Love It! Thursdays

Hi everyone.....it's my turn to try LIT! I am quite exhausted and I think my brain is absolutely shot because I can't seem to think straight. So, I'll give it a shot........

The theme for this week is: “I love _______ so much that I use it every time I clean my baby!"

I absolutely swear by A&D Original diaper rash ointment. I believe my mom used it on me some thirty-something years ago and on my brother and then my brother (well, really my mom) used it on my niece and I ALWAYS used it on DD. During the first 15 months of her life, I used A&D religously. Even when I changed her on my lap in the restaurant's ladies' room, I used A&D - a fanatic or what!!!!

DD never really had any diaper rashes and I credit constant use of this ointment. I remember forgetting it on a week long trip to California and I figured that I would simply use another brand - I thought, hey......why not?!?!?! Just as long as I had something she/we would be fine!!! But, oh no....she got her first "diaper rash" at 11 months old, and boy was it awful. I believe it was so bad that she got miny blisters. Anyway, I used another wonder product (Triple Paste) to clear it up. This is an expensive ointment (about $10 for a very small tube), but it sure is great. Use it for a night on a normal rash and the rash is gone by the morning. Amazing!!!!!!!

So, my verdict for both A&D and Triple Paste:

5 gavels: Loved it! Can't live without it!

And just in case you're wondering about my verdict on the other product (which, by the way is Balmex):

1 gavel: I want my money back! I'll even go a little further - take it off the shelves!!!!

I Stole This Post. You should too.

Have you ever heard of Inflammatory Breast Cancer? I haven't. But now I know. Tell everyone you know. Why Mommy was just diagnosed six weeks ago. SAHM of two boys. A two year old and a seven month old.

And then the rage came.
It swirled around me this morning, full of fear and fire and fury, and it made me mad. Angry. But more than angry. Resentful and red that such a thing would happen. That such a disease could exist. That beast cancer could act so fast and so thoroughly and so … wrongly.
I locked myself in my room and searched for answers. Thumbed the books. Searched the sites. Talked and wrote. But no answers came. There are none, you see. There are no reasons for such nastiness and disease to exist in the world, and even if there were, there is no rational reason why any individual should have to suffer its effects.
And so, this afternoon, I lay quietly on the hammock with my baby, and let the world wash over me and around me. The leaves rustled with the slightest breeze. The bees and butterflies set about pollinating the overgrown mint borders and the dying tomatoes in the garden. The hammock swung gently as I pushed us ever so softly through the air.
I was cradled by nature.
And I was reminded that the same world that holds disease and fear and rage also holds the comfort of nature and God.


And this.

Weigh In: Week "I've Lost Track"

I've been so busy checking out all the great giveaways that I almost forgot to weigh-in. According to this morning's weigh-in - I've lost 21lbs since I started on my weight-loss plan in January! I do feel significantly smaller. Of course, hubby is convinced that the scale is broken but I'm perfectly happy with what it says and I'm going with that!

I do need to be more disciplined with exercising though. And I was do so well for a time.

My birthday is Saturday and surely I won't have lost 9lbs by then (unless I stop eating today) so I won't quite have met my goal but I'm closer than I ever thought I would be. So, yay me!

Bloggy Bathtime Bliss

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Congratulations to our winner of the Doggy Days of Summer Giveaway:
Amy of In Pursuit of Proverbs 31!
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**UPDATED: I'll be out of town until Friday night so if I don't announce my winner then, I'll definitely do it on Saturday. Good luck!**

By now you've heard all about the Dog Days of Summer Bloggy Giveaway over at Shannon's. Tons and tons of people are giving away fantastic FREE STUFF! All you have to do to have a chance at winning some of that great loot is to visit and leave comments on the participating blogs. It's just that easy. Just check out the Mr. Linky on Shannon's blog to see who's participating. And on Friday, each blogger will draw names of the prize winners...and one of the might be you!


