Me Likey!

As I’m sure you’ve noticed from reading this blog, I’m a new mom.  You don’t say?

And as a new mom, I’ve run across some items that I cannot live without.  And I’m not talking baby products (who needs that dumb wipe warmer, anyway?) but products for ME.  They make my  life WAY easier and really, just more fun!  Truly, though, these items are for anyone with a busy life and not enough hands.

The Amazon Kindle

Two days before I was induced the hubs asked if I wanted my “Push Present”.  Uhh..Yes.  Thinking it was going to be some form of shiny (due to my not so subtle hints); I almost leaped off the couch.   Total truth, I wasn’t “leaping” off of anything at 9 months preggo but I think I did manage an enthusiastic YES, PLEASE!  To my shock, I opened up a Kindle.  Now, truth be told, this little gadget wasn’t at the top of my Push Present list or even my Christmas list or for that matter my Memorial Day gift list (I really don’t have a Memorial Day gift list but now that I’m thinking about it, I totally should.)  However, it is one of the best presents I have ever received. 

Love this little guy!

What do you do at the 3:00 am feeding when you can’t turn on any lights (for fear it will really wake up the baby) and you can’t fall asleep (for fear you’ll drop the baby) and you only have one hand free?  You read your Kindle.  You can hold it and turn the pages with one little finger all at the same time.   You can’t even hold a regular book with one hand, much less turn the pages.   I got through all five of the Game of Throne’s Books (highly recommend) and so much more.   I know they have the new Kindle Fire out now (color and all that jazz) but really for $99.00  the black and white Kindle is awesome.   Also, totally splurge and get the case – it has a reading light built in! So genius.  This baby fits in my purse, the diaper bag and can be flipped open at the bus stop, at lunch or at the doctor’s office.    



The super stylish Kindle case with built in reading light.



The Cole Haan Hadley Messenger Bag

I’m a purse whore.  I love all purses - big ones, small ones, black ones, red ones etc. But what really gets my blood pumping is sumptuous leather bags with lots of room and ones that generally have hefty price tags.  It’s really a sickness.   I had been on the lookout for a bag like Tom Ford'sflap-over-zip bag - see below (but one that I can afford). 



Tom Ford's Flap-Over-Zip Bag loved by celebrities and me but not by my budget! Boo!



So I was slack jawed when I ran across this Cole Haan Hadley Messenger bag which mimicked the Tom Ford bag, with about a ¼ of its price! 

This purse is genius!  It has the signature Cole Haan trademarks – the weaving on the flap, wonderfully soft leather, brass hardware and sturdy construction.   It has a fabulously long shoulder strap to sling across your body for when you need more hands than you have, plus a smaller strap that sits easily atop my shoulder.   It is big enough and wide enough for an umbrella, wallet and other miscellaneous crap I always seem to accumulate.  Plus it has two inside pockets, big enough for my IPHONE and a handy-dandy Sephora mirror, and a large zip pocket.   

There is also an outside pocket that closes magnetically, which is usually where you can find my Kindle!   

This bag is classic and sophisticated.  It’s understated while being roomy enough to go from the office to a nice dinner out.   

The Land’s End Boat & Tote Bag

I am in love with the Land’s End Boat and Tote bags.  For my wedding, I gifted each of my bridesmaids with a medium sized bag in my wedding colors (navy and silver) with their monograms.  They still use them 3 years later!  The bags are well designed for day to day and travel/overnight trips.  Personally, I have one that I carry my lunch, magazines, extra shoes etc in for the office.  And I also have a large one for days at the beach, for my yoga mats for class, or an overnight with the girls.  I also will monogram anything and everything so, of course, these bags also have my monogram!  They are such sturdy bags made out of heavy duty canvas, most of the bags have pockets and a key fob, and they come in a multitude of colors and color combos (genius!).  They spot wash easily and have generally held up really well for years.  The best part, they start out at $25.00 for a medium bag and $9.00 for monogramming! You can’t beat it!

One of the best uses though is for Ella’s diaper bag.  For me, diaper bags were either waaay to “diaper baggy” – code for spill proof and LOUD BRIGHT COLORS screaming “I carry bottles and butt cream” or they were either too utilitarian, “I just took out my lap top and stuffed some bottles in here. “  No one gifted me with a $170.00 bag and I certainly wasn’t paying that for a diaper bag.   Two of my aunts gave us two bags both with Ella’s name embroidered on them– one medium tote with long handles and a large, zip tote.  The medium bag works best for day to day diaper bagging.  The large tote zips for those nights at Grandma and Grandpa’s house or for traveling up to Ohio to visit family.   

