Quitters Never Prosper

While wasting my life away on the interwebs I found the 25 Day Lists Challenge (thanks to Motherhood Music and Beer) and decided since I rarely stick with anything I start (like dance, piano, guitar, karate or violin) I am setting the bar low going to turn over a new leaf & completely accomplish this challenge.

25 Day Lists Challenge

01. Five most important/memorable childhood memories

02. Ten random facts about yourself

03. Seven weird things about yourself

04. Top 10 Favorite movies of all time

05. Top 10 Favorite songs of all time

06. Ten facts about your hometown

07. List the people in your family & a random fact about them

08. Top 10 favorite movie or TV show characters of all time

09. A random list (one can be found on listverse.com or toptenz.net)

10. 10 random things that you remember from school

11. Top 10 blogs, according to you

12. Five things that you love, 5 things that you hate (it was 'Five chores that you love, 5 chores that you hate' but I fully hate every single chore so that would be a pretty short post.)

13. Top 10 things you look for in a friend

14. Top 10 things you look for in a romantic partner

15. 10 places you want to visit before you die

16. Put your music player on shuffle, list the first 10 songs that come up

17. 5 favorite actors, 5 favorite actresses

18. 10 most important people in your life

19. 10 things that you could not live without

20. 10 favorite websites

21. 10 favorite games

22. 10 things that you love about yourself

23. 5 Favorite Foods, 5 least favorite foods

24. 10 most influential people/things/events in your life

25. First 10 things you would buy if you won $1,000,000 (it was '10 of your wildest dreams' but I don't remember 10 of my dreams so..yea.)

Daily Cuteness 

 Daily Hayden Throwback 

....and The Winner Is

I used Random.org to randomly choose a winner.

..and the winner is...

 comment #9

"MommaYoung said...      

I already like you on facebook."

Momma Young is the owner of the blog Momma Young at Home

so while we I am working with her to make a kick ass photobook check out her blog and congratulate her on her sweet winnings!! 

 

If you are still interested in a photo-gift (they make amazing birthday and holiday gifts!) I would love to make it for you! Those who entered my giveaway will receive 

$10 off any order placed before October 27th!!

Hayden says "Thank you to all who entered!!"

 

Giveaway Ends Tonight!

Ever since Ive been working you guys have been getting a little jipped on posts here and there. THIS is my way of making it up to you!

Enter my giveaway and get the chance to win a Custom Photo-gift 

(over a $50 value!)

Go here to get your last entries in!

There are so many easy ways to enter..its crazy not to!!

Click below to check out some of my work

Book of Faces

Photo-Calendar

1st Birthday Photobook

Fathers Day Photobook

From Baby To Daddy Photobook

Updates

I have been so busy with school, work and trying to get in as much time with H as possible so I have been neglectful of my readers :-(

I am sorry but I still do love you so please check your formula to make sure it is not on this list and send it to all your mommy friends so they can keep their babies safe too! If you are on the list many stores will refund your money.

BEETLE CONTAMINATION IN SIMILAC FORMULA

Aside from all of that things are good! 

After having my thyroid checked and finding that it was normal (i was totally hoping it wasn't so my inability to lose weight would be blamed on something else & hopefully an easy fix) and talking to my gyno and finding that having H COMPLETELY changed my metabolism as well as severely weakened my once awesome abs (its possible the muscle split but she didn't fully confirm it) I am going to start The South Beach Super Charged (the gynos recommendation.) It retrains your body and metabolism which I obviously need....but it has you not eat carbs for 2 weeks (I literally don't know what I will eat since all I know is carbs!) but until I start it I am binging my heart out! I am literally eating like I am on death row. I will start the diet once I find enough food options and carb-free meal plans to help me through the first weeks. I can't imagine the withdrawal I am going to go through but it won't be pretty!

Hayden has been doing much better with school! She hasn't cried at drop off in 2 days (BIG feat!) She has been less cranky which I am hoping means she is getting more solid naps at school. I also have been skipping the gym and getting H early because it makes me feel better and I love the time with her. This is my favorite weather and I want to take advantage of it and spend as much time outside with her! The gym will always be there but my girl is growing so fast I want to experience every minute I can.

So thats what I am off to do!

You may not get posts every day but you will get several a week and I hope you stick with me during this life adjustment and keep coming back!

Daily Cuteness

Whats your home remedy for a cold?

