Savvy Toddler Mom

Great article as an example of Wondertime fare: 3 Skills a Preschooler Really Needs

The concluding paragraph made me snort my Crystal Light.

I’ve been so busy doing things I want to blog about, I haven’t had a chance to blog about them!  This week the toot and I — and the majority of the in-law clan – made it over to the Discovery Gateway.  Very cool, but expensive.  When I have more time, I will give a more complete review, but for now my overall opinion is that you have to go at least once.  The toot LOVED it and keeps asking to go again.

I also went to the new IKEA this morning — first time since it opened in Draper last summer.  Yes, I thought I was the last person to finally go, but then I realized CTM hasn’t been yet either!  I’ve been to IKEA before in Chicago and California, but not our very own here in Salt Lake.  It was nice to go and not have to think, “Will that fit in my luggage?” with everything I considered purchasing.

They have a great kids’ play area — free for an hour! — but… alas, the toot is not potty trained yet.  Only 100% potty trained children allowed!  He did have some awesome mac & cheese in the restaurant, although I prefer their meatballs.  Yum!

So, I think I’ve mentioned Suze Orman’s book Women & Money before, but I think it deserves another, longer mention.  Or, rather, directive: Get this book!  Even if you think (or know) you are very financially savvy, unless you are a financial planner yourself, you will learn something.  I read it last year after my SIL Anne mentioned it (thanks again!). 

One of my favorite things about it (there are several…) is the money market account offer they provide.  Suze Orman worked out a deal with TD Ameritrade… if you open a money market account there and deposit at least $50/month for one year, they will give you an additional $100!  This month I make my 12th deposit and after I get my extra $100, will have $700 in the account.  And honestly, it’s been painless.

On a totally different train of thought, I spent an hour in the doctor’s office last month cracking up over an issue of Wondertime I picked up in there.  I just sent in for a subscription, I liked it so much.  I found it much more down-to-earth than most parenting magazines, but also more sophisticated.  The article that I was laughing about so hard I was crying was from a woman that blogs for them and was relating her funniest/worst moments of parenting.  I was DYING.  Someone who has had four miscarriages (that would be me…) shouldn’t be laughing so hard in a OBGYN’s waiting room surrounded by extremely pregnant women.  Very sweet medicine for me.

Speaking of which… I am going to a second perinatalogist next week for another opinion.  Since all my tests, etc. have come up negative, I have got to keep trying to find an answer.  Along the lines of when you are at the bottom of the barrel, you find another barrel.  My new barrel is at the U of U Hospital and specializes in recurrent miscarriages, preterm births, and stillborns.  I’ll let you know what I find out (if anything).

The toot has been completely off his napping/eating schedule lately and has been SUCH a monster.  I think we will be laying low the next couple of days so that he (and I) can recover.  I actually found a bare spot on my desk today, so I am not as buried as I have been.  Yay!  Hopefully I will be able to blog about the Discovery Gateway, etc. very soon.

Happy Valentine’s Day!  SavvyDad gave me a sweet red track suit this morning.  I’m loving it!

I have chosen today to kick my Diet Coke bucket.  Yes, I am going to have one more Diet Coke and then call it quits.  I’ve given myself a few weeks to adjust and I think I’m doing pretty well.  It’s time to throw the crutch away. 

I’m happy and sad.  Happy because I have been able to exercise enough self control to actually rid myself of an addiction (and yes, I’m afraid it was an addiction), but sad because I LOVE DIET COKE!!  I love the taste, I love the smell, I love the sound it makes when you pour it over ice.  I love the pick-me-up that I get from it. (Hence the need to quit…)  Caffeine-free has never done much for me and after the article that came out last week about diet soda, I think even Fresca won’t be a regular in my fridge anymore.

So, here’s to doing everything I can to have a successful next pregnancy and here’s to doing something else that will make me healthier throughout my life.  Goodbye, Diet Coke.  I will miss you, but it is time for us to go our separate paths.  I know Valentine’s Day is kind of a strange day to do this, but it will help me remember exactly when we broke up.  It’s not an end, it’s a new beginning.

Plus, now have a superstar red track suit.

Hello again… sorry I’ve been AWOL for a bit.  Things have been a bit crazy.  Lots of work, doctors appointments (ugh - I waited TWO HOURS at my OB’s today… just shoot me…), and driving from one end of the valley to the other, I’ve hardly had any time at my computer in the last week.  I’m going into withdrawal!

So, just really quickly, since it’s getting late and I have to get up and going in the morning (to my internist’s… hopefully a shorter wait!), I did want to leave a quick post about Valentine’s Day.