One note of caution, on the website you can’t really tell how big the bags are.  The large bags are LARGE – big enough for 3 or 4 huge beach towels.   The medium bags can easily fit two Tupperware containers, a pair of heels, and a couple of magazines no problem.   Before baby, I also used this as a carry-on for flights. 

The IPhone

By this point, everyone has heard of the IPhone and how great it is.  From my perspective, It is truly the best little gadget around. I am not sure how I survived before this baby came out!   As I mentioned above with the Kindle, you only need one hand to use many of the apps on there.  So baby in one hand, IPhone in the other.    

To compliment the Kindle, you can download the Kindle app for the IPHONE and IPAD.  So if you forget your Kindle or its out of juice, you can still read your book on your phone.  With a wifi connection, it syncs to the Kindle so you never lose your spot.  How cool is that?  Again, one flip of your finger and your turning pages.  So easy! 

Other apps that I really love are the People Magazine and US Magazine apps.  I catch up on all my celebrity gossip with these little pieces of gold.   They can keep me entertained for hours!

 

And last but not least, the IPHONE camera.  This tiny little camera has captured more moments just because it’s always with me.   I am a big follower of the blog Moosh In Indy.   She is a genius with a camera.  Her pictures are so artistic, and lovely (her subject matter doesn’t hurt!).  She’s really a sculptor working with her chisel.   Me, not so much.   With apps like Instagram though I can try to fake it!  Plus, uploading the pictures to Facebook or emailing them to family has never been so easy. 

You and your silly games annoy me.



There you have it…products I can’t live without!  So, what makes your life easier? 

4 Months and 6 Days

4 months and 6 days.   That is how long I've been a Mom.  The first two weeks and then the next two weeks were the hardest weeks of my life.   I was fairly certain I’d made a mistake – I wasn’t cut out to be a mom.  The thing I thought I wanted was so unfamiliar and so tough and so demanding that thoughts of sending her to Grandma and Grandpa’s for a few years flooded my brain.   I was unsure of every move I made.  I slept in increments of minutes not hours (standard practice, I know).  I cannot be certain of how many showers I took those first weeks but let’s just say it wasn’t a lot (again, fairly standard).   I cried many days, some for hours and some for only minutes but I cried almost every day.  For those crazy, stressful, mind-numbing weeks, I clung to the one piece of hope I had: “It will get better”.  My best friend, who lives states away, would text or email me that sentence every few days – when she was diagnosed with reflux, when the first medicines didn’t do anything, when I got mastitis, when I got the second round of mastitis, when we had to stop breastfeeding, when the formula didn’t agree, when the 2^nd and 3^rd formula’s didn’t work.   I clung to that little piece of hope. 

And now…it is beyond anything I could ever imagine.  I didn’t get that burst of baby love when they plopped her on my chest after she was born.  It took me a while to feel that deep emotional connection but I think I’ve made up for that.  She fills my heart with a joy I wasn’t prepared for or believed was possible.   And I can’t imagine life without her.   I’m sure it sounds cliche and sappy (I would have said the same thing 4 months and 6 days ago!) but it’s cliche for a reason.  

Our lives were so thoroughly enriched when Ella came into our world.   She is our little nugget of wonderful.   I've been told it gets even better than this...but I can't imagine how. 

I Talk In My Sleep

(Urgent, hushed whisper)  Mark, Mark…  WAKE UP

What?

There are people staring at us!

WTF?   (Dangerous, underwear-clad husband jumps out of bed to defend his family)

WHERE ARE THEY?

Up there!  (Points to the ceiling)

*sigh* Kristen, go back to bed.  You’re dreaming

***************************************************

(Hushed whisper)   Mark, Mark, Wake UP!

What is it?

Is the crystal ok?

WHAT?

(Demandingly) I SAID, Is the crystal ok?

The crystal is fine.  Go back to sleep.

****************************************************

(Hushed whisper) Mark, Mark WAKE UP!

What?

(Shrieking, near panic) Where’s the baby? I CAN'T FIND THE BABY!

OHMYGOD!  WHERES THE BABY?  WHERE DID YOU PUT HER?

(After taking a breath) *Sigh* the baby is in her crib.  Go back to sleep.   

Oh, ok.

******************************************************

(Patting his head and whispering) Shhhh….it’s ok….it’s ok…

What are you doing?

Shhhhh…it’s ok….it’s ok

*sigh* Kristen go to sleep.  You’re dreaming. 

