The Momma Diaries - And we bid farewell to the fastest diaper change in the west!

Dear Diary,

When you're on the journey to becoming a mother for the first time, you wonder if you're gonna know what to do when baby gets here. You worry about everything, even the small things. I know every mother is different, but the one thing that wasn't on my plate of worries was the good old diaper change. Yup, I knew for sure I could handle the diaper change. Everything else was on the table for failure.

Just as I thought, when Princess B was born, I had the diaper change in the bag and everything else was a learning process to say the least. My husband was even shocked by how precise and also quick my diaper changes were. He once laughed and said, "I think that you do the fastest diaper change in the West." Now, I know some other ladies that got me beat on the diaper change thing, but when it takes the hubby 30 minutes to change a diaper on the little angel Princess B who hardly moved at the time, mine seemed like lighting I'm sure!

Princess B is 6 months now and she has flipped my world upside down. I now have everything else in the bag and the diaper change is now relentlessly on the table for failure. What the heck happened!? Well, I'll tell ya what happened. Princess B learned to grab the diaper, kick her feet, roll every which way, stick her feet in poop, kick mom with the poopy feet, eat the clean diaper, throw the clean diaper on the floor, scream at the top of her lungs, pull wipes out of the dispenser, eat the wipes, attempt self-catapulting herself from the changing table to the floor causing the entire diaper change to now be conducted on the floor... you get the idea. I would seriously compare changing the diaper of Princess B to wresting a wild Javelina; it’s a wild, dangerous, smelly, scary and screamed filled event! Heaven please help me once she starts actually crawling. I’ll have to call in reinforcements!

I LOVE U MY Wild and Crazy Princess B.

Outfit: Baby Gap

My Favorite Things for Princess B - Second Three Months

Well, another 3 months has flown by. Princess B is 6 months now! Time two share with you my top 10 favorite things for Princess B for months 3 - 6.

1.) Anden and Anais Muslin Receiving Blankets

We are gettin' good use out of these babies! If you remember, these were on my list of My Favorite Things for Princess B - First Three Months

2.) Bumbo Baby Seat and Play Tray

3.) Fisher-Price Rain Forest Melodies and Lights Deluxe Gym

4.) Fisher Price Jumperoo (Similar to this one; Mine was brighter colors)

5.) Baby Einstein Take Along Tunes

6.) Summer Infant Large Comfort Bather

7.) Green Sprouts Fruit Teether

8.) Sassy Ring and Phone Rattle

9.) Chicco Capri Stroller

I know I said in my post, My Favorite Things for Princess B - First Three Months, I said I wasn't mentioning the obvious things like a stroller, but in this case I have to. This stroller was purchased primarily for travel and it has been awesome! Super compact and light-weight for going through security, gate checking and riding shuttles/trams at the airport. This is the perfect option when I don't feel like using my Chicco Travel System

10.) RuffleButts Bloomers

And that's all folks! If you need help figuring what general baby items to buy check out the “must-haves” checklist at Babies R’Us.

Other moms out there please comment about favorite items for your baby!

The Momma Diaries - One Squirm Away from Crawling

Dear Diary,

This last week has made me excited, but is breaking my heart at the same time. Princess B is sitting up pretty good on her own and is one squirm away from crawling. Although I anxiously await each new thing she going to do, I feel like the time is passing too fast! When I go to get her from her crib she is no longer laying in the cozy position momma laid her down in!

I love you when I come to get you in the morning,

and you greet me with a big toothless grin.

I love you when you leave me puzzled,

 as to why you like to sleep horizontal in your crib.

I love you when I sit you up and show me,

the greatest mow hawk known to man.

I love you when you do little monkey moves that say,

“Time to lower my mattress pronto!”

I love when you do such special things,

that only mommy gets to see.

I LOVE YOU Princess B!

Make Up: 7 Minute Summer Look

I used to spend a good half an hour putting on my make up. I don't necessary think I needed to take a half an hour, but I could, so I did. Why rush if you don't have to right!?  I am a girl who loves going and spending two hours in Sephora trying the latest make up products on the market and of course purchasing a few I happen to like. After leaving Sephora I'm pretty sure I would literally race-walk to my car and drive faster than normal home in order to try my new products out again and come up with a few new looks of which I would get bored of in a few weeks. And thus, the process would start over again. Plain and Simple... I love Make Up and have way too much of it!