Since I believe most of my readers are women (SavvyDad rarely even reads… and that’s okay!), we are all keenly aware that Valentine’s Day is Thursday.  Putting ourselves aside for a minute, though, I think Valentine’s Day is a great time to bring out the sweetest in our little toddlers.  I had such a good time with the toot tonight having him “write” (scribble with many colors of crayons) valentines to his grandparents, cousins, aunts and uncles.  We just bought a box of Disney (read: “Cars”) valentines at the store and he went to town.  He really got into it, choosing for each person if they would like “Cars,” “Finding Nemo,” or “Toy Story” more.  Then we had to put stickers on!

He’s so excited about helping me take them to the post office tomorrow (early in the morning - straight to the post office, of course, since I procrastinated…) and dropping them in the box.  Oh, how he loves boxes!  He’s so enamoured with the one at the video store too — he has to drop the DVDs in himself now.  It’s so adorable!

Anyway, a really fun, inexpensive thing to do with your kids… not to mention score points with the grandparents!  They love that kind of stuff, you know.

Alright, time for me to be off.  G’night!

Whew!  I’m finally coming back up for air.  The last week of the month is a killer for me… between trying to get my final work hours in, invoicing, the ward newsletter, and other random things that happened last week, it took a whole weekend to feel like myself again!  Not to mention President Hinckley’s funeral on Saturday and the Superbowl yesterday… I didn’t get anything done over the weekend either!

This is one of the reasons I love Mondays: total fresh start.  Today’s fresh start included about six inches of new snow, but who’s counting, right?  Supposedly, we will have one more storm Tuesday night/Wednesday morning, and then that’s it for about a week.  Maybe we can get unburied finally!

Some quick updates…

SavvyTodderMomFitness
CTM and I have been kicking-butt at the gym.  We have kept to our goal of going three times a week and it feels awesome!!  (Especially considering all the junk I ate yesterday during the football game… ugh.)  I think I am going to try and sneak in another cardio session or two in-between my cardio/weight sessions with CTM.  She is being SO good about keeping her heartrate under 140 since she’s pregnant, but I am SUPER gung-ho about getting in shape!  Some more cardio would be good for me.

SavvyToddlerMomQuitsCaffeine
Doing SO well on this front!  I went almost 4 days last week without a Diet Coke: Tuesday am to Saturday pm.  It was awesome.  I feel good; no headaches.  I think I’ve got it kicked, except for the fact that I totally miss the taste (caffeine-free just doesn’t cut it) and for those mornings when I’m SO tired and wish I had that little pick-me-up.  But that is SO the point, right?!?!  It’s a drug, an addictive one, and I just shouldn’t be having so much that it has that affect on me.  Enough said.

SavvyToddlerMomBabySaga
So, I talked to the doctor last week and apparently, I still have two tests that need to be done… another one having to do with blood clotting and a maternal thyroid test.  They are supposed to be calling me back today to get that scheduled.  If both come back negative, I think that’ll be all they can really do for now. Stay tuned…

I did some scrapbooking over the weekend — did two of my three new nieces births!  I wasn’t at the third niece’s birth, so I don’t have any pics… not sure what to do about that… hmmm…  Anyway, they turned out so cute!  I’ll have to see if I can somehow scan them and post them.  They are 12×12, so I might have to take a photo instead, since my scanner isn’t that wide!  I did little Grace’s in pink and brown with polkadots (her mom’s fav) and Emma’s in white, pink, and yellow with flowers.  My favorite touch was swanky silver glitter letters for both!  (From Making Memories - hotcha!)

I wanted to give a shout-out to my adorable friend Emily who, among other amazing acts of kindness, watched the toot on Saturday so that SavvyDad and I could attend the temple.  Emily, you are wonderful.  Thank you again.

My goal for this week is… well, I have several.  One of my goals for this week is work towards the concept: ”simplify.”  There was a great talk given by Dallin H. Oaks in the October 2007 LDS General Conference where he talks about “good, better and best.”  There are good choices, better choices, and best choices.  There are lots of good things to do with our time… there are even better things yet.  The ones we want to focus on, though, are the best things to do with our time.

Often the “best” choices are the simplest ones.  Uncluttering our lives does a lot to help us focus on what is most important.  Having too much to do gives us little time for quiet, loving moments with our families.  I struggle with this so much.  I want to do everything and be everything and not miss out on a single opportunity for growth, fun, education, etc.  I want it all!  But in wanting it all, I am spread thin and am so completely crazed that I can’t really enjoy it.

So, goals for this week:

• Gym three times with CTM
• One extra cardio session
• No Diet Coke until Wednesday (we are down to every fourth day)
• Complete one scrapbook spread (if I can do one a week this year, I will have completed 104 pages by the end of the year!)
• Simplify: identify at least one thing that I can do differently or get rid of to make my life less cluttered

I am also going to post at least one book review this week — I am so behind!  Look for that in the next couple of days.

