Mamahood.org

Tie-dye: a cheap, easy & fun winter day activity

Jenn — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 02:34:19 +0000

I have fond memories of tie-dying t-shirts and tote bags as a child, with my Girl Scout troop. Tie-dye is something I never did at home with my mom, which, as a mom myself now, I don’t understand, because unlike other activities, tie-dying can be rather low-maintenance in terms of the mess it makes and how much you need to clean up after. I lay down 2-3 garbage bags across our kitchen table, and a single layer of paper towels on top (the paper towels are there to absorb the majority of “splashing” and “puddling” of dyes, while the garbage bags beneath catch the rest and protect the table’s surface). Then all you need is a dozen or so rubber bands, and a few white shirts (t-shirts, long-sleeved, turtlenecks, heck in a pinch even undershirts will do), plus the tie-dye kit itself, and you’re good to go.

The only “downside” to this particular activity is that unless your children are 10+ years of age, they’ll most likely need some supervision and guidance, especially when it comes to wrapping the rubber bands around the clothing, and choosing the dyes to use with one another. I wanted to window shop for wedding shower invitations (for a friend who wanted my input – I’m already married, remember?), but during this particular activity that just wasn’t a possibility. Oh well – Alyssa and Ryan had a blast picking out the colors they wanted on their shirts and painstakingly applying the dye everywhere, and I had a lot of fun helping them.

Surgery is brutal.

Jenn — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 21:33:26 +0000

I had abdominal surgery on the 31st. I went in for surgery sometime around 10:30am, and came out around 1:00pm, though I only vaguely remember waking up – but not being able to open my eyes – sometime around 2:00pm, and when I was asked about my pain level, I responded with “15″ on a scale of 1-10. Heh. Abdominal surgery sucks. This is my second one in just eight weeks, my fourth one in three years, and my fifth one total, and dear god I hope this is the last one.

The pain from abdominal surgery, even while being “managed” by pain medication (Morphine, Dilaudid, Percocet, etc.), can make you forget everything, from the day it is to the time it is to things you wanted to do that upcoming weekend to the Honeywell Barcode Scanner you ordered and were so excited about.

I’m two days out from surgery now, and I wish I could say I’m feeling a LOT better since the day of surgery, but the truth is, I’m not. While I do feel much more “with” it – I’ve all but shaken the fogginess and grogginess that anesthesia causes – I’m still feeling pretty icky overall, and am not doing much besides trying to stay hydrated, rested, and well medicated.

In the meantime, Dan has taken some time off of work to help, and so has Jason, who rocks and is an awesome friend. ♥

Make your Valentine’s Day a day to remember

Jenn — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 16:36:48 +0000

Valentine’s Day is just two weeks away – are you ready? Well, if you’re not, EdenFantasys can help! With fast shipping, discreet packaging, and $5.95 flat rate shipping and free shipping on all orders of $59 or more, you’ve got it made in the shade. And as always, EdenFantasys has plenty of romantic, sensual, and downright naughty products to help you and your lover make this Valentine’s Day one that neither of you will forget.

Here are a few product suggestions:

Enchant and entice your lover with the Red Babydoll and Thong.

Light up the bedroom and your desires with the Knead Me Massage Set, which includes a scented wax candle that, when lit, will melt the wax into the perfect consistency for massaging. Use the included ceramic massager to relax tense muscles.

Save your back and create new and exciting positions with the Liberator Heart Wedge (available in purple, red, and black). Bonus: this doubles as a nice impromptu laptop tray.

End your night with a relaxing bath or shower that is scented with Shunga Bath and Shower Gel.

Happy Valentine’s Day from EdenFantasys!

EdenFantasys, more than just sex toys.

I heart Zenni Optical

Jenn — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 14:43:58 +0000

Back in October of 2007 I decided that I wanted contact lenses. I had worn glasses for so long, and I was so tired of them. So I got contact lenses. And I loved them, and wore nothing but contacts for several months. But I slowly discovered that there were advantages to prescription glasses after all – namely, the convenience of being able to quickly take them on and off, and not having to deal with eye strain from all of the computer work I do.

So I ordered some glasses, from Zenni Optical. Zenni makes it affordable to own one or multiple pairs of prescription eyeglasses. Because they’re online-based, they don’t have the numerous expenses associated with running a physical establishment to pass on to you. Instead, you get rock bottom prices on stylish prescription eyeglasses. I’ve made several purchases from Zenni Optical. I own five pairs of glasses myself, my husband owns two pairs of glasses, and we have three pairs of glasses for Alyssa, who has unfortunately inherited the nearsighted gene from us. Each time Zenni ships quickly and efficiently, and I’ve always been pleased with the quality and style of the glasses.

Did you know that Zenni Optical has Valentine’s Day glasses? I love so many of their pairs, but I think these are my favorite:

Choo choo!