H has a cold and is SUPER snotty & coughing a bit-its sometimes dry and sometimes phlegmy. She's raspy too so shes got that phone sex operator thing going on.. (inappropriate?) I got some baby vapor rub and nasal spray at Babies R Us to try but I wanted to see if anyone had a good suggestion for more natural remedies?

xo

Hayden says thanks!!

Dear Stress, F*^k You!

I am not used to feeling guilt. I don't generally regret things, I make a point to live my life in a way that I either don't do things that I will regret or I make a point to look into the things I do that may bother me and I find the reason said thing occurred so that I can understand the reasons it needed to happen and therefore I do not feel regretful.

This is a whole different story..a confusing story.

I love my job. Love Love Love it. I do not want to leave it but even if I did want to it really would be a big mistake since it is a huge opportunity for my future career and therefore the future of my family.

(without both of us working we will never be able to get a house because we live in NJ and no one can afford to live here!)

If we were able to survive by cutting corners, Anthony not having to work two jobs and we could afford a house: I would not work. I would stay home with my baby until she went to kindergarten..but that is far from the case. Anthony works harder than any person should have to and it runs him down. I am working so that when I graduate and start my career I will already have a foot in the door. With all of this said...i hate leaving Hayden with people that are essentially strangers. I feel like a terrible mother. I know this is far from the truth but I feel that way. 

Since we have to wake her up early she goes to bed now at 5:30pm (which is still not early enough because she barely naps at school. She is used to 5hrs of naps a day and now she barely gets in 1.) I feel like there is no way we are getting in enough time with her. After work I go to the gym or go grocery shopping or do the things I can get done easier without H...but from the second I step foot outside of work all I can think of is that I should be picking her up and spending time with her. These thoughts squeeze my heart from the second I leave work to the second she is in my arms.

While I am on the treadmill: "You should get off this thing and go see your girl! Stop being selfish."

While I am grocery shopping: "You should go get Hayden and do this after she goes to bed!"

While I am stopping at the bank: "You could easily do this with her in the car, go get her!"

Luckily, I am so non-stop busy at work that I rarely have a second to think about the fact that someone else is watching my baby--she could be missing me, she might be scared or upset and I am not there to comfort her like only I can.

Its like I am nagging myself until I feel like I am going to cry. Thankfully I am not the one who has to drop her off in the morning because if I was I can't imagine how long that would take (she cries at drop off.) I know this takes time..I have been with her 24/7 since birth and now, 15months later, I am with her for several hours at night..god it pains me to write that. Several hours? I didn't have a baby to see her a few hours a day..I hate this.

...but I still do love my job.

and the torture continues.

 H in her classroom the first day

Zoo-Ba-Lee-Zoo!

As I mentioned on Friday H and I were heading up to my parents to spend the weekend with them. The weather was beautiful, the food was plentiful and the laughter was infectious. Hayden had the most fabulous time with "Team Grandpas" (as they have dubbed themselves) and I had a fabulous time too! We went to dinner on Friday to a restaurant that has animals mounted on every inch of every wall. Giraffes, elephants, ostrich...It was crazy. H melted down got tired half way through so her grandpas took turns carrying her around the restaurant looking at animals..and, of course, she did her Miss. America thang and waved and said "HI!" to anyone that would listen.

Saturday my parents had plans so Hayden and I went on a play-date with someone I grew up with! We went to school together since...elementary believe. We reconnected on Facebook (ah, the wonders of FB stalking) and decided our kids were the perfect couple and needed to meet. So they did:

This is Will. 

and he is literally too cute.

 He was checking the gas while Hayden waited for him to get in.

s

side bar: I have a video of me at H's age in one of these cars. The only difference is that I was so chubby I got stuck in the car and my mom taped me trying to get out while she laughed hysterically.

They fed the fish in Wills backyard together..

..then completely denied their moms of

a cute picture of them on a bench together :-(

After the play-date we stopped by my grandparents house to surprise them with a little Hayden-time and they were so excited! It was really cute.
On Sunday Team Grandpas (aka Papa Alex & Grandpa Tom) wanted to take Hayden to a zoo that my dad used to take me and my brother to when we were itty bittys. It was so fun--especially now that she is walking..she can really explore for herself.

With the Alpacas :-)

Staring Contest..Hayden totally won.

Amazing..until it scared the crap out of her.

Thank Goodness for the mist sprayers!

..and when you have 2 grandpas The Gift Shop is always highly anticipated.
They let her go wild in there!


and as if that wasn't enough for you..here are a few randoms from the weekend that I enjoy-hope you're weekend was as wonderful as ours!

WE SURVIVED!

