Mamahood.org

How to make your own baby gift basket

Jenn — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 00:47:10 +0000

Whether you’re attending a baby shower or simply looking to give a nice gift to an expecting mother that you know of, a baby gift basket would make a wonderful choice. Baby gift baskets have been around for a long time, and while their prices, patterns and colors may differ as trends come and go, generally the contents the remain the same. A baby gift basket should provide an expecting mother with a few essentials and goodies to help her take care of her baby.

What does a typical baby gift basket look like? Well, this lovely gift basket for a baby boy from babystuffgifts.com is a perfect example:

This basket shows layettes and washcloths and such as its contents, but really, anything that would be useful for a baby and able to fit in a basket would certainly qualify! Here are some great ideas for items to put inside baby gift baskets:

baby bottles
pacifiers
diaper cakes
receiving blankets
soft, hand-held toys for the baby to hold
breastfeeding essentials for the new mama
childrens clothes for older siblings

Once you have the items picked out, the only thing left to do is purchase a large wicker basket, and line it with some soft, baby-themed fabric and/or tissue paper and/or cellophane. Then, throw everything together and make it presentable!

iteya.com can help you get Amazon GCs

Jenn — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 23:58:51 +0000

With the way our current economy is, I was looking to see if there were any ways I could save money and get free rewards from online shopping. While searching, I came across several sites, such as MyPoints, Swagbucks, and Ebates. At first, these sites looked appealing. However, when I looked into them further, the coupons they listed were limited. I also found out you had to spend hundreds of dollars just to get $5 or $10 worth of rewards back.

I then encountered Iteya.com. There are two great things I can say about this site. The first thing is that it doesn’t just list store coupons and deals, but their sales and clearances as well. This is the first site I’ve seen like this. Many stores have sale and clearance sections of their site where you can save 50-90% of what you would normally pay, and there was no way I would know about these if it weren’t for Iteya.

The second great thing about this site is that the rewards are actually attainable. When you create a free account on Iteya, you get 1,000 Iteya Points and you can earn more by shopping online. Once you get enough of these, you can redeem them for Amazon.com gift certificates (which I love because you can get anything there). Here’s a list of what each gift card is worth.

• $5 Amazon GC = 10,000 Iteya Pts.
• $10 Amazon GC = 18,500 Iteya Pts.
• $25 Amazon GC = 43,000 Iteya Pts.
• $50 Amazon GC = 80,000 Iteya Pts.
• $75 Amazon GC = 110,000 Iteya Pts.
• $100 Amazon GC = 140,000 Iteya Pts.

The average store on Iteya can earn you about 100 Iteya Points for every dollar you spend, although it can get up to 750. That means you can usually get a $5 Amazon.com gift card reward for $100 or less (as opposed to several hundred dollars with the other sites I mentioned above). You can also save up your Iteya Points to get a better value on your gift card.

Iteya offers free and cheap ways to earn Iteya Points as well. For example, you can earn 10,000 Iteya Points for trying a free trial of Shockwave Unlimited on Shockwave.com. All you have to do is create an account and cancel your subscription within 10 days, and then you get $5 Amazon gift certificate.

You can also earn a ton of Iteya Points on some other game sites. For instance, if you try 5 free games on Gameduell, you will get 1,000 Iteya Points. Then when you make a $10 deposit, you will earn an additional 30,000 Iteya Points. You can also earn another 30,000 Iteya Points by making a $5 deposit onto King.com. All this together is 61,000 Iteya Points, and if you include the 1,000 Iteya Point sign up bonus, that’s 62,000. That can get you $35 worth of Amazon.com gift certificates for only $15. Plus, if you withdraw what you deposit, it’s free. How cool is that?

Here’s some other free and easy point offers on Iteya:

• Big Contacts free account = 2,000 Iteya Points
• Charles Tyrwhitt first purchase = 8,000 Iteya Points + 80 Pts/$ spent
• DailyOM free courses = 1,000 Iteya Points
• From You Flowers orders = 15,000 Iteya Points
• Magazines.com orders = 1,000 Iteya Points on free B2B Publications
• Masterbeat.com free account = 2,000 Iteya Points
• Match.com orders = 750 Pts/$ spent
• MyPypeline.com free account = 5,000 Iteya Points
• Picaboo free account = 1,000 Iteya Points + 20,000 Iteya Points on first order
• Progene Healthcare free trial = 20,000 Iteya Points
• ShopNBC first purchase = 10,000 Iteya Points + 50 Points/$ spent
• Sirius Satellite Radio receiver & radio orders = 20,000 Iteya Points
• VistaPrint = 3,000 Iteya Points + 150-200 Pts/$ spent
• Wirefly cell phone plans = 35,000-65,000 Iteya Points

As you can see, Iteya has a ton of great offers, and the ones I listed just scratch the surface. You can also earn 2,500 Iteya Points for each friend you refer. There’s applications on the site that allow you to invite all your email and social networking contacts at once, so if you’re the kind of person who has hundreds of Myspace and Facebook friends, you’ll have the potential to earn a ton of Iteya Points.

