Today I stopped by Target to return a pair of jeans (because they were too big, squee!), and pick up a few odds and ends, and while I was there I decided to check out the clothing sections for potential clearance items. There was a lot of junior plus size stuff on clearance, and a few racks of regular size clothing on sale; but there was a crap load of long-sleeved shirts, snow pants, robes, footed pajamas, and jeans marked down by 30%, 50%, and even 70% in the boys’ and girls’ sections! I picked up a lime green fleece pullover and a pair of gray corduroy pants for Ryan; and for Alyssa I found a pair of hot pink thermal pajamas. Score!
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Custom designed rings are an excellent Valentine’s Day gift idea. Whether you’re giving a gift to a man or a woman, your wife of thirty years or your girlfriend of five years, a custom designed ring, whether it be gold, sterling silver, or even stainless steel, can go a long way in showing your affection, devotion, and love.
I for one love custom designed rings – and I actually prefer them to be sterling silver or stainless steel! I know I’m in the minority with that preference, but in any case, custom designed rings really do go a long way in showing your significant other how much you care. It’s a gift that is chosen with much thought and care – and plenty of ♥, too.
When Alyssa was born, we didn’t have a theme. We had a Classic Pooh diaper bag, a Classic Pooh car seat & stroller duo, a Classic Pooh Pack ‘n Play, and later, a Classic Pooh highchair. But when it came to crib sheets, crib bumpers (don’t be hatin’!), stuffed animals, toys, curtains, and specific room decor, we didn’t have anything that was, well, specific. I know that there are a lot of parents who have very specific themes for their babies – such as a Hawaiian theme that is represented right down to the Hawaiian diaper bag. But others, like me, tend to wing it, either with their first child or their last.
With Ryan we did go a little theme-happy – Classic Pooh. We re-used the Pooh car seat & stroller duo, Pack ‘n Play, and highchair, and then purchased room decor and baby supplies and toys in Classic Pooh. Sometimes I feel a little bad for not doing the same with Alyssa – but that’s silly, right? Who cares what the color or print of baby stuff is, so long as it’s clean and functional, right?
Many people turn their nose up at the word “refurbished”, especially in relation to electronics, but not me! I know from experience that many refurbished computers and computer accessories (such as printers and webcams) can be just as good as their brand-new counterparts. The thing is, many refurbished computers and computer accessories are worked over by the same companies that make the brand new items. But the “refurbished” description must be added to the product since, technically, the product is not new.
I’ve had several refurbished items, including a laptop (my first one, actually), two webcams, and a printer that was a refurb when I bought it in 2005, and it’s still going strong (and doesn’t have nearly as many quirks or finicky tendencies as my eight month old printer does – go figure).
So there you have it – do your research, and save a bunch of $ by choosing refurbished over new. 
Tonight is one of those nights where I won’t be sitting around blogging, writing articles on tungsten wedding bands, or watching TV. First, I have to pick up Alyssa and her friend (my neighbor’s son) from school at 5:00pm. Then we’ll rush home and have dinner, and then rush back out at 6:00pm in order to make it to Girl Scouts at 6:30pm. Girl Scouts is over at 7:00pm, and depending on whether or not I get paid, we may or may not stop at the grocery store on the way home. Then we’ll get home, read a few books (homework), fit in a quick bath, and then the kids will go to bed and I’ll be able to sit back and relax. Whew!
How’s your Tuesday night looking?
One of the biggest and most monumental transformations a woman can make is to become a mother. It is not just a change in emotions, lifestyle and outlook, it also changes the whole dynamic of the previously one on one relationship you had with your partner pre baby. Sex is often the last thing on your mind after your body has gone through such dramatic change and women usually experience a big drop in their libido. The passionate love making which produced the offspring seems a thing of the past, and even your favourite sex toy languishes in a drawer, gathering dust. Here are some of the reasons women have given to explain their loss of desire;
- Exhaustion and tiredness.
- Physically feel and look different.
- Feel like everyone wants to invade you, especially if you’re breast feeding.
- Afraid it will be painful, maybe after difficult labour.
- Worried about waking the baby.
This is all without mentioning the hormonal roller coaster a new mother experiences and there are many others factors, which all play a contributing part. However, sex is an important part of most loving relationships and needs to be nurtured as much as your relationship to maintain a happy balance. It is a good idea to discuss your feelings with your partner and help them to understand why you have gone off sex. This will also help you to assess your own desire and maybe even consider what you can do to reignite your sex life.
