Blackberry

I never thought I'd be one of those people who can't live without their phones, until I got a blackberry....

Talk about a device that allows you to multi-task! I do everything on that phone which is probably why my daughter is so intrigued and wants to play with it constantly. Here are a just a few things this new phone has allowed me to do:

1. Check email.
I check my email from everywhere! The gym, bed, the park, grocery store, while I am cooking dinner, etc. Yes, I know it is both dangerous and illegal, but I even check it as I am in the car. For a working mom, who also works from home part of the week, having your email with you at all times is a must.

2. Chat on the phone
Thank God for the invention of the blue tooth. Now I can talk on the phone and really do multiple things at the same time. The ultimate multi-task phone moment? Nursing my daughter and then changing her poopy diaper while on a conference call :)

3. Access the internet, from anywhere.
I am typing this blog post while riding the bike at the gym! Well, not really, but I could if I wanted to :)

4. Taking pictures.
Who needs a camera when you can snap shots from your phone! I took this adorable picture of my daughter on the way to daycare this morning. All from my phone :)





So, yes, I have become one of those people who cannot live without my phone. How could you not?!

Now that is what I call a Multi-Tasker!

I recently stumbled upon the article below. Wow, can you say multi-tasker?!
Moms: Resist the Urge to Multi-Task!

What's the biggest difference between a mom and a dad? Multi-tasking, of course! We moms are famous for our ability to get six things accomplished simultaneously, all while creating world peace (or at least a temporary truce among fighting siblings). It's like the super powers go hand in hand with stretch marks.

But one Ohio mama is now infamous for juggling too much. Earlier this week, 39-year-old Genine Compton was cited for child endangerment after being spotted driving under the influence of breastfeeding. Yes, you read that right. She was behind the wheel, feeding her kid, and -- to round out the multi-task trifecta -- yapping on her cell phone.

When police questioned her, she told them she would not let her child go hungry. While I applaud the ability to nourish, travel, and communicate, try pulling over, woman.

While Compton is certainly not the norm, in some ways, she isn't so different. With the stress of motherhood at an all-time high, Pediatrician Dr. Gwen O'Keefe says that moms' drive to get it all done could actually be hurting our kids more than we know.

"Parents are just plain stressed and overstretched, which distracts them from paying attention to all sorts of details in their lives, including their kids."

The complete article:
http://family.go.com/blog/family_moms/moms--resist-the-urge-to-multi-task--763919/

Do you Flip?

Why yes I do!  I just got the flip camera and LOVE IT!  My parents did not own a video camera when I was growing up nor did my husband's parents so we have never been big video camera people.  However, once we had our daughter we started taking clips here and there with our camera.  There are certain things you just have to capture on video like when my daughter took her first steps and when she laughs her deep gut laugh.  I wasn't sure what I wanted so read some reviews and everyone seems to love the flip.  My parents gave it to me for my b-day and I am very excited.  It is super small, fits in my pocket.  The best part is it is easy to load onto the computer, edit and even share video.  Am I going to be able to video tape Emmy's first dance recital from a far distance?  Probably not, but for what we are using it for right now it is perfect.



Flip UltraHD Camcorder, 120 Minutes (Black)

Eating Habits of a 15 Month Old

Isn't it amazing how well your child eats can completely affect your entire day?  Nothing is more frustrating than when you spend countless hours cooking and preparing a special meal for your toddler and they don't eat it.  Yet, when she does eat well it puts me in a good mood, the entire day.  I don't know if it is that feeling of accomplishment or knowing there is one less factor that can make your child fussy, but it is so exciting when they eat great.  My daughter just so happens to be the greatest eater in the world, at least this week.  It makes my life so much easier when she eats the first thing I put in front of her.  Like I said, she is like that this week but last week it took at least 3-4 attempts of various foods for her to eat anything.   Did I mention she also refuses to drink milk?  So, we also have to find ways to get liquid and calcium in her.  There are a few items we can usually count on that are fairly healthy.  Here are a few go to items for us:

- Whole grain Waffles
- Nutri-grain cereal bars
- Grapes (cut in quaters of course)
- Little Cutie mandrin oranges (Too bad they are now out of season - damn!)
- String cheese (for some reason she will only eat the precious brand)
- Quesadillas (mission makes a brand that has omega fatty acids and calcium!  Also a great way to hide veggies and meat)
- Milton's crackers (don't ask why she loves that brand of cracker)
- Guacamole - LOVES IT
- Quaker oatmeal square cereal - the only way we can get her to drink milk
- pancakes (we add baby food puree to add some nutrients)
- Orange juice with calcium
- Steamed carrots for dipping (I mix them in a bowl with mine so she thinks so is eating the same thing!)
- Homemade water popsicles with a splash of juice to keep her hydrated when she won't drink anything
- Last but not least, anything I am eating.  We pretty much have to eat EVERY meal with my daughter now so that she will eat.  As long as I am eating it she wants it so she usually eats half my meal.  AKA the greatest diet ever :)

Work-out DVD

I hear about other working moms going to the gym but I have no idea how they find time.  Really, you can fit a spinning class into your day?!  Personally, I love sleeping way to much to get up any earlier than I already do and there is no way I can selfishly hop on a treadmill between work and dinner time.  Fortunately, since I have been breastfeeding I lost the weight pretty quickly.  Now I am weening and I hit the big 30 so I need to step it up a notch.  Since my workouts pretty much consist of activities around the house, I have been doing Tracy Anderson's Post Pregnancy Workout DVD about once a month.  Why only once a month you ask?  Well, it takes about a month for my abs to stop hurting after I finish it.  The DVD is that awesome. My husband thinks it is hilarious to try and make me laugh and watch me wince in pain.  You'd think I'd start doing it more often so it isn't so painful, hopefully I'll learn one of these days.  The girl in the video says to do it 4-6 times a week.  Ha!  Yeah right...




The Tracy Anderson Method Presents Post-Pregnancy Workout DVD

Trip versus Vacation

There is a big difference between a "vacation" and a "trip". We learned to manage our expectations early on knowing that any kind of getaway that involves an extended road trip or family members is a "trip" not a vacation. The confusion starts when your job makes you take "vacation days" for such get-togethers when really there should be special days for "trips" just as there are for "sick days". When your biggest decision is whether to get your margarita blended or on the rocks, you know you are on vacation. Ahhh, we just got back from our first real vacation since becoming parents so now I can confirm from personal experience, there is a difference! We stayed at the JW Marriott Desert Springs and it was awesome. They had a very cool lobby bar, good food and a big pool.  What else can you ask for?

Weening with Crayons

I have been nursing my 15 month old daughter in the morning and at night and have decided it is time to start the weening process. I always said when she started asking for it, it was time to be done.... Surprisingly she typically wants to nurse more in the morning than any other time which is the exact time I need her to not nurse anymore. One less thing to do in the morning would be great. Plus, maybe after 15 months my husband can actually get up with her and I can sleep in!

I knew this was not going to be an easy task and needed a distraction. He new favorite activity, coloring, has come in handy in more ways than one. As soon as she gets up in the morning she points to the rocking chair so we keep going and I have her crayons out and ready to go. She gets so excited she gives me this look like really I get to color already?! It has worked the past 3 mornings so I think we are on our way :)