recommendation for you.  It's a fantastic quick read with a boat load of metaphors in it and what I find amazing about it is that everyone has a different interpretation of the story. 

Family vehicle

HA!  And this is EXACTLY why we drive a Subaru. 

YEAY Me

Time to Relax

I seem to be very confused.  I'm such a YES person but when someone offers me help, I say NO.  What is wrong with me?!  Why am I so bad at asking for help?!  I'm a new parent baby F is only one three months old, clearly I need help!  Parenting is the hardest thing I've ever done!  Nonetheless, I'm happy to do nice things for other people and I forget to take care of myself.  As discussed in previous post, I need to take care of MYSELF first.  If I don't take care of me, then I can't take care of my family!

I need to work on relaxing, here is some inspiration:

YES and NO

One thing that I am trying desperately to learn how to do is to say no.  I'm a "yes" kinda person.  When friends and family ask me to go for coffee, a beer, shopping, a run you name it, I say YES, YES, YES!  Hook a sister up!!!  So, I go, and I "try" and do it; I try and do it "all".  The one thing I seem to keep forgetting is that now I have a baby and this baby takes up a boat load of time, energy etc (insert adjective of your choice here).  I can go for my coffee or beer but I also need and want to take care of baby F.  When I say yes too often I'm actual kicking myself in the teeth!  I am the one who ends up paying for it when I get too run down and crazy over tired!  So for right now, I need to say NO and I need to take care of my baby.

I clearly need to purchase a t-shirt with the following on the front.

Before & After Shots

Here are some of my favs, that are too cute but if you want a good laugh, check out this post by the Pregnant Chicken, again this women is genius!

via Pinterest

Babble.com

babble.com

Happy Mother's Day

Here is a little card I get a kick out of.

via www.coolmompicks.com

All Jokes aside, this year Mother's day has a whole new meaning.

Happy Mother's to all your Mothers out there!  I hope you kick back and enjoy your weekend, put someone else to work for a change;)

Very Interesting

It sounds like I'm on the right track (phew!)
Check out this Globe and Mail Article.

Stop Crying Class

Pre-baby I signed up for the breastfeeding class, the pre-natal class, and I even checked out the hospital to see where I was going to deliver.

What wasn't offered to me however and what I would have found very useful would have a been a "get baby to stop crying class."  Why don't they offer a course on getting your kid to stop crying?

This video really helped me:

Hurray Friday

TGIF! Weekend is almost here which means Daddy is home!

For my hubby who handles his bussiness xo.

Just because you can have a kid alone, doesn't make it a good idea! ~ Chris Rock

Timing is Everything

This would be me last week....  I cried when it happened:)

via www.everydaypeoplecartoons.com 

Milkface

Breastfeeding is extremely rewarding but it's also lots of work.  I still see my guru of a lactation consultant on a weekly basis as she ALWAYS has great tips.  Seeing as I'm basically baby F's 24 hour snack bar, I figure I may as well look good and feel pretty while I'm at it.  Plus the more I enjoy it, the longer I will breastfeed so I figure it's a win win situation for everyone here.

Here are some of my favorite clothing items from Milkface for nursing.  The store is amazing and the sales women will even hold your baby while you shop.  Pretty darn convenient if you ask me;)

A warm cozy hoodie - yes please!

A cute nautical dress - Ships Ahoy!

A cute patterned shirt to be worn with leggings - cute!

A 3/4 length sleeve summer sweatshirt - so comfy & cozy

A Leopard print nursing bra - Why not?

Hardest & Best Job in the World

This video gets me every time, it's fantastic!

Um, Ya Right!

I don't have time to write and entry this week.  F's crying is taking up all my time - UGH.  However, "The Pregnant Chicken" wrote a FANTASTIC entry about 10 things no one tells you about giving birth.  When I read it, I laughed so hard I cried.  I think she really hits the nail on the head with this one.

Happy Reading:
10 Things No One Tells You (about giving birth)

Mom Hours

My to do list is longer than it has ever been and some items take weeks to complete.  You would think that since I'm on mat leave I would have more time to complete these tasks - WRONG.  I have way less time and way more things to do.  To compound this problem, I now function on "Mom Hours."  "Mom hours" do not include evenings or early mornings as neither are convenient for baby F and as a result me.  Additionally my punctuality has gone right out the window.  If I want get anywhere on time these days, I need to start preparing at least an hour early and I may arrive 15 mins late.  Funny enough, I'm ok with it all.

My Reliable Friend

F and I are total busy bodies, we love to get out and enjoy the sun.  However, these days there is a serious risk that whenever we venture out F may break out into one of her screaming-red-in-the-face cryfests.  It can definitely be a show stopper!  Fortunately, I have found a solution: my reliable friend, the ergo carrier.  F loves her ergo and after a couple, or sometimes a few hundred bounces, she usually settles back down.  While my back is not a huge fan of the ergo, it does allow me to get out and enjoy my long walks with my fancy stroller free of F's "musical soundtrack".   I enjoy the crazy looks I get from people peering into my stroller only to find it empty.  That's right, I'm walking an empty stroller with a baby strapped to my chest, what of it?

Fighting an Urge

Today we have an old trick we have retuned to that gets Baby F to fall asleep.  Cuddle with her, she loves the body heat.  This fancy technique worked for the first 3 weeks and all of a sudden stopped working.  My hubby took care of F this morning while I caught up on some much needed sleep.  When I woke up, he shared his experience with me that happens to me more often than not.  After struggling for 30 mins he finally succeeded to have F fall asleep cuddled up on his chest.  YEAY a sleeping baby!  There was only one problem, hubby now needs to pee - badly.  However the thought of risking waking his sleeping baby was not an option!  My hubby, like a good father, chose to fight it!  He eventually fell asleep himself only to dream he was taking a leak.  He woke up with a vivid fear of having soiled himself and our couch - luckily it was just a dream.  Once awake, my good hubby fought the urge to pee for another 20 mins until baby F woke up on her own terms and a rested Mummy was able to take over.

My Secret Weapon

You know how you dread sitting beside a crying baby on a long airplane flight?  Listening to your own kid cry endlessly is way worse and utterly exhausting.  My daughter cries a lot.  I'm not talking little cries; I'm talking red in the face screaming cries.  Don't get me wrong, I love my baby.  There are fleeting angelic moments when she is quiet and happy.  At these times, I magically seem to forget all the crying and get lost in how darn cute she is.  Then the crying starts again and I return to my trusted secret weapon, the hair dryer.  The secret weapon needs to be set to full blast, the low settings just won't cut it.  Unless she is hungry, the secret weapon magically makes her stop.  And believe me, the magic weapon is much more relaxing to listen to than my crying child.  Sometimes I make a nice cup of tea, grab my favourite book, curl up by the fire place, and listen the hair dryer for hours.