Tuesday, March 27, 2012

WELCOME WEDNESDAY BLOG HOP

Happy Hump Day! Spring is here! It's a great time to make some new bloggy friends and a little inspiration so I hope you join in on the hop! What better way to get over the midweek hump then to kick off your heels and check out some new blogs!





Haute Mom










Blog Hop Rules: This is a low key hop. After all...it is Welcome Wednesday, here to get the inspirational juices flowing and find other blogs we can stalk! Put those feet up, relax, and join the bloggy fun.



There are a few rules though:



1. Follow the hostess, Haute Mom and the guest hostesses. Be sure to leave a comment so that I can follow you back.



2. Follow one other blog (at least.)



3. Link up your blog for all of us to love.



4. Make an attempt to check out at least two new blogs. Don't know where to start? How about the two blogs above you? If you love the blog, become a follower and leave them a comment letting them know.



So link up! You don't have to post about the hop...but you know how we ladies work, the more the merrier. We would love it if you would help us spread the word and help Welcome Wednesday grow! One of you could be next week's spotlight guest hostess!

Published with Blogger-droid v1.7.4

Monday, March 26, 2012

There Is No "I" In Team

I am learning that parenting is like a roller coaster.

One day your child is an angel and the next, you catch a glimpse of a devil’s tail as they round the corner. As Stella gets older, I am learning that the change is more frequent and unpredictable.

One of our current challenges is getting Stella to bed. We somehow seem to be missing the “window” of optimum sleepy time and find ourselves in the hyper, second-wind stage.

With me working three 12-hour days (and being five months pregnant), my hubby and I have settled into our bedtime routine roles. I am in charge of bubbles and bath time and then I pass Stella on to her father for stories and bedtime. Sometimes, as I am drifting in and out of sleep, I can hear my husband’s attempts to calm Stella down way past 9:30 p.m.

As you can imagine, the role sharing is not always “fair” (it never is, is it.) I get to be in bed before the hubby while he sometimes struggles late into the night (late for me, that is) to get Stella down. He gets frustrated. A lot.

When the frustration arises, I have to, very gently, remind him that if we want to look at “fairness," there are plenty of other roles that I would happily trade for bedtime.

Although this is not always well received, in the end, we have to remember that our household can only be successful if both of us are involved.

Unfortunately, working full time can get in the way for both of us. Even after a long day at the office, the household still needs to be tended to, by both of us.

The other night — on one of our rare nights where we were both awake at the same time — my husband wondered aloud what we were going to do when baby number two comes. I told him we would do the same thing that we were doing now, happily (sometimes) sharing the duties of running a house with not one, but two children.

All couples argue and fight. Life is stressful with or without children. The one thing that I try to remember is that as parents, the only way to successfully run the household is to work together, in whatever way that may work.

When keeping score, it may not always appear as an even game, but in the end, it somehow works. Single parents deserve a standing ovation … and big bottle of wine.

Wednesday, March 21, 2012

WELCOME WEDNESDAY BLOG HOP

Happy Hump Day! Spring is here! It's a great time to make some new bloggy friends and a little inspiration so I hope you join in on the hop! What better way to get over the midweek hump then to kick off your heels and check out some new blogs!





Haute Mom










Blog Hop Rules: This is a low key hop. After all...it is Welcome Wednesday, here to get the inspirational juices flowing and find other blogs we can stalk! Put those feet up, relax, and join the bloggy fun.



There are a few rules though:



1. Follow the hostess, Haute Mom and the guest hostesses. Be sure to leave a comment so that I can follow you back.



2. Follow one other blog (at least.)



3. Link up your blog for all of us to love.



4. Make an attempt to check out at least two new blogs. Don't know where to start? How about the two blogs above you? If you love the blog, become a follower and leave them a comment letting them know.



So link up! You don't have to post about the hop...but you know how we ladies work, the more the merrier. We would love it if you would help us spread the word and help Welcome Wednesday grow! One of you could be next week's spotlight guest hostess!

