a lesson in perspective

I started the last day of 2010 feeling a little sorry for myself. I woke up beyond exhausted after a night of listening to my little man cough and cough and cough.

And for once, it wasn't L. Poor G-man had been hacking all night long.

I called the pediatrician, bundled us all up, and headed in. As soon as the doctor heard G cough, he looked concerned. This man is ridiculously laid-back, so the look on his face panicked me. He asked how long G had been coughing like that and when I told him two weeks (before you call DFS, this was his third trip to the doctor in that time), he immediately sent us to the lab for a chest xray.

As I sat waiting in the gross urgent care room for the xray, I got teary. Why are my kids always sick? Why do my kids have to be the ones with allergies and asthma that apparently cannot be controlled?

And then a mom came in, carrying her little boy whose cough silenced the entire room. This little guy had a scary cough. He couldn't catch his breath. His mom told me that they'd been doing breathing treatments every. ten. minutes. the entire night.

It was then that I thanked God for the lesson in perspective as well as for the health of my kids.

So I have two little boys who aren't exactly the picture of health. Asthma sucks the big one. Food allergies are a pain in the arse. But to say it could be worse is quite the understatement. G's tests all came back negative. L's asthma has only landed him in the ER on one occasion. We've got this food allergy thing down...in fact, we are eating healthier than we ever have.

So I don't get to stay home with my boys, even part-time as I'd hoped. It's just not in the cards for us, financially. But I got to stay home with G at least part-time until he was four months old. G stays with my mom and a friend of ours, and L goes to a school that's so good I'd want him to go even if I did stay home. Plus, I love my job. A lot. And how many people can say that, and mean it?

So G went from rocking out 8-hour nights every!single!night! to only making it 3-4 hours before waking up to eat...or worse, just party. Even though I am going back to work full-time on Monday, I don't need sleep

sleep deprivation is getting easier

I am very tolerant of the lack of sleep knowing it's temporary

....New Year's Resolution #1: Find a way to survive on less sleep.

Happy 2011!

Wordless Wednesday: When did he get so big?

Two for Tuesday...more L stories.

Yesterday, L and I had just finished reading a book before naptime, and as always, he asked, "Will you lay wif me?" I snuggled in, along with G.

"You need to have anover baby," said L.

After my heart restarted, I asked, "Oh? A boy, or a girl?"

"A girl," L answered without hesitation.

"And what should her name be?" I inquired.

"Baby Jesus," L replied.

Apparently he realizes the miracle that B and I agreeing to have another baby would be.

***********

Later that night, I was cooking dinner.

L looked at me, bewildered.

"What are you doing?" he asked.

"Making dinner," I answered.

"But why? What are you doing??" he asked, clearly confused.

"Uh, I'm browning chicken so we can eat it," I answered, wondering about his lack of understanding.

"Mommy, you are NOT 'da cooker!"

I looked at L. This time, I was the confused one.

"Daddy cooks dinner, not you! You are not 'da cooker!"

You know you don't cook often enough when your 3 year old busts you on it.

You know you want to.

Can you guys do me a big favor? Please?

Can you go to that link next to your picture on your Dashboard that says "Edit Profile" and click it, and then mark the box under Privacy that says "Show my e-mail address"?

Pretty please?

So many of you comment and I really want to respond to your comment via e-mail, but you have that whole "noreply-comment" thing going on.

And if you are worried about your real name being out there for the blogosphere to know, just create a blog e-mail like I did (namastebyday@gmail.com). It takes two seconds.

****Thanks to Katie for reminding me of how to allow e-mail comments...she shows unending patience with my need to be walked through everything!

The post in which I hope I don't come off as a greedy brat

I have a confession to make. I absolutely love to receive gifts. Before you judge, know that it doesn't have to be expensive in the slightest to excite me. Honestly, if someone brings me a pack of my favorite gum or burns me a CD, I become giddy. I know that Christmas isn't about the gifts, as I posted a few weeks ago. But I admit it...I love giving and receiving (without going overboard financially). So sue me.

B, on the other hand, doesn't care nearly as much about gifts. He doesn't like opening them in front of people and he typically doesn't like things I buy him, at least at first. There have been times, like the Great Label Maker Debacle of 2008, when he originally thinks he hates the gift I pick out for him, and then can't live without it.