Happy Monday!

Sorry to keep you waiting on the results of my HSG on Friday.  I needed more time than I had then to put a post together.

The HSG wasn’t as bad as I thought it was going to be — probably has something to do with the 800 mg of ibuprofen I took ahead of time (thanks for the heads-up, Toni!).  I was pretty uncomfortable that night and a bit into the next day, but nothing that required more than some more ibuprofen.

And now for the results… drumroll… they didn’t find anything wrong with me.  Yay!  That is a good thing!  If they had found something wrong with my uterus, I don’t know what they would have been able to do, so I’m glad we’ve been able to just rule that out completely.

Also, it was really cool to watch on the TV monitor as they put the dye in — crazy!

So, I’m still waiting for the results on my bloodwork.  After that, we’ll look at where we go from there.

In the meantime, I had a pretty busy weekend.  CTM and I went to the gym Saturday morning to do cardio and weights, and I am SO sore today.  My arms especially!  Saturday night we went out with some friends to Mikado.  I am not a sushi fan, but did try one roll.  I ordered the tempura shrimp and veggies — so yummy!

The toot spent the evening hangin’ with canyonfool, his wife and two-year-old son.  I think he had a great time!  Canyonfool is the best uncle a little boy could have… he loves to wrestle, he’s totally funny, he’s got a whole bunch of toys at his house, and he loves to play with the toot!  Thanks again, CF & wife!  You guys are the best.

Canyonfool made the boys a dinner from Deceptively Delicious by Jessica Seinfeld.  My other brother and SIL sent me a copy for my birthday — thanks, guys! — so CF wound up with the copy my parents gave me for Christmas. LOL  (Review still to come…) I was really impressed that CF made something out of it.  I read through it and my first impression is that it’s a TON of work!  It sounded like the boys really liked it and with all the veggies hidden inside, I can only tip my hat to CF.  Way to go.

On Saturday, I also spent some time packing up the toot’s 3T clothes.  He had a TON.  It took almost 2 big plastic storage boxes to fit them all.  I think I’m doing a better job now figuring out how many pajamas, shirts, and pants he needs — but I think I went a little crazy last winter on the pajamas!  I always wonder if I should store all of his clothes.  Is it worth it?  I actually set aside some to give to the DI — the ones that are far from my favorite or that got a random stain, etc.  And especially, what about shoes?  Do you keep them?  I’ve kept all the Robeez shoes (so cute!) he had when he was younger, but now they get so worn and dirty.

He was wearing 4T clothes at the end of last summer, so I’m excited to actually have him wear those again this spring. 

My favorite quote from the toot last week was: “Daddy, can I drive?  I’m three now!”  LOL

We were supposed to get a huge snow storm last night, but it flaked out.  I expect it will hit sometime today.  For now, the wind is blowing like crazy and I’m still planning on staying home all day!  I just hope the storm is done and over with by tomorrow — I have places to go!

I think we’ll do laundry, etc.  I also need to work on my “list” some more.  Those thank you notes aren’t going to write themselves!

Just got home from getting my blood drawn (eight - yes, EIGHT! - vials of blood!) and a quick trip into the office – whew!

SavvyDad took this photo of me on Monday; just thought I would share:

He took it while doing some tests of the new lighting equipment our friends got.  Nice equipment, I say!  They were so generous to let us get a few extra shots of our family while SavvyDad took some pics of their new baby as well.  What a cutie! Here he is with his mommy:

Taking photos of babies and children is SO difficult, I think.  They don’t hold still and they usually refuse to cooperate.  But it is SO worth it when you can capture them and their adorable personalities on film (or a digital card - LOL).  They don’t stay small for long and you have to be able to remember how unbelieveably adorable they can be… especially when they get to be teenagers.

I finally did it.  Yesterday I went the whole day without a Diet Coke.  First time in… a long time.  I woke up with a bad headache today, though, and ran for a can this morning.  Kinda sad.  So, here’s the breakdown:

Sunday: 1 diet coke
Monday: 1 diet coke
Tuesday: 0 diet coke
Wednesday: 1 diet coke

I’m going to try for zero again tomorrow.  Wish me luck!

I’m going in to have my blood drawn for those clotting tests today.  Hopefully we’ll be able to say definitively if that’s a problem or not.

CTM and I went to the gym again last night and I am pretty tired and sore today.  It feels really good. :)  We are going again tonight!