Now, we were encouraged to give away something that may tell our blog readers a little bit about ourselves. So, I've decided to give away a Mama Relaxation Set because, well, I would love to be able to relax every so often in a hot bubble bath, surrounded by candles and PEACE AND QUIET. But alas, I never do. Our master bath only has a shower and no tub. It's a crime, I know. And I wish for a huge Roman tub with Whirlpool jets on a daily basis. Of course I could take a bath in the kids' bathtub but it's just not the same. You know, taking a bath with your knees poking out. So, if you have the privilege of having a nice bathtub (or short legs) and can manage to sneak away from your chaotic lives for a few moments, then leave me a comment!


The Mama Relaxation Set includes: Mixed Berry Scented Body Wash and Body Cream, Bath Salts, Bath Confetti and 2 Berry Scented Votives in Glass Holders.






Sound lovely? Go on and enter the drawing.


Do it for me.

Gosh I Have Good Taste

So I'm watching Episode 5 of my beloved Top Chef - Miami last night and imagine my surprise when Padma announces that the guest judge for the contestants' pastry challenge is Maria Frumkin - the very woman who made my wedding cake! So I elbow hubby and exclaim, "hey! remember Maria? She did our cake!" And of course he has absolutely no recollection of the woman. Even though we drove an hour and a half to her cafe in Miami, had lunch with her, and did an entire cake tasting. At which he adamantly chose the banana filling. A choice to which I conceded because, after all, marriage is all about compromise, right? So why not get a head start? But I digress.

But really, he even completely drove by Chatterbox's school this morning when dropping off her school forms and had to call me to remind him where the building was, so why on earth would he recall meeting an Argentinian pastry chef 5 years ago. It wouldn't be natural.

And since we're talking about food and chefs and whatnot, I forgot to tell y'all that I saw Govind Armstrong while we were in New Orleans. And if you have no idea who Govind Armstrong is, you betta' ask somebody.

I dragged hubby into Sucre on Magazine Street because I'm a sucker for anything pastry-sweet-boutique related and even from outside, the place looked fabulous. As soon as I stepped foot in the door, there he was. In all of his beautiful skin and hair glory. I froze. It was pathetic! I totally was starstruck by a chef. A chef for pete's sake. And it's not even like it was Rachael Ray (I know I know, she's not a "chef") or Emeril who are clearly big celebs. Of course, I didn't say hi or anything but instead tried to act very nonchalant and very cosmopolitan and pretended to inspect the confections for the proper consistency of the marzipan and the like, because HELLO! that's what real chefs do.

And then we left. Hubby kept trying to convince me to take a picture of Chef Armstrong with my camera phone but I refused. After all, I am not some crazy-fan-chef-stalker-chick. Right? Right??

Though he kinda makes it hard not to be.

It's the End of the World As We Know It

Sheesh. What is the world coming to if Easy-Bake Ovens aren't safe anymore?

New Easy-Bake Oven Recall Following Partial Finger Amputation; Consumers
Urged to Return Toy Ovens

WASHINGTON, D.C. - The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, in cooperation with the firm named below, today announced a voluntary recall of the following consumer product. Consumers should stop using recalled products immediately unless otherwise instructed.

Name of Product: Easy-Bake Ovens

Units: About 1 million

Manufacturer: Easy-Bake, a division of Hasbro, Inc., of Pawtucket, R.I

Hazard: Young children can insert their hands into the oven's front
opening, and get their hands or fingers caught, posing entrapment and
burn hazards.

Incidents/Injuries: Since the repair program announced in February,
Easy-Bake has received 249 reports of children getting their hands or
fingers caught in the oven's opening, including 77 reports of burns, 16
of which were reported as second and third-degree burns. Easy-Bake also
received one report of a serious burn that required a partial finger
amputation to a 5-year-old girl.

