He loves The Street

Sesame Street, that is. Boops really hasn't been exposed to children's television except for what's running in the background when he's running around the house. Those shows usually consist of Hannah Montana and Suite Life of Zack and Cody. Nothing he'd be interested in. 

When he got sick the other day, he was feeling puny. He actually was sitting on the couch with me, snuggling my side and being still. That's one way I knew he felt terrible. I decided to turn off the news and turn on something he might actually like. Sesame Street was on and as a kid's show, it's great because they still show some of the same clips I watched as a kid myself or clips that they showed when the girls were small so it lends itself to some nostalgia while being entertaining. He was mesmerized! 

A few minutes ago, I was checking my morning emails and he wandered off into the living room. Sesame Street was on out there but he was playing and running around so he hadn't paid it much mind when I was out there with him to watch it. He's 14 months old, he shouldn't want to watch it really. Anyway, I respond to an email then go look for him. He's nowhere to be found. I look in his usual hiding places. Not there. I physically walk into the living room and there he sits on the floor, scrunched up in the corner of the couch, fully engaged in Sesame