It’s so easy to save money and earn free Amazon gift cards with this site. It’s definitely one you shouldn’t miss out on.

Ceiling fan plz!

Jenn — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 02:23:20 +0000

I want a ceiling fan. Actually, make that plural. I want ceiling fans. I always slept quite well as a child, and I attribute that to the rotating fans, window fans and window air conditioner units that were always present throughout the warm months. And in the winter, I always had a furnace near my bedroom, so I would listen to that hum away. And in the house I lived in from the time I was 13 until I was 18, I had an actual ceiling fan, plus the furnace was right outside my bedroom door. That fan was on almost 24/7, and the furnace churned away year round, pumping out hot air during the winter, and cool air (central AC for the win!) during the summer.

What got me thinking about ceiling fans? Well, my kids slept SO well in the motel we stayed in during our four day jaunt to the beach (Ocean City, MD), and I think part of it had to do with the loud wall AC unit that ran 24/7. There’s just something about white noise that really lulls you to sleep. ♥

A rough start to a quiet weekend

Jenn — Sat, 20 Jun 2009 23:10:52 +0000

Kids + chocolate are always a good mix, except when you have a dog. In summary, Leah, my 16 lb. Pug, got a hold of some semi-sweet chocolate. She ingested anywhere from 2-6 ounces worth, though considering how much was left in the bag, and how much she has vomited, I’m leaning more towards 6 ounces. I found out last night when she started vomiting, so I rushed her to the emergency vet as soon as he got home from work. $400 and three and a half hours later, we were on our way home. She was quite sick and weak, but she’ll recover and be okay.

As for me? I am absolutely exhausted. I stopped to pick up food for dinner tonight on the way home, so by the time I got home, got Leah settled in, prepared dinner (crock pot meal) and got into bed, it was almost 5am.

FYI, Alyssa and I had a serious discussion about the importance of keeping chocolate IN the kitchen, and telling me immediately if Ryan takes any out of the kitchen, because we don’t want Leah to get very sick and have to go to the dog hospital again. Oy.

With that said, I’m going to go check out some Newport Rhode Island wedding make-up, and try to fix my husband’s laptop. We’re having some issues with the network card and graphics card. Argh. HP definitely dropped the ball with that particular laptop.

Have you shopped for Father’s Day yet?

Jenn — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 17:27:32 +0000

Father’s Day is just two days away, so now’s the time to get out and purchase cards and whatever gifts you’re going to give to the fathers in your life. As for me, I sent a card to my dad, and I’ll be giving Daniel something nice for Father’s Day. I’d say what it is, but he reads this blog, so I better now. I will tell you (and him, bwahaha) that it can be purchased at Target!

Speaking of Father’s Day, have you heard about the Kaenon Father’s Day Promotion? Basically, if Brian Gay or Robert Allenby win the U.S. Open on Father’s Day (that’s Sunday, June 21st!), they’ll send shoppers a special promo code that entitles them to a FREE sunglasses order. Of course, you’ll need to sign up for the mailing list so that you can get that code.

Cream of wheat is the shit

Jenn — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 17:36:00 +0000

If there’s one thing that sucks about trying to feed a family of four, it’s finding something that everyone likes. Breakfast is a real challenge for me, and I admit that most of the time, I offer up scrambled eggs and toast, waffles or pancakes, or cold cereal, and sometimes hot cereal. Cream of wheat is one thing that Alyssa AND Ryan both enjoy, and since I love it too, it’s not a big deal to make a big pot of it for breakfast.

I have always loved cream of wheat, hot or cold (yes, I sometimes make it cold). It’s quite filling, and easy to make. Another great thing about cream of wheat? It’s low in fat. Just make sure to use water or 1% milk, and you’re good to go. For me, it’s nice to know that I can put any thoughts of a best diet pill out of my head when I’m scarfing down a bowl of cream of wheat, because it’s low in calories and in fat grams.

And with that said, I think I’m going to make a bowl of it. I’m starving!

Look at those bags!