Description: The Easy-Bake Oven is a purple and pink plastic oven that
resembles a kitchen range with four burners on top and a front-loading
oven. "Easy Bake" is printed on the front of the oven. Model number
65805 and "Hasbro" are stamped into the plastic on the back of the oven.
This recall includes all units with the retrofit kit. The Easy-Bake Oven
is an electric toy and is not recommended for children under eight years
of age. Ovens sold before May 2006 are not included in this recall.

Sold at: Toys "R" Us, Wal-Mart, Target, KB Toys and other retailers
nationwide from May 2006 through July 2007 for about $25.

Manufactured in: China

Remedy: Caregivers should immediately take the recalled Easy-Bake Oven
away from children, and call Easy-Bake for instructions on how to return
the toy oven for a voucher towards the purchase of another Hasbro
product.

Consumer Contact: For additional information, contact Easy-Bake at (800)
601-8418 anytime, or visit the firm's Web site at www.easybake.com

Love It! Thursdays

Drum roll pleasssssseeeeeeeeee....... Okay, the very first LOVE IT! Thursday.

The theme for our opening week is: “I love _______ so much that I always used it when my baby would not sleep.

My favorite item that helped make my babies sleep was a plain and simple swaddle blanket. Don't be fooled by some of those other blankets with the snaps, Velcros, or ties. I'm talking about a plain old square blanket that comes in a pack of three and commonly referred to as the receiving blanket. Better yet, the blanket you got at the hospital with the pink and blue stripe around the edge with the name of your hospital on it. Those are the absolute BEST swaddling blankets.

Unfortunately, I didn't know how to swaddle correctly for Oldest but I understood the concept and was able to manipulate a blanket in some kind of way where it was snug and tight and he could barely move. He loved it. Not only did it help him sleep better as a newborn, but it also kept him happy during his awake times. So when Daughter was born, I was the pro. I had her NICU nurses show me how to swaddle and I perfected it before we left the hospital. It's really not that hard. It worked great for Little B too.

The history is actually pretty interesting. In ancient times, it was thought that swaddling was essential for proper posture. Today, we swaddle babies to calm them and also help them sleep better. The reason why it works is because it simulates the warmth and security of the womb. So, if you are having trouble getting your new born to calm down or sleep long enough for you to take a quick shower, try swaddling your baby in the blanket the hospital gave you. And a word of caution, don't use the big thick fluffy one with satin on one side and velvet on the other with your baby's initials monogramed along the edge that you recieved at your shower. You may make baby too warm and that could increase your chance of SIDS. Use a thin receiving blanket.

So Mamas, the verdict is in and I give the swaddle blanket...

5 gavels: "Loved it! Can't live without it!"

What's your favorite sleep item for baby?

Introducing...LOVE IT! Thursdays

The Justices of MamaLaw are excited to introduce…LOVE IT! Thursdays

We Mamas certainly do love to share our Mama know-how with each other, don’t we? What better way to spread the word about the products we love or hate, new products we’d love to try, products that make our lives easier, and products that have passed (or failed) The Mama Test, than by blogging about it! It'll be like our own Mama Consumer Review.

So, share your trade secret so that we can all be “in the know.”

The Rules:
Every Thursday, you’ll write a post for your blog. In it, you’ll describe your product, your experience with it, and why you love it (or even hate it) so much. Then it’s time to render your verdict by giving your product a “MamaLaw Gavel Rating”:

5 gavels: "Loved it! Can't live without it!"

4 gavels: "Liked it. I would definitely recommend it."

3 gavels: "It was ok. Maybe if it was on sale..."

2 gavels: "What was I thinking?"

1 gavel: "I want my moneyback!"

You can lift the Gavel Rating images from this post. And don’t forget to link back to us! Once you’re done posting, make sure to come back to our blog to sign the Mr. Linky so that everyone can visit your LOVE IT! Thursday review.

From time to time, we’ll have a “Theme of the Week” so make sure to check in before you post.

* Most importantly – PLEASE do not blog about something that you are being paid to review. We want to keep LOVE IT! Thursdays as genuine and fun as possible.