Usually, I spell out exactly what I want for holidays. I've even been known to order it online for myself. This year, I told him I wanted a foot massager, but I wanted him to do the research and find a decent one. Apparently, I offended him with that comment and he said he could handle my gifts just fine on his own.

And did he ever.

I got a gift certificate for.....




....and the most delicious chocolate ever created (the label says Dark Chocolate 60% Cacao)
....and the gift that keeps on giving (and lasts oh so much longer now that I've removed dairy from my diet due to breastfeeding. Who knew that Starbucks' delicious iced Black teas were half the price of mochas? Plus, I swear the tea increases my milk production. That's what I choose to believe, anyway.)

....but my man really outdid himself with the Mack Daddy of foot massagers. I was seriously thinking I'd get one of those wooden bars to rub my feet over. B busted this one out and I might have screamed a little. I have plantar fasciitis and bone spurs, and am constantly complaining about my foot pain. This thing squeezes...hard. It rolls, it kneads, it vibrates. If I didn't love B so much for buying it for me, I might replace him with it. (I kid, I kid.)


What was YOUR favorite gift that you gave or received?

Happy Birfday, indeed.

In order to understand this whole post, you have to read my very whiny Christmas post first.

My little brother is 26 months younger than me, and we've always been good friends. He's super witty and has always made me laugh harder than anyone. Last night was no exception. He presented me with a birthday present in a very special bag, decorated by him.









Later, I sent him a text to thank him for the gorgeous masterpiece. After the initial thank-you, our texts were as follows:

Me: The tree might be my favorite even though it got chopped down.

Bro: It was inspired by the giving tree. Even though it was chopped down it still provided fire for the smores.

Me: L likes that book. Maybe I can add the bag to the rotation of bedtime stories. I will leave out Elvis dying on the toilet, though.

Bro: It's better he learns from you than on the streets.

Me: Good point. Did you know that Santa wrote him a letter? It explained that his cape was going to be late. Perhaps I should have asked L's creative uncle for an excuse.

Bro: After tonight I think I might tell him Rudolph ate too many cookies before he flew and threw up in your kitchen, then Santa had to clean it up with his cape. I don't know it just seems like that sort of thing is possible.

Touche.

Hope you all find something silly today that makes you giggle. Merry Christmas, and namaste.

Merry frickin' Christmas.

On L's first Christmas, he was about 9 months old. He was sick with a terrible stomach virus that lasted through New Year's Eve. We were so sad for him, but we knew that he wouldn't even remember missing all the festivities of his first Christmas, and there was always next year.

And then he was sick in 2008, at 1 year and 9 months old. Again, we were sad for him, but we knew he really didn't get Christmas that year, and there was always next year.

Last year, we made it to the Christmas celebrations, but he was still fighting a cold. We all were. So we were upset that we still couldn't enjoy Christmas to the fullest, but of course, we said there was always next year.

This year, I've been obsessively worrying...even more so than usual. It seems like everyone we know has had strep and/or a stomach virus and I've been beyond psychotic with the hand sanitizer and trying to avoid germs. We made it to the Christmas service at my church on my birthday. I started to get my hopes up. Yesterday, L was visiting the bathroom more often than usual, and every time he went, I'd break out into a sweat, fearing the worst. But he seemed fine. I said a few extra prayers, hoping against hope that this year he'd finally be healthy.

G, however, has caught the cold that L had last week. Poor guy has a bad cough, but the doctor checked him out on Monday, and his ears and lungs sounded fine. Every day I frantically feel his head 2036809 times, worrying that the little cold was going to turn into something worse, ruining Christmas again.

We made it to my brother's house tonight for our Christmas Eve celebration and I finally started to breathe a little easier.

Just as I started to really relax, L threw up all over their kitchen floor.

My mom kept saying that something just got caught in his throat and gagged him, but I knew.

I wanted to leave before exposing everyone, including my pregnant sister-in-law, to this year's Christmas bug, but everyone insisted that we stay. L wanted to go home, so we decided to open our gifts quickly. L's scooter, Batmobile, and Harry Potter legos perked him up, so against my instinct, I reluctantly agreed to stay for dinner.

I glanced at L, riding his scooter around my brother's house, and noticed that he looked pale. He sighed and peered up at me with dark-ringed eyes. I got up from the table to feel his head...sure enough, burning up.