I wanted to touch for a minute on a great Toddler Trip that is a favorite of mine and the toot’s: going to Target.  We went yesterday — an hour of wandering and browsing.  We both had a great time.  The toot LOVES to look at the toy cars, and is actually pretty good about not needing to take all of them home.  (We do bring home a random hot wheels here and there… but they are $1!)  He also loves to identify all the stuff he can, from pineapples to pajamas.

I found a new line of toys that Cranium has put together exclusively for Target, called “Bloom.”  I could only find these six on their web site, but they had a few more at the store.  This cooking set is similar to some of the others I saw, like sandwich stacker sets both for sandwiches and burgers.  They also seemed pretty affordable, with prices ranging between $10-$15.  Very cute.

It is snowing like CRAZY right now.  My MIL called earlier to say they had a foot of snow in Draper — we have about 10 inches in Bountiful.  Snow day!

It’s also Martin Luther King Jr. Day, so congrats to those that actually get the day off today.  SavvyDad doesn’t — he drove to work on a hideous I-15 and last I heard, he was helping a co-worker get his car unstuck near the office.

Needless to say, I think we will be staying home today.

We had a great weekend hanging out with friends and family.  I TOTALLY fell off the quit-diet-coke bandwagon Friday night at PF Chang’s… it was worth it!  Back on today, though.  After the initial headache last week that I blogged about, the rest of the week went pretty well, so I’m going to cut back to one every-other-day now.

Also, this article came out yesterday.  I’m not up to talking about it yet. 

I’m back at the gym. CTM and I went together on Thursday.  It’s perfect for us to go together.  We are at the same level: she’s 4 months pregnant and I’m totally out of shape. LOL

I’m still trying to figure out what the best strategy is for me to fit working out into my schedule.  I can’t do mornings — I am just not a morning person.  So many people get up and go to the gym before their kids get up.  I can’t.  I’ve tried.  It just doesn’t work for me.  So, that leaves during the day and evenings.  I love going in the evening, but I so often get stuck in the traps of “I’m too tired,” plans with friends and family, or just needing some time after the toot is in bed to do something else.  It’s hard!

During the day is just as hard — the babysitting problem.  Our gym does have a day care — $2 for 90 minutes!  Pretty sweet deal!  The last time I took the toot, though, he came down with pink eye shortly afterwards.  Ew.  Our gym has since changed locations, so I’m going to give it another try.  Bottomline: it’s not my favorite option.

Another idea: have a neighbor/friend watch the kids for an hour.  It sounds great and easy, but if your neighbor/friend doesn’t reciprocate, then you just feel like you are using them.  And, every day?  Or even three times a week?  That’s a lot to ask of a person.  If I had family that lived closer, that might be an option, too.  (But I don’t.)

I try to work out at home here and there.  I don’t have any exercise equipment, but I have videos, etc. and an exercise ball.  The toot and I did yoga this morning.  He loves to get on my mat and do it with me.  I think it’s great!

I am resolving to do something exercise-y every day, whether it be actually going to the gym, working out at home, or taking the toot for a walk.  I’m going to try the day care, ask a friend, get up early once a week… something!  I’m going to do it!

I’d love to hear about ideas that you have for finding the time/energy to keep in shape.  It’s a crucial thing for us moms — we have to be healthy and strong to keep up with these kids, not to mention living long enough to see their kids drive them crazy.

Alright, folks, I already miss my Diet Coke… and all I’ve done so far is cut back to ONE a day.  It’s pathetic.

I got home after a crazy day of birthday lunch (Happy b-day again, Katie!), meetings at the office, and north-bound rush hour traffic (ARGH!!!!) to find myself with a serious migraine headache and PINING for a Diet Coke.

It’s probably 90% mental.  Right?

I took some narcotics and managed to feel well enough to go see my friends and their new baby tonight.  Congrats again, Phil & Tiffany!  Your little guy is so adorable.  Sorry – again – that it took me three weeks to come and visit.  (I have issues…)  I will do my best to make it up to you with food and gifts.

ALSO (and I really will put this in a regular card for you, too), thank you so much for the awesome birthday present — a gift card to Heartland Paper Company.  As gifts go, that’s a home run for me.  Thanks, guys!

I got my craft room unburied over the weekend and actually did some scrapbooking, too!  I am seriously starting to think that my hobby isn’t the scrapbooking… it’s the taking of the pictures and the buying of the paper and other embellishments that I love.  Oh, and albums.  And pens.  And things to punch holes with.  Oh, and to haul stuff around in (I got one of those amazing totes for Mother’s Day last year).  Ya know… anything but the actual scrapping. 

It’s sort of an irony, I think.  Scrapbooking REALLY got fun when the toot was born.  But, as soon as he was born, I didn’t have time for it anymore.  What is THAT about?