Feel free to use our button on your blog! Here is the code to add the button:

<a target="'_blank'" href="<a" href="">http://www.mamalaw.blogspot.com"><img</a> src="<a href="http://www.themommyapron.com/images/LITButton.jpg">http://www.themommyapron.com/images/LITButton.jpg</a>" alt="LOVE IT! Thursdays" width="160" height="151" border="0" /></a>

And we’ll see ya…on Thursday!!

This Week's Theme:
The theme for this week’s LOVE IT! Thursdays is: “I love _______ so much that I always used it when my baby would not sleep.

I'm AM Too Sexy for a Mini-Van

The time has finally come. We need to trade in my sports sedan for a "family car." It was nice while it lasted, but let's face it - squeezing two toddlers in car seats, a steamer trunk full of toys, sippy cups, diaper bags, assorted snacks, a doublestroller, oh and hubby and I, into my "B.C." (Before Children) car is getting to be a bit much. Having said that, we are going to start test-driving some family-friendly options soon. Do you have any recommendations? Something that can seat at least 7, is reasonably priced and does not scream "Driver-in-Mom Jeans-approaching" m'kay?

I don't want everyone to know that I'm wearing Mom Jeans until I get out of the car.


Mom Jeans - Awesome video clips here

Coming Soon to a Blog Near You

It's Thursday. Ho-hum. Wouldn't it be exciting if there were something fun to look forward to on Thursdays? The MamaLaw chicks have a little something up our sleeves...Stay tuned!

I'm baaaaaaaaaaack.

And 1.0 lb heavier. But trust me, it was totally worth it. Beignets. Cajun redfish. Grilled scallops. Pralines. Praline bread pudding. Taffy. Peanut brittle. And oh the martinis.

In fact, +1.0 lb is pretty impressive.

And for all my fellow dieters, I just have to share my latest find:
Hershey's 100 calorie wafer bars. SO. GOOD. They taste just like a Kit-Kat.

Now if only I could find 100 calorie bread pudding.

Roller coaster ride

I've been on a roller coaster ride ever since my last post and that's why I've been M.I.A.

I shared with you in my last post that my nanny quit - right! Despite my husband's wishes, I asked her to stay another week to buy us some time to figure out our situation. Despite his wishes, I also asked her to stay on with us. Notwithstanding my pleas, she still left. I'm still not absolutely sure what the real problem is/was but it is what it is (although I believe that there is something in her past that she was not divulging that made her so paralyzed with fear that DD would get hurt). Anyway, her last day was Friday.

On Wednesday, I interviewed an older lady that was great. She was a bit older, but she seemed full of energy and spunk. She was scheduled to start yesterday (Monday). Saturday morning I get a call from her informing me that she had just injured herself and would not be able to start on Monday, but that she would send her niece to fill in. I'm a little assured, but still weary about what that meant for us. Her niece meets with us - we could not communicate at all. She didn't speak much English and there is no way that we would feel comfortable leaving DD with someone who was unable to communicate with us.

So, it's Saturday morning and we have no care for DD for Monday morning. We're frantic, but keeping it under control (I was pretty proud of myself, I must add). We finally arrange for a friend's mom to come in yesterday and today - but that plan isn't finalized until Sunday afternoon around 5:00 p.m.

So, I am frantically calling the rest of my 356 child development centers in DC, as well as responding to nanny ads all day yesterday. Finally, I find one center that's nearby and that has an opening, but I can't get an appointment to take a tour etc. until next Wednesday. Pray that this place is not in the basement of a building, where the teachers don't talk to the kids, or where I would be fearing for DD's safety. I'm praying that this works out because my goodness, it's really been very difficult to find child care.

I wish I knew to add her name to wait lists when I was pregnant; and I wish I was more diligent thereafter in heeding my friends' advice to start looking into schools, daycare when she was still at home with me. It's been a tough lesson learned/learning. But it sure has been an up and down ride. I'll let you know how this works out.