We packed up our things and headed home.

And as I type this, poor L has a 102 degree fever, diarrhea, and a headache.

There's always next year.

So what if I failed to mention on this post that not only was L's shirt three sizes too small, it also didn't match his pants, and neither did his hoodie? I've already told his teachers that we encourage his independence in getting himself dressed in the morning, so I can blame it on him. Er, I mean, um...moving on.

So what if I didn't take a shower all day Monday...and went to L's Christmas party, did a little Christmas shopping, and took G to the doctor? I used body spray and no one got that close.

So what if I have seven games of Lexulous going on Facebook? I'm not addicted...I can quit anytime I want.

So what if I make L put my shoes away in my closet every night after I kick them off in the living room upon returning home from work? He likes it, I swear.

So what if I like to pretend that the last-day-of-school parties, sing-alongs, and all-around fun are all celebrations of my birthday today? I've gotten enough birthday gifts that are wrapped in holiday paper that I deserve to at least imagine that people don't forget about my birthday?

To what are you saying 'So What' this week?

Squeezing in one more mom-fail in 2010

On Friday afternoon, I realized that I hadn't gotten Christmas outfits for the boys.

And we had our Christmas party with B's dad's family in two days.

B had a really bad cold. I knew he'd rather I dig his eyeballs out with spoons than ask him to come shop, at the mall, for clothes for the boys.

I figured I could do it. I could take both boys to the mall. After picking G up from the sitter's, I took a deep breath and mustered my courage. I had G in my pouch sling and L by the hand. We started in JCPenney and were unsuccessful in finding Christmas shirts, but L found a Lightning McQueen shirt that he had to have. I bribed rewarded him for good behavior by buying it for him.

You have to understand. I had worked all day. I was physically and emotionally tired, and I braved the mall, which I hate, alone. In Penney's, L announced that he had to poop, so we hit the bathroom. He insisted on getting on the toilet independently, which required him taking off his pants, and therefore his shoes. In a public bathroom. If I hadn't been wearing G, I might have fought him on it.

When we finally got into the mall, L loudly declared that he had to poop again, so I had to hurry him all the way down to the end of the wing.

There, he decided that the urge had passed. The relief not to deal with the shoes/pants issue was greater than my frustration at that point.

However. we ended up with adorable matching shirts for half off, so all the craziness was worth it. And therefore, L was, ahem, rewarded, with his new Lightning McQueen shirt (which was also on clearance, thankyouverymuch). I quickly checked the size on the hanger and away we went, shirt in hand.

He tried it on for B when we got home. B asked if it was pajamas and said something about it being small. As usual , I was distracted and blew him off, going about my merry way.

Today, L asked if he could wear his cool new shirt to school. Of course I let him. Thankfully, I put a hoodie over said shirt and he wore it all day at school. When B got home, he said, "You let him wear that to school??"

I finally took a moment to look at L.

Huh.

The shirt was quite snug.

And short.

The sleeves appeared to be of the three-quarter length variety.

L typically wears a 5T. I checked the tag, and burst out laughing.

"Is it a 4t?" B asked.

I kept laughing.

"A 3T???"

My cheeks began to hurt from giggling so hard.

I sent my kid to school, on Christmas party day, when several other kids were in their cute holiday outfits, in a 2T shirt...three sizes too small.

(Please excuse the pile of cardboard behind L...it's waiting to go into the now-full recycle bin)

The good news is that G is going to get an almost brand-new shirt soon. And L's teachers probably feel so much pity for him that he'll get some extra special attention.

I'll shoot for Mother of the Year in 2011. Something tells me I'm out of the running this year.

Silent Sundays: His rolls have rolls.

What goes around....

I am happy to announce my giveaway winner...

I used a random number generator as always and I gotta say, I'm pretty stoked that another green-loving earth mama scored this one.

The winner is....

(bongo) drumroll please......

ABBIE!

Must be meant to be...I just won a giveaway from Abbie not too long ago! What goes around comes around, right? Yay!

Abbie, e-mail me at namastebyday@gmail.com and we'll get you hooked up.

In the meantime, head on over to Shakedown Surplus and pick out a gift for your favorite flower child.

Namaste.