We survived H's first week of school. 

We survived my first week of work.

We survived another week of school.

I survived knowing H was being cared for my someone else.

I survived my speech in Public Speaking class.

I survived my attempt at eating smaller portions and eating only when hungry.

We survived.

My girl & I are going to my parents this weekend to give them a little daughter/granddaughter time! We plan on taking her to the zoo so I'm sure there will be plenty of pictures next week but for now I am going to spend time with H before I go to school!

Have a fabulous weekend & don't forget to enter my giveaway!!

Daily cuteness giggles

Le Sigh

A long day but a good day. I feel like I need to do a million things (work, workout, be a mom, be a wife, cook dinner, clean, do laundry..sleep?) and I feel like there is not enough time and I have been slacking on the wife, food and cleaning department. Anthony works 2 jobs so sharing these feelings with his hardworking ass doesn't always result in the sympathy I'd like.

You are totally getting jipped on a post today because I just got home from class, its 9:30pm so I want to go to bed & I am so not witty enough to entertain.

Work is going wonderfully. School for Hayden is pretty good. She rocked the first day but Anthony dropped her off this morning and she cried for a little bit. She isn't napping more than 1.75hrs (she is used to about 5hrs a day) so I dont love that but we will see. I sometimes feel like a bad mom for putting her in school while I work even though I pick her up right after nap time. I miss her so much and feel like I am not getting enough time with her..but this job is such an amazing opportunity for our families future..AHHHHHHHHH!

Anyway..go to the top right and enter in my giveaway! 

k.thanks.bye.

daily cuteness

 when did she become a "kid"?!

::tear::

ps-is it a little too obvious that Im pmsing and emotional?

CUSTOM PHOTOBOOK GIVEAWAY!

Well kiddies, its that time again!

GIVEAWAY TIME!!!

However, this giveaway is a little different..I am doing the giveaway! 

Allow me to explain..I have made my fair share of photobooks/photo-gifts and those who have seen them appear to be big fans. I have even had a few anonymous family members pull the "how come they got that and I didnt?" after seeing the awesome photo-gifts others received! 

All in all what I am trying to say is I am pretty awesome.

I offer my services (scroll down and look to the right) to any and all who want awesome photo-gifts but don't have the incredible amount of time or patience it takes to make one.

SO to kick off my new adventure into the land of making custom photogifts I am giving one away!!

What you will win:

A 20 page 8x8 soft cover photobook custom made with your photos 

(you can opt for a hard cover but you will be responsible for the difference)

OR

A 12-month custom photo calendar made with your photos 

(includes any birthdays, anniversaries and special dates you would like typed into your calendar)

That's over a $50 value!!

WAYS TO ENTER

-Be a follower of CaliLand and leave a comment 

-Leave a comment telling me what photo-gift you would have made and who it would be for

-"Like" Ramblings from CaliLand on Facebook +1 comment

-Vote for us on Picket Fence Blogs +1 comment (can be done daily)

-Blog about this giveaway +10 comments (leave a link)

-Tweet this: "There is an awesome giveaway worth over $50 going on in CaliLand!! Check it out: WelcomeToCaliLand.blogspot.com" +2 comments (leave a link)

-Update your FB status with this: "There is an awesome giveaway worth over $50 going on in CaliLand!! Go check it out: WelcomeToCaliLand.blogspot.com" +2 comments (leave a link)

GOOD LUCK!!!

If you have a blog you will be asked to preform a review of your winnings. This will allow me to love you forever.

 ALL entries must have an email in the comment or attached to the display name so that you can be contacted in the event that you win.

Giveaway ENDS September 27, 2010 after 6pm EST

First day of work

"Get out your books and turn to page 29!"

Ok, my first day of work wasn't exactly like that but it was awesome! I often worried that I would never find a job that I love as much as I loved the alpaca farm but this may be a contender. Yes, I know..I have that first day "omgilovemyjob!!!!!!" thing going on but I really did enjoy it. It is such a different (understatement) environment than I've ever been in when working with children and I adore it! 

Its less chaotic, more civilized, more organized, more intentional and just straight up quieter than my previous children-oriented jobs. The children that attend the school are such a unique breed (for the most part) and it is really a pleasure to watch.

I am sure I will come back here with plenty of awesomesauce stories of nameless children doing hilarious things but this one will be hard to beat...