Jenn — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 04:53:58 +0000

A few Christmases ago our friend Jason gave Ryan his very first train track set (Thomas the Tank Engine, of course). Since then he’s gotten 4-5 more sets for birthday and Christmas gifts, and the occasional standalone piece/train in between. The result? WAY TOO MANY TRAIN TRACKS. But he loves them, and now Alyssa has gotten into building them too. She likes to bring out her Littlest Pet Shop toys and legos and add buildings and fences and houses to the massive intertwined set of train tracks that Ryan puts together. Sometimes I get down on the floor to help them, but dodging all of the tracks and trains and bridges and trees is a little like playing Twister – and I’m getting to the age where I’d need massages in Orange County to help me out afterwards!

(As an aside, you know what’s awesome about train tracks? They’re never put together the same way twice!)

Do you collect things?

Jenn — Sat, 28 Jan 2012 23:54:50 +0000

I read a blog this morning whose owner wrote about collecting stamps and coins with her son. Honestly, collections have never been my thing, and they don’t seem to be an interest of my kids, either. I know that some people get uber excited about the next release of silver eagle at Golden Eagle, but as for me, eh, I’d sooner get excited about a new nail polish.

Tonight I certainly seem to be collecting a lot of random things that my son wants me to look at and put away for him. And I’m collecting laundry like there’s no tomorrow, oy. Here’s to me getting it done by Monday!

And cows dot the scenery like trees

Jenn — Sat, 28 Jan 2012 23:35:30 +0000

I grew up in a big city. I knew nothing of cows, chicken coops, and horses, except for what I saw on television or read about in books. Then, when I was 13, we moved to a very rural area. And by rural, I mean that nothing is in walking distance except for the mailbox (and even that may be down the road a ways). So when we moved here, WOW, cows! Horses! Amish buggies! Farms! Fields! Corn stalks! Even now, 14 years after living here, sometimes I still find myself checking out the surrounding scenery with the same sense of novelty and awe that I had when we first moved here.

But not my kids. Since they’re growing up with it, to them horses and cows and buggies and farms and fields and the various plants and crops are just part of the scenery that they take in when we’re driving down the road.

And here we go again (surgery)

Jenn — Sat, 28 Jan 2012 18:33:38 +0000

I’m having laparoscopic abdominal surgery this coming Tuesday morning. I’d say it’s exploratory, but it’s not. My surgeon knows where to go, what to look for, and what to fix, so hopefully it’ll be a quick-in, quick-out kind of deal. But hopefully not too quick, if you know what I mean – one thing you never want is a surgeon who’s in a hurry.

Fortunately, or unfortunately – depending on how you look at it, Alyssa is somewhat accustomed to me going off for surgery, coming home 1-2 days later, and being laid up for several days, sleeping a lot, taking pain medication, and in general trying to stay as comfortable and pain-free as possible while I recover. Ryan has never really said much to me, though he will ask if my belly hurts, and his therapist relays that at school he’ll talk about Mommy being sick and in pain.

Here’s to hoping that this is the last surgery I need to have!

IdentityHawk

Jenn — Sat, 28 Jan 2012 18:07:46 +0000

Identity theft is scary. When someone manages to steal enough of your personal information that they can steal your identity, there’s a part of you that has been violated. No, you have not been physically violated; nor have you had any of your physical property damaged, broken into, or stolen. But there’s a part of you that has been violated, taken, and used without your consent, and sometimes without your knowledge, and it can be hard to regain a sense of trust after that happens.

IdentityHawk is a company that can help you protect yourself against identity theft; and in the event that your identity is stolen, IdentityHawk can help you get it back much more efficiently than if you were to go it alone. IdentityHawk provides identity theft protection and recovery in several ways, including:

social security number monitoring and protection
24/7 monitoring of your credit score and history, and instant notification of anything that looks suspicious
$1 million in identity theft insurance

IdentityHawk works by keeping tabs on your credit scores with continual monitoring of the scores reported by all three credit bureas. Your social security number is monitored using cutting-edge technology and online records. 24/7 monitoring is in place to make sure that nothing suspicious crops up, and if it does, you’re notified and the issue is addressed right away. Then there’s the $1,000,000.00 zero-liability insurance policy, which assures you peace of mind in the event that you do have your identity stolen.

For more information, visit IdentityHawk.com.

Heavy.

Jenn — Sat, 28 Jan 2012 15:36:38 +0000

My son, my precious baby boy, is slowly but surely becoming too big, too tall, too heavy, too ungainly, for me to pick up, let alone carry for any length of time. I don’t know if it’s because I am so much lighter than I used to be (when he was born I weighed a little over 300 lbs; when I had my gastric bypass surgery in 2009, when he was 3 years old, I weighed 331 lbs), because he’s getting bigger each day, or if it’s simply a combination of both things.

In any case, I have to really brace myself to pick up all 50 lbs and 44 inches worth of my five year old son, and that makes me sad. Even though Ryan likes to run and play and demonstrate his independence, he is still very much a Mama’s boy, and will always be my baby boy. When the day comes that I can no longer pick him up at all, I’ll have to contend myself — and him — with plenty of hugs, kisses, and invitations to sit on my lap instead. ♥