Now that I'm a Momma, I don't have a half an hour to spend on my make up. Heck, some days I am lucky if I get any on at all. After six months of practice racing through my make up routine, I have a good summer look that would look good on most. It takes me about 7 minutes with the intermittent toy pick up. (Princess B's favorite game at the moment; Throw it on the floor and Momma picks it up! How fun for Momma. Wink-Wink.)

So here is how I go from this:

BEFORE

To This:

AFTER

And AFTER

And Again, AFTER

Here are the products I use to get my 7 Minute Summer Look:

1.) Revlon Photo Ready Foundation in Shell.

2.) Urban Decay Eye Shadow Primer Potion

3.) Nars Eye Shadow - From Bridal Palette Nepal, Edie and Ondine

4.) Urban Decay Eye Liner in Zero (Just on the top lash line and outer bottom lash line)

5.) L'Oreal Waterproof Carbon Black Mascara

6.) Nars Blush in Orgasm

7.) Nars Bronzer in Laguna

8.) Urban Decay Lip liner in Naked

9.) Nars Lip Pot in Chelsea Girls

Here is how I apply these products:

Light coat of Revlon Photo Ready Foundation applied with a wedge sponge. Little UD primer potion applied on entire eyelid with fingertip. Apply Nars eye shadow as follows: On the Lid - Nepal, As a Highlight - Edie and in the Crease - Ondine. I don't use very much,  just a few sweeps of each and make sure to blend well. I apply the UD eye liner to the upper lash line and outer corner only and soften line with an angled brush or cotton swab. Curl lashes. Apply L'Oreal mascara. Curl Lashes again. Few sweeps of Nars blush on cheek bones. Sweep of Nars bronzer on middle of forehead, sides of nose, cheek bones and jaw line. Line cupid's bow and bottom center with UD lip liner. Soften and smudge outward with finger tip. Apply Nars lip pot to entire lip. And voila, you're done!

I know this might seem like a lot if you normally don't take the time for make up, but it's actually pretty quick. These colors are light and natural and will give you a nice sun kissed look for summer without a bunch of fuss. Now go put your face on!

If your wondering what Princess B is doing while I get my 7 Minute Summer Look on, well here you go! She loves to primp right along side me!

(Don't worry, I stand right beside her the whole time.)

Have any good summer make up tips? Please share!

Father's Day 2011: Gift Ideas

Father's Day is right around the corner and if your like me you haven't purchased anything yet. I spent some time suffering the web and found some great gift options of various costs.

For the Family Man:

Hand Stamped Key Chain

For the cigar connoisseur:

Cigar Humidor

For the Sofa King:

Universal Remote

For the Grill Master:

Spice Rub

For the Fitness Finatic:

Nike Free Run + 2

For the Outdoorsman:

Garmin Two Way Radio with GPS

For the Fisherman:

Streamer Pack

and/or

Fly Fishing Box

For the Man's Man:

Man Cave Sign

For the Humanitarian:

Toms Shoes

For the Computer Guy:

IPad 2

For Any Man:

A Picture of His Kiddos in Blocks

I Heart My: Timi and Leslie Charlie Bag

I've been rolling around the last six months with this diaper bag my husband's parents got for him last year for Father's Day. Although this diaper bag had a little more "man-style" than what I had hoped to carry, I took it over because, well simply put, my husband would not need his OWN diaper bag. So, I figured why buy two when we only need one. Although this diaper bag has gotten the job done, I've had my eye on this other bag before Princess B was even born. And boy is it a beauty.

Well, just before I took a trip to Ohio recently, the strap on my "man-style" diaper bag broke to my dismay. (Wink-Wink) I took this as the perfect opportunity to jump on the computer and order/rush-ship the diaper bag I have long been pining over. Now, I have my very own Timi and Leslie Charlie Bag, which I absolutely HEART!

Well, I took Mr. Charlie (Yes, I named him. Guys name their cars, so can't a girl name her bag?!) to Ohio with me and boy was he a doll. He had plenty of room to cart around all Princess B's necessities and all my necessities crap, with room to spare. After this trial run of a trip, there are some features on this bag that I found extremely useful and want to share.