Unnamed boy had an accident (whateves, it happens to the best of us) so I got him his change of clothes and left him to change. When I came back he not only hadn't changed but was walking around the bathroom in just his tshirt and socks.  I showed him how to put on his underwear and he was convinced I was trying to show him how to put it on backwards. After many failed attempts I finally gave up and put the kid in his damn underwear and left him to put his shoes back on. About 10 minutes later my teacher and I are wondering where unnamed boy was. He is not in the classroom and does not appear to be in the bathroom. I walk into the bathroom to find his shoes strewn about yet no sign of boy. I open the stall door to find him hanging out on the floor, wedged between the wall and the toilet. AWESOME!

 In other news, I totally looked like a teacher this morning in my khakis, my white shoes and short sleeve sweater. I felt so legit!

Oh..AND my MIL had Hayden all weekend and brings her back today (hot damn I missed her!) and tomorrow is her first day at The Goddard School! I hope it goes well...for me. I know am pretty sure she will be ok. 

cute video MIL sent me this weekend

She Got a Man

When I was pregnant Anthony emailed me this. We didn't think we would have to hand it out so early but Hayden has a boyfriend. His name is Ty. He is adorable, quiet, a little bald and a fabulous dresser. 

But before I get ahead of myself lets go back in time to their courtship.

  First Date 

(Ty was about a month old and H was a few weeks old)

 

She stole his paci and he stole her heart

Lunch Date at Chilis

and then the most recent of their dates was at a friends birthday party...

He can be a very sewious boy

Copy Cats

So there you have it..I think he might need his moms help though when filling out the "Date My Daughter" form for Anthony.

Get Out Your Wallets Kids!

GO HERE!

What will you find there you may ask..you will find me begging you to donate money to cancer research. If you have been a loyal reader you know that my mom passed away from breast cancer in 1992 (when I was 7.) I am condemnable for having not dont nearly enough to help fight this asshat of a disease and I want to start making up for it..NOW..with your help! 

When I say this I mean it: Donations of ANY amount are so deeply appreciated and truly do help. I know shit is hard and we are all struggling (..and if you aren't..open that wallet bigger!) but we should be so thankful that we are healthy and alive & our babies are healthy and alive. 

Lets give them a world where they don't have to worry about losing someone they love to cancer!

REMEMBER & CELEBRATE

Lets take the power away from cancer once and for all!

Thank you in advance

...and my shamless whoring is over.

 in other news, here is a cow who apparently supports the walk.

BIG day

The day has come..I am no longer a stay at home mom, wife and p/t student. I am now a mom, wife, p/t student and p/t teachers assisstant at a Montessouri School. 

I had set it up with them to do my 60 hours of field experience there and they offered me the job. After realizing what a rare oppurtunity this was and the kind of doors it could open in the future we decided I had to take it. I could not see myself in a f/t position with Hayden so young so this is perfect..and after seeing how much she loved the gym daycare I knew the transition wouldn't be a problem (for her. Mama is a different story.)

So today Anthony met Hayden and I after work to tour The Goddard School. It was very nice and though it doesn't have the high tech appeal that some other schools I looked at did it seems to be the caring, warm and nuturing environment we want H in. So Monday starts both of our first days at school. 

While we were touring Hayden wandered off and found herself knocking on the door of the nearest classroom before Anthony could grab her. To her excitment she was asked to come in and play and she did. For an hour! 

She is such a unique personality and its really wonderful to watch. We could see her through glass and she was dancing, "feeding" the teacher play food and then pretending to eat it herself..too effin cute!! She plays by herself but when someone comes over or walks by she gives a big "HI!" and is cool if they stay and play & cool if they keep goin..she is a rock star! (bias? me? never!)

So she will most likely have a fabulous time while I am at my new job worrying that a crazed person is going to shoot up her school or that she thinks I abandoned her. Yes, I have issues. I blame Law & Order: SVU.

I will pick her up when she wakes from her nap most days but if I need to get things done (school work, laundry, grocery shopping) the school is open until 6. 

Next semester I can even take day classes if it works out!

Later today I will hear from the school to know if they could work on the tuition price for me (I am working on my bargining skills.) Wish us luck and please share any experiences you've had with going back to work, Goddard, Montessouri etc! 

I love your comments!

daily cuteness

Vacation Shmaycation

Ok, I get it. I guess it's one of those things no one wants to tell you because its better if you just experience and realize it for yourself. 

Once you have kids a "vacation" is simply a delusion-whether you are with them or not. 