Jenn — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 18:06:51 +0000

I’m turning 25 on Saturday, but I swear I carry around the under-eye bags that most 40 year old women are sporting. I blame motherhood. Let’s face it, being a parent is a 24/7, 365 job, and in the moments you’re not parenting you’re busy cooking, cleaning, doing laundry, working, and perhaps even grabbing a little bit of time for yourself!
I’m so tempted to try some eye cream, but I can’t bring myself to quite do it, as it means admitting that I’m “aging” and may need some outside help to combat the signs of it. Heh. But there are plenty of reviews on best eye creams (speaking of reviews, check out the recent stuff I’ve posted to In My Bag!), so I guess it wouldn’t hurt to try one or two. Because bags are just very unattractive!

Anyway, I need something to do. I have work to do, but I just want to relax and mush around a bit more. I need to get some food, as the food here in the hospice center is for the patients, I believe. There’s some leftover Chinese food in the fridge still, but I’ve had it up to my eyeballs with Chinese. I’ve eaten more of it in the past week than I have in the past two months! But getting food = leaving the hospice center, and I’m not sure if I should. My grandfather’s time left really is numbered in hours at worst, days at best (or, in terms of ending his suffering AND ours, hours at best, days at worst), so I don’t really want to leave him. He’s sleeping, but he responds when he hears us, so I want to continue to give him that comfort and assurance.

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Currently listening to: Sarah McLachlan – Just Like Me (Feat. DMC)

I miss my kidlets.

Jenn — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 17:58:14 +0000

I love how quiet it is here at the hospice center (though I am very unhappy with why I am here in the first place), but I do miss Alyssa and Ryan. A lot. I really haven’t seen much of them in the past week. On Tuesday I was gone from 8pm until 2am. On Wednesday I was gone from 12pm until 6pm Thursday. I left at 8pm and was gone until 2am. On Friday I left at 7pm and didn’t get back until 1am. Saturday I had the kids with me for errands, but left Ryan with Dan at 5pm and took Alyssa with me. On Sunday — that would be yesterday — I left by 7pm, and haven’t been back home yet.
*sigh*

I’m looking forward to this all being over, so I can grieve properly, and get some rest and reconnect with my family! Right now I’m living out of a personalized tote bag that was a gift from Dan’s aunt last summer, my purse, and my laptop bag and camera bag. I feel like such a bag lady when I load up with everything!

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Currently listening to: T.I. ft Rihanna – Live Your Life

A future photographer?

Jenn — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 17:14:16 +0000

Alyssa likes to take pictures with my camera. I supervise her when she’s using it, of course, since she’s holding over $1000 worth of camera equipment in her little hands. But she knows to put the camera strap around her neck, and she’s very careful with how she handles the camera. Anyway, I looked over a few of the shots she took on Saturday afternoon, and I’m quite impressed! Here are two good ones:

I really like the first one! I’m very tempted to print it out, frame it and hang it somewhere in our kitchen.

There are a few more photographs of my mother, my grandfather and my brother, but I don’t share photos of them publicly. Sorry!

How do you explain death to a four year old?

Jenn — Sun, 07 Jun 2009 05:18:52 +0000

My grandfather is dying. In fact, as I type this, I am in his suite in the hospice center where he was moved to on Thursday evening. He chose to stop dialysis treatment, and hasn’t had a full treatment in over a week. His last treatment was for an hour last Monday afternoon, after which he was taken to the hospital because of his refusal to do any more treatments.
It’s June. I should be planning my birthday (I turn 25 next Saturday), thinking about our four day beach getaway at the end of the month, or even daydreaming about Orlando vacations. I shouldn’t be beside myself with grief over the impending death of my grandfather, my only family member left besides my mother and brothers.

My mother and I are coming to terms with his choice to die, and are now keeping a vigil/keeping him company until he does pass. Patients with poor kidney function/kidney failure can vary greatly in terms of how soon they die. When he was admitted to the hospital on Monday afternoon, his potassium levels at that time were so high that we were told he had less than 48 hours. But they came down, and since he is still eating and drinking a bit (though not much of anything today, unfortunately) and having output, he could last as long as another week. But between yesterday and today the time spent sleeping has drastically increased, while the time spent awake has definitely taken a nosedive, and he is not very lucid or “with it”. So we’re probably looking at another 2-3 days. I hope not longer, because this is so hard to deal with.

Anyway, I’m not sure how to go about explaining what’s happening with Alyssa. I brought her to the hospice center this evening so that she could see my grandfather, but as far as she knows, he is just sick and sleeping a lot. She was also quite busy chattering to the nurses, playing with some of the Playmobil Toys and books they had in the living area, and watching Spongebob here in the room. I plan on approaching his death when he does die, since then she’ll be able to see him dead and lying peacefully in a casket at his viewing. Is this the right way to go about things? Alyssa has no concept of death, and since small children seem to think in black & white terms, I don’t know if she’d able to process the idea of him dying while he’s here and still alive.