*****************************************************

What are you doing?  Pause.  KRISTEN! What are you doing?

(trying to pick up my husband like he was a baby)

Kristen, you're trying to squish me into a ball.  I'm not the baby.  Put me down. 

Go back to sleep.

Taxi Driver

 You talkin' to me?

Watch Out 2012!

I like having goals and making lists of those goals. (I really, really like making lists.  Its borders on OCD.)  It’s taken me a while to get on board the “new year, new goals” track.  I feel like a poser when I have January resolutions.  For some reason, they are always BIG GOALS, like climb Mt. Everest or lose 75 lbs.  Those never work.   So instead, I’m just going to set small but important goals for 2012. 

Another way in which I think I’ll be successful is either adding or subtracting one thing a week.  Instead of looking at a list a mile long I’m going to give myself 1 thing to focus on a week.  This will, hopefully, allow me to concentrate fully on the task each day and stop me from being overwhelmed. 

Week 1:  start taking my multi-vitamins again.  This isn’t hard and I’m not sure why I stopped but I need to get back on the train!

Week 2:  Wear Sunscreen – EVERY DAY! I’m 31 years old.  This needs to happen.  Or I'll be looking like this:

Week 3:  Drink 100 ounces of water a day.   My office supplies water in roughly 16 ounce bottles.  They also supply Diet Coke, which I’d much sooner drink, but 1 a day is enough.  6 of those bottles a day may be a bit much too just jump into so I’ll be upping my intake during Weeks 1 and 2. 

Kor Water Bottle

Week 4:  Make breakfast a priority.  Add whole grains, protein, fruits or veggie servings into breakfast.  I’ll be doing more research on what should constitute a reasonably healthy breakfast in the next few weeks to give you more specifics. 

Did you make any goals for 2012?  How are they coming? Any tips to keep this train headed in the right direction?   

Sucker for Supplements

I love to eat.  I love to eat good-for-you-food and not-so-good-for-you-food.  Lately the not-so-good-for-you-food has been winning out.  Hello Holidays!  So in order to bring me back into a better balance, I've been adding a supplement to my diet. Don't get me wrong - clearly eating the actual fruits and vegetables is the best way to get the nutritious benefits but with a new baby at home I'm having a hard time getting all the recommended servings in.

I've started adding Green Super Food from Amazing Grass Super Food into my drinks in the morning and afternoon.   I first read about the products a long time ago on Jenna's blog, Eat, Live, Run.  I loved how you could add it to your protein shakes in the morning or just add the powder to some OJ, milk or water and off you go.  I'm not going to lie.  The smell and taste is a little hard to get used to, but it didn't take me too long to start swigging it down!  I drink a packet in 1/2 cup of OJ in the morning and another packet in the afternoon.  Each packet has a a blend of organic grasses, antioxidants, fibers and digestive enzymes.

I've been drinking it for about 10 days now.  While I'm not noticing any great big improvements, I feel like its one small step to better, healthier eating habits.  I've already ordered another batch and I'm going to try their energy formula too.  I'll let you know how that works out and how I'm fairing in a few weeks.  Anyone else have any favorite supplements they love to use?

Home Alone

I admit it. I’m one sloped forehead away from a Neanderthal.  If it weren’t for my husband I’d be in my sweats, on the couch, slurping butter noodles, switching between Bravo and E every night.  Mark is the more civilized one in the relationship.   He cooks.  And not just man food.  His dishes are plate-licking good.  He makes meals that I am way too lazy to even read the recipes for.  And ladies, don’t get too excited, but he also washes the pans!  I HATE washing pans.  This translates into “rinsing” them off before using them again.   And on occasion, when he guilt trips me into it, he makes me watch some really interesting shows on TV. Granted they are all nerdy but I do feel a bit more educated when I turn off the TV than after my shows.  

So when he travels for work it’s like the wheels have come off the bus.   My life becomes one huge, complicated mess.  Add Ella to the mix and I need a stiff drink before 9:00 am.    Its only Wednesday, but I’ve already eaten way too much fast food (no leftovers for lunch so I guess I have to eat Chik-Fil-A again, twist my arm…), the dishes from this weekend are quietly taking over the countertop (plans for total kitchen domination are in the works), the clothes pile on the couch will not be touched until 10 minutes before he comes in the door (and then it will be thrown on the chair in the bedroom).  

I have two more days of this.  I’m tired.  I want him to come home.  I want real food again.  I’ll even watch the History Channel without complaint.  At least until the Kardashians come on.