I got home from Florida more tired than I was when we left..are vacations supposed to do that? I am also inclined to say that Hayden was drained as well since she still hasn't caught up on her sleep. Don't get me wrong, we had a great time! We hung out, went shopping, beached it up, pooled it up and did relax but going on vacation with your baby is anything but relaxing. My MIL and SIL did give me breaks but the breaks we get are never long enough..and even when they are you can never fully relax because we are moms therefore we worry. So when I got to relax while they took H to the pool or to breakfast, I try to relax but will always have one eye open with drowning fears, falling down fears, choking fears etc etc.. So vacation..not so much.

This weekend we have a wedding and my MIL will have H for a few days. While I am excited to sleep late, spend time with Anthony (as husband & wife instead of mama and dada) and have no pressing responsibility I will still have that one eye open with worry that she misses us or thinks we abandoned her (issues much?)...and of course, our hearts will ache because we will miss this stinky face.

10 Things To Know About Baby Signing

Nothing makes you feel more legit than being contacted by someone and asked to post an article on your blog..ya, I'm kind of a big deal.

After making sure her site got the CaliLand approval (my personal favorite are the downloadable flash cards!) Misty, the Chief Editor, sent me a few article topics and I chose '10 Things to Know About Baby Signing." Our first experience with baby signing was several years back when my cousins daughter was doing the sign for "more" and we asked what the hell she was doing. Since then Anthony has been all about it and started teaching Hayden when she was around 10 months old. She picked up "more" pretty quickly (GENIUS!) and aside from using it to tell us when she wants more food she also uses it to tell us when she is hungry or if she wants something. We love baby signing in my family and hope you gain some great info from this article as well as BabySignLanguage.com.

10 Things To Know About Baby Signing

Baby signing can’t be beaten for encouraging great communication between Mommy and baby. Whether you are just starting out or are a signing expert, here are 10 things you should know about baby signing….

1: Signing helps with bonding

Baby signing is a two-way activity, encouraging communication from parent to baby and back again. In fact, mothers who sign with their babies often feel closer to them, noticing and appreciating baby’s efforts at communication earlier than non-signing moms.

2: Children who sign as babies often speak earlier

It’s true – Baby Signing can act as a ‘stepping stone’ to verbal speech, supporting a young child’s efforts to express himself. Research has shown that babies who have early exposure to signing often have bigger speaking vocabularies when they start school.

3: Signing is easy

You can start signing with your baby by learning just a handful of signs, such as Mommy, Daddy, Milk and Diaper. Find more useful starter signs here. Once you’ve mastered these, it’s easy to build up your repertoire.

4: Dads love baby signing too

Dads sometimes feel left out of bringing up a baby, especially if Mom is breastfeeding. Signing is something baby and daddy can do together, creating a special bond.

5. You can start signing from birth

It’s never too early to start signing. The sooner you start signing to your baby, the sooner he will begin to communicate his needs back to you. You can start at any time, even from birth. Some moms even start learning the signs while baby is still in the womb!

6. Baby signing is fun

So many things these days are just plain hard work! Baby signing is supposed to fun – and that’s one of the reasons it works so well. If you’re not having fun you’re doing it wrong.

7. Flash cards help

Baby Sign Language Flash Cards are a valuable teaching aid to help you develop the signing vocabulary of your baby. Flash cards work because they are a visual stimulus for you and baby, and create extra interest in the idea or object you are signing.

8. Signing reduces toddler tantrums

Baby signing has been proven to reduce frustration and to help children through those toddler-tantrum years. Many tantrums are caused by communication frustration, and when your child can easily express what he wants he is happier and calmer – and so are you!

9. It’s a great talking point

When you and baby are out for coffee, imagine how envious your friends will be when baby tells you she’s tired, or hungry, or too hot – just by making hand gestures? Amazing! While other moms struggle through the baby years, you and your baby will be communicating happily with each other. Be sure to share your knowledge with them.

10. Baby signing can help with post-partum depression

The bonding aspects of baby signing cannot be underestimated. But post-partum depression can begin at any time, even during the second year. Many early-years programs teach Baby Sign Language to moms and babies to help build communication and trust.

TGFI (Thank Goodness For iPhones)

The following moments were captured thanks to our iPhone cameras. LOVE it! 

A few mornings my MIL let me sleep in and took pajama-clad Hayden on a "date" to "their place." 

"Their place" was Dunkin Donuts and their "date" apparently consisted of Hayden flirting with every man that walked by.

 this (blurry) picture reminds me of the line from Knocked Up:

I wish I liked anything as much as my kids like bubbles balloons!

Shes pretty gangster

 Being gangster is tiring..