If you can overcome your objections to sexual activity, you may find becoming intimate with your loved one has these beneficial effects;
- Reaffirms the bond you have with your partner.
- Reassures your partner they haven’t been pushed out.
- Helps you get back into shape.
- Makes you feel you are a sensual sexual being rather than a baby-making machine.
- Provides tension relief.
- Good opportunity to try new things
So, when and where is a good place to begin after the birth? Only you will be able to decide when the time is right for you both mentally and physically. Never feel pressured or as if you are being difficult or obstructive by not wanting sex. Maybe first try experimenting on your own with a sex toy or some lube because there could be changes to your anatomy, which you would be more comfortable discovering on your own.
Relax, take your time, and allow yourself to feel the same sensual, sexual pleasure you have previously enjoyed, just make sure that the baby is settled!
Alyssa has never been interested in doing anything with her hair, other than letting it hang free and wild. Then she complains about the knots that I have to sit and carefully and painstakingly work out of her hair. Yet she doesn’t like short hair. I’ve been threatening her with bowl cuts (how many of you women remember our mothers threatening us with them, if not actually giving them to us?), so recently she’s been a little more willing to not only let me do things with her hair, but leave the style in (rather than rip it out the minute she’s on the school bus and thus out of sight).
This morning Alyssa was semi-interested in pigtails, then perked up when I offered to braid her pigtails. The finishing touch was a sprinkling of hot pink glitter all over her hair (I sprayed her hair with hair spray first to not only prevent flyaways and wispiness, but to also help the glitter “stick”).
As much as Alyssa liked her hair this morning, I won’t be surprised if she comes home with it hanging free again, because that’s just how my child rolls.
Yesterday a few of my friends came over for several hours. One of them, Amanda, has been around my kids a lot (we’ve kid-swapped for sleepovers and such), so she knows that one thing Ryan does (related to his autism/sensory issues) is go pants-less most of the time he’s home. It’s funny, the first thing he does when he gets home from school is take off his pants – they often come off before his coat does! But the other girls, Krystal and Brandy, probably weren’t aware of this. Heh. So I warned them ahead of time (I also warned them about Ryan sometimes randomly doing a cleavage-dive with his hands – he stopped breastfeeding at 14 months old, but he still hasn’t gotten over his love of breasts!). And I talked to Ryan about keeping his pants on and his hands off, heh.
But it looks like the warnings and talks were for naught, because Ryan was so busy playing with Alyssa and with Sophie (Amanda’s daughter) that he never once took off his pants, or grabbed anyone else’s chest (but my own). Yay! I, meanwhile, did some quick social media stuff for custom engagement rings, sympathized with Amanda over her fubared Macbook (she took it to the Apple store today and found out that the hard drive is fried), and in general had a great time with friends. ♥
How was your weekend?
This is a year in which I am trying to be efficient. Efficient with money, but efficient with other things, too. Like food! Gone are the days of throwing out containers of sour cream or bushels of green onions that went bad because they went unused. I’m making more stews and casseroles and am even getting creative and adventurous with things like ricotta cheese pancakes (instead of sour cream pancakes) in order to make use of these foods. Tonight we are going to have a bunch of leftovers for dinner, rather than making a new meal. If we did that, then the leftovers would most likely wind up being tossed in the trash tomorrow, and who needs that waste? Certainly not me. Years ago I swore off merchant cash advance, after seeing my mother get herself into a huge mess with them. And this is the year I swear off the rotting of food in my refrigerator and the purging of leftovers. We’re going to use up everything instead.
The kids are off from school tomorrow because of Martin Luther King Day. Fair enough – Martin Luther King was an important figure in our history, and deserves acknowledgment each year (I did take the time to explain Martin Luther King to Alyssa and Ryan today, since they asked). But then the kids are off from school again on Friday, due to Friday being a school in-service day. What the eff? Why can’t tomorrow be the in-service day? Why must the kids have two 3-day weekends and just 3 days of school in between? Alyssa gets bored, Ryan gets antsy because of the disruption in routine, and I go crazy with sproglets underfoot.
But I’ll make the best of the time at home with the kids. We’ll do some organizing and cleaning. I may enlist Alyssa’s help in bagging up some of the things we’ll be donating. And if I go ahead and purchase the GG collection, I’ll also ask Alyssa, and perhaps Ryan, to help me carefully package up the dishes so I can donate them.
What will you be doing this week?
My name is Jenn, and I'm 27 years old. I'm happily married to my best friend and soulmate, Daniel. Together we have a six year old daughter named 
Name: Alyssa
Name: Ryan