A giveaway from Shakedown Surplus? Right on, man.

My dad has always told me I was born in the wrong era.

You see, according to him, I should have been born in the 50's so I could have really enjoyed the late 60's and early 70's.

And, well, he's not the only one who has told me that.

Considering my (mostly) liberal views, my penchant for peace signs, my uber-casual wardrobe, my love of music from that era, and my save-the-earth mindset, I'm kind of a hippie.

Well, a clean hippie. B likes to remind me that I shower far too often to really qualify as a true flower child. And the fact that I can't go even one day without shaving (hello Italian heritage) also disqualifies me as being really Bohemian.

But anyone who knows me well knows I'm a little bit hippie-esque.

And honestly? I'm proud of it.

So the other day, when I was browsing Etsy, I found Shakedown Surplus.

And oh my goodness did I feel a connection with Tiffany, the shop owner. A girl who carries hemp cell phone cases and made this bag that I so desperately want...how could I not love her?

So I started chatting with Tiffany, and as most hippie-ish people are, she was super friendly. She agreed to not only give me some products for a review, but also wants to hook one of my blog readers up with a giveaway.

Not only was Tiffany a sweetheart, she was also beyond generous. She sent me a flaxseed and lavender pouch that made my whole mailbox smell amazing. You can heat or freeze them for your eyes and let me tell you, they are phenomenal. I love the smell of real lavender and it didn't disappoint. It is well-made and I am officially in love with an inanimate object. This thing rocks.



She also sent me not one, but two necklaces that made me so happy. They are hemp, of course, and have charms attached. One says "peace," and the other? "Namaste." She says she can do any word you want, and her stamping is gorgeous. Check it out.


The coolest thing about these necklaces is that they are adjustable, so you can change the length according to your outfit.

And in true Bohemian fashion, I took a picture of myself sans makeup and, well, without running a brush through my (desperately needs to be colored) hair to show one of them off.


Did I really just post that unflattering picture of me on the internet? Yeah, I think I did. Let's focus on the beauty of the necklace, shall we?

I digress.

The good news is that one of you is going to win one of these items!

How to enter....

1. Head on over to Shakedown Surplus' shop and check out her items. Come on back here and tell me your favorite item as well as whether you'd choose an eye pouch or a necklace of your choice if you win.

2. You can get up to two extra entries by blogging and/or tweeting about this giveaway. Leave me a separate comment linking to your post/tweet.

Good luck...and peace, man.

Marriage is three parts love and seven parts forgiveness of sins. ~Langdon Mitchell

My husband and I never fight.

Oh, sure, we get aggravated with each other sometimes. We might even make a crack about the other's annoying habits from time to time.

But actual yelling, slamming doors, really angry fights? It simply doesn't happen.

Well.

Except for the first few weeks couple of six months after we have a baby.

Because then all bets are off.

My husband is pretty freakin' amazing. Seriously. The man cooks dinner every.single.night. He does all the laundry (including folding and putting it away). He bought maxipads for me after I gave birth.

But none of that seems like enough after we have a baby. The combination of sleep deprivation+worry over the baby and the big brother and their health and our schedules and finances and whether the bottles are clean for the babysitter and fifty million other things...well, it apparently makes me forget what a gem my husband is.

I have recently lost it over the fact that he sighed when he picked up my dirty clothes off the bathroom floor. Because hello...I was probably rushing to get out of the shower to feed the baby since I am the only one who does that. So he needs to cut me a break on the clothes on the floor. Geez.

And that led to me going off about how I don't say anything when he leaves trash on the counter two inches from the trash can, or how he can't put dishes in the dishwasher, or how he leaves random crap on my dresser.

This fight was totally separate from the one where I yelled at him about the fact that he has absolutely no ability to multitask. That night, I was already late for the gym and had to hold G because he couldn't pick up a screaming baby and warm up a hot dog for L at the same time. I may or may not have gone on about how I have both kids on my own every morning and at least once a week when he works late.

You know, because he is putting in extra hours at a stressful job so that I can shop. And get my hair done. And have a gym membership. Because even though G screams the entire time I'm gone(which also has frustrated me at times), B never asks me not to leave.

With all honesty, I don't know what I'd do without him.

Even when he completely ignores me when I talk to him.

Or forgets our plans for the 239580238th time.

Or insists on keeping the house so cold and dark that I swear he's part vampire.

Or is so tense when he holds G that it's contagious and it turns into a vicious cycle.

Or sucks at that whole multi-tasking thing.

It doesn't make having a baby any easier on a marriage. It's hard. Really hard. I'm ashamed to admit that we've argued in front of L, who has asked us to stop. Thankfully, that's only happened once or twice,and I'm invariably the only one who loses control,but it's still not even remotely okay. Fortunately, we know how to fight respectfully, and when to walk away,and by the grace of God, our marriage remains strong.

For our anniversary in October, he gave me a card that made me cry. It talked about how one day, we'll look back at this time in our life and wonder how we did it all. That when it's just the two of us, we'll remember these days and smile fondly at the craziness that was our life.

One day, he won't answer me when we are watching tv not because he's ignoring me, but because his hearing aid isn't turned up loud enough. I'm sure that will irritate me too.

But whether I'm in my 30's or my 80's, there's no one else at whom I'd rather roll my eyes.

Pendant Winner!

The winner of the Pieces of Me Pendants giveaway is.... Lucy Marie!

I love me some Lucy,but I promise I used a random number generator and she won, fair and square. Must be their Canadian connection! Anyway, congrats to Miss Lucy...e-mail me and we'll get you your prize, lady!

Trying blurbs on for size

My blogfriend/Twitter-life-guru Jess posts these great posts that she refers to as blurbs (or any hysterical variation of the word 'blurb') and due to the fact that I have had a profound case of blogger's block as of late, I'm blurbin' it up tonight. Here goes nothin'.

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I'm not a fan of a particular baby seat, but I'm not going to call it out here by name. If you are curious, email me. I don't think they are terrible, but several physical and developmental therapists I know warn against prolonged use of them. Apparently, overuse of them can actually delay sitting up. But I went to my girl Laura's house one night this week and she suggested putting G in her munchkin's old seat. So we did. And he kinda liked it. So I...gasp...agreed to borrow it. Ironically (or maybe not ironically), G has decided that he hates it now. That's what I get.

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I've finally joined the land of the skinny jeans. I'm always so reluctant to try new styles. I was the last one to buy leggings. But the skinnies? So cute, and way more flattering than I thought. I got a pair of Classic Cardy Uggs for my birthday and decided they were too cute not to show off. So I got a pair of preowned skinny jeans from eBay, fell in love, and promptly went to Kohl's and found three more pairs of skinny pants on the clearance rack. Don't be shocked when I'm wearing skinny pants and Uggs in every picture you ever see of me in the next six months. I become a bit obsessive like that.

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G is a teething little man. And before you say he's too young or you thought your kid was teething for months before you actually saw proof of teeth, let me just tell you that the little white chompers are visible. I actually ordered that ridonculously expensive Sophie the teether because of the reviews my blog besties gave. I am happy to report that I found it (new, don't worry) on eBay for a steal. Here's hoping that Sophie is all she's cracked up to be.

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We are still loving our new church. B says that he feels like every week, the pastor chips a little bit of his angst away. How great is that? At some point during each and every service, I laugh, and also invariably get choked up. It's pretty amazing. L gets super excited too.Tonight, he told us the whole Christmas story after hearing it in the kids' ministry. There isn't much cuter than a 3 year old saying that "Mary and Joseph had nowhere to 'sweep' so dey had to stay in a barn! And Mary was so scared. But den da angel came and said 'Don't be afraid, da baby is God's son' and so she wasn't scared any more. And den Jesus was born! Da angels said, 'Jesus is born! Jesus is born!' And Christmas morning is Jesus' birfday!" Seriously...adorable.

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I have several giveaways and reviews coming up. And lucky for you, they are all amazing Etsy sellers. Soon I'm going to add my favorite shops to the sidebar so keep your eyes peeled. I don't want my blog to turn into one giant advertisement, but I love me a good giveaway and I love supporting Etsy shops, so I figure it's a win-win. Especially when the blogger's block is hitting hardcore. If you have an Etsy shop and want to join the Namaste By Day Etsy seller fun, hit me up!