This bag comes with a number of different straps, of which I used all. Two non-detachable straps/handles allow you to carry the bag on your arm or on your shoulder. (I used these the most.) A detachable long-strap allows you to carry the bag across the body. Two detachable stroller straps allow you to hook the bag nicely on the back of your stroller.

All the pockets and components on the inside kept me super organized. I especially LOVE the key hook on the inside because I am constantly losing my keys.

Oh, and the accessories... Dirty Clothes Bag, Diaper Changing Pad, Insulated Bottle Carrier, and my FAVORITE... another small little bag/clutch/wristlet!

Meet Lil' Charlie. I HEART him too! What an extra hidden gem this little bag/clutch/wristlet was. So super handy to just be able to jump out of the car, grab Princess B and THIS, if I just had to pop in somewhere real quick. Inside you will find a zipper pouch and a bunch of card slots.

Honestly, I think the only downside of this bag for me is going to be the fact that it isn't going to fit in with my husbands "man-style." All I can say to that is "Oh Well" because he is normally not the one carting the diaper bag! (Wink-Wink) Love you hunny, but its true. :)

I love you Mr. Charlie and Lil' Charlie.

Get your own Timi and LeslieCharlie Bag!

Pool safety…How about water safety!

Well, it’s that time of year when everyone starts spending a good amount of time around the pool. Swimming pools are so much fun, but many times we forget how dangerous they can be if we don’t take the appropriate precautions. Now that I have a little one to watch out for, I decided to do some research on pool safety. My search, not only lead me to important information about pool safety, but water safety in general.

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) warns consumers about hidden drowning hazards for small children in and around the home. Recent data show that a third as many children under age 5 (an average of about 115 annually) drown from other hazards around the home as drown in pools.

Many of these deaths are associated with common household products. For example:

• About two-thirds of the drowning deaths in the home, not including pools, occur in bathtubs. Some of these bathtub drowning deaths happened when children were in bath seats or rings.
• 5-gallon buckets, often used for household chores, pose a serious threat to toddlers. Their tall, straight sides combined with their stability make it nearly impossible for top-heavy infants to free themselves when they topple in headfirst.
• Toilets are often overlooked as a drowning hazard in the home. The typical scenario involves a child under 3-years-old falling headfirst into the toilet.
• Childhood drowning deaths also occur in other containers that may contain liquids, including coolers, sinks, fish tanks and landscape ponds.
• Spas and Hot Tubs pose another drowning hazard. A solar cover can allow babies to slip into the water while the cover appears to stay in place, hiding the child.

CPSC offers these safety tips to help prevent childhood drowning deaths in and around the home.

• NEVER leave a baby alone in a bathtub even for a second. Always keep baby in arm's reach.
• NEVER leave young children alone or with young siblings in a bathtub even if you are using a bath seat or ring. Children can drown quickly and silently.
• Keep the toilet lid down, and keep young children out of the bathroom when unsupervised. Consider placing a latch on the bathroom door out of reach of young children.
• Be sure all containers that contain liquids are emptied immediately after use. Do not leave empty containers in yards or around the house where they may accumulate water and attract young children.
• Always secure the safety cover on your spa or hot tub.
• Learn CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation) - it can be a lifesaver.

CPSC offers these safety tips to help prevent childhood drowning deaths specific to the pool.

Supervision

• NEVER take your eyes off children in the water-Not for a minute! Designate a “pool watcher.”

Install Barriers

• CPSC strongly recommends that all residential pools have a 4-foot barrier, such as a fence with self-closing and self-latching gates. If the house is the fourth side of a barrier, secure doors with alarms that prevent children from wandering into the pool area.

Avoid Entrapments

• Suction from a pool or spa’s drain can be so powerful it can trap an adult underwater. Do not use a pool or spa if there are broken or missing drain covers.

• Ask your pool operator if your pool or spa’s drains re compliant with the Pool and Spa Safety Act.

Know Life-Saving Skills

• Teach your children how to swim

• Know CPR so you can help save a life if a water emergency happens

• Understand the basics of life-saving so you can assist in an emergency

This and more information about water and pool safety can be found at http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/pubs/chdrown.html.

 

GET CPR CERTIFIED:

American Heart Association

American Red Cross

The CPR Dude also has great information if you are already certified and just need a quick refresher.