Published with Blogger-droid v1.7.4

Monday, March 19, 2012

Mommy Must Have: Moby Wrap Giveaway

Moby Wrap was one of my favorite must-haves for Stella. During the first six weeks, the Moby Wrap was the only thing that would calm Stella down during her crying hours. It was a life saver for this haute mom! I have used it at festivals, baseball games, Disneyland.  It also allowed me to carry Stella after she turned one with ease, giving me some extra support. You can bet that I will be dusting mine off for baby #2!

Moby Wrap, an award-winning baby carrier, was receommended to me by a fellow haute mom. It is a long piece of breathable cotton that you wrap around yourself (or the wearer) to create a warm, safe environment for your baby. It is light weight and easy to take along or stow away. Moby Wrap is made for babies to 35 lbs and is machine washable. It is one of the most comfortable carriers on the market because you can wrap it to your individual body shape. There are no staps, hoops, belts, or buckles to mess with. Some people may think it is too difficult to wrap but Moby Wrap provides an easy instruction booklet for the intitial wrap and all of the baby holds. I have even used the nursing hold to nurse Stella in public! The best part is that it is very affordable!

I have tried a number of different carriers and this is my favorite. Moby Wrap has generously offered to give one of our readers a chance to try this great mommy must have! One lucky haute mom will win a solid color Moby Wrap Original of their choice!



To enter simply follow this blog and and then head on over to Moby Wrap and tell me your favorite wrap color! Please leave me one comment when you have done both of these things. This is required and must be complete before you do any of the extra entries!Extra Entries - leave one comment telling me you have done each of these.
This giveaway will end Friday, April 6th at 9 p.m. (PST). The lucky winner will be chosen by Random.org. Good luck!

Tuesday, March 13, 2012

WELCOME WEDNESDAY BLOG HOP

Happy Hump Day! March is well upon us and the blog hop is back after taking last week off! I am in need of some new bloggy friends and a little inspiration so I hope you join in on the hop! What better way to get over the midweek hump then to kick off your heels and check out some new blogs!



Haute Mom






Blog Hop Rules: This is a low key hop. After all...it is Welcome Wednesday, here to get the inspirational juices flowing and find other blogs we can stalk! Put those feet up, relax, and join the bloggy fun.

There are a few rules though:

1. Follow the hostess, Haute Mom and the guest hostesses. Be sure to leave a comment so that I can follow you back.

2. Follow one other blog (at least.)

3. Link up your blog for all of us to love.

4. Make an attempt to check out at least two new blogs. Don't know where to start? How about the two blogs above you? If you love the blog, become a follower and leave them a comment letting them know.

So link up! You don't have to post about the hop...but you know how we ladies work, the more the merrier. We would love it if you would help us spread the word and help Welcome Wednesday grow! One of you could be next week's spotlight guest hostess!

Monday, March 5, 2012

Mommy's Away...

I've been out of town for just a little over 24 hours and I have to laugh at myself. While I have been guiltily giddy over a couple of quiet nights away, I sure have been missing Stella.  I don't miss the chaos, the mess, or the cooking, but I do miss my little girl and her laugh, her smile, her toddler talk, and her smell.  I've got it bad.

This is always a reminder of how much life and priorities change once you become a mommy.  It truly shows me that I was, indeed, ready for being a mom and all of its glories and challenges.  It's nice to have that reinforced sometimes.

The hubby and I looked at one another the other day, somewhere in the middle of Stella running circles around us and drawing on the walls in crayon.  He said to me, "How are we going to do this with two?"  While the thought seems impossible at times, little nights away ease my mind that we can do it and that we are ready to do it.  Well, as ready as we will ever be. 

I don't always see other parents grasp parenthood.  I love a night out with the girls or a weekend getaway without Stella, but those things always bring me to one place.  I am a mom.  No matter how I dress, where I go, or how many glasses of chard I may have (not now, of course), my main role is being a mom to Stella and soon to be baby #2.  I come home happy to get back into that role, missing my little girl. I sure am enjoying this comfy bed and quiet room right now... But as much as I need a break sometimes, I am more grateful for what awaits me at home.