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My transition back to work has gone amazingly well. I am still working half-days, which is wonderful, but a part of me is actually really excited to go back full-time. I'll miss G like crazy but I know it's good for him to be away from me,and the fact that I'm very comfortable with his sitters definitely helps. Plus, I laugh so much at work; it really is a fun place to go each day. My officemate and I swear that our work life could be a top-rated reality show. The other day, I was explaining to a student exactly why it's a bad idea to pick his nose and eat it while trying not to laugh at her, standing behind him, pretending to dig for gold in her own shnoz and chow down. Maybe you had to be there but my job...it's fun.

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Hmmm. I'm really loving this blurb thing. Perhaps I should make it a weekly thing. I think I need to come up with my own word for 'blurbs' though...any ideas?

Namaste.

Another leg of the postpartum body journey

It's been a while since I posted a post-partum body update. The last time I did, I was 11 days postpartum, and looked like this: And now, 15 weeks postpartum, I look like this! Yep, still got the poochy belly. My trainer says it can take up to six months for your uterus to completely shrink. Anyone else heard that?

You may have heard me screaming last night at the gym, though, because I was weighed and measured. I found out that in the past eight weeks, I have lost 4 inches in my waist, 2 in my hips,and 1 in my thigh. If that wasn't exciting enough, I also lost nine pounds. Nine! That means I am three pounds lighter than when I got pregnant!

So the plan now is to step it up. I'm going to start a Body Pump class this weekend. That means I will be taking a 70-minute spin class on Saturdays, a Body Pump class on Sundays, a training session(which consists of a full-body workout) midweek, and also turbokick and/or yoga. If I miss any of these, I'll practice yoga either in a class or at home.

Confession: It makes me tired just typing that out, but I figure it will help me stick to my plan. I'm determined to get a smaller belly and bigger arms, and unfortunately, sitting on the couch, eating peppermint ice cream while watching The Biggest Loser is not going to get me there. Neither will these delicious kettle cooked potato chips, which I am honestly eating as I type this.

Now if you'll excuse me while I go wipe the grease off my hands and reluctantly get out my carrot sticks....

Happy Birthday to Me, er, You....

The other day, a friend of mine (hi, Mel!) sent me a text, asking if I'd heard of Etsy.

"Are you kidding?" I replied. "I did half my Christmas shopping there."

It's true...I got lots of things on Etsy. But there's one thing I've been drooling over forever that I haven't bought for myself yet...a Scrabble tile pendant. Have you guys seen these? They are made out of actual Scrabble tiles and I've seen so many cute ones. For instance, Pieces of Me Pendants has several that I'd love. Here are a few of my favorites...





Gorgeous, right?

Well, guess what. Even though I haven't bought myself one, I've decided that one of my lucky readers needs one.

So...drumroll please...I'm hosting a giveaway and you can choose a pendant and a chain!

How to enter this contest:

1) Visit the sponsor’s shop. Pieces Of Me Pendants http://www.etsy.com/shop/PiecesOfMePendants

2) Return here to Namaste By Day and post a comment telling me which pendant you would like to win and either ball or snake chain.

3.) My birthday is on December 22. If you buy me a pendant or any other birthday gift, you get three extra entries. I kid. Sort of.

I will choose a winner this Sunday, December 12, at 7 pm CST.

Good luck!

You snooze, you lose....

On Friday, L slept in until about 8:30, which is super late for him.

I brought him to school and warned his teachers that he might not take a nap. I felt bad, because I remember when I taught preschool, how priceless naptime was, and how maddening it was when any of the kids didn't sleep. His teachers smiled, assured me that would be fine, and I went on with my day.

When I picked him up from school, they were giggling before they could even get the story out.

L got on his cot at naptime, and as I predicted, was a little too energetic to sleep. Once all of his friends fell asleep, the little shit my angel decided he needed a partner in crime.

So he kicked his buddy's cot until he woke up.

Evidently, the kids started to become human dominoes...one waking up the next, and so on.

So they moved L to a spot where he could play without waking any of the other kids. Once he was settled, they tried to get back to the other kids to save some of their naps. Unfortunately, they were too late. My L had robbed the teachers of their precious naptime break. Every student was awake.

Well, except for one.

Yep, my L had, in the meantime, fallen fast asleep.

Perhaps I need to add a little something to his teachers' gifts for Christmas, huh? God knows they've earned it.

Silent Sunday: Me and my (red-cheeked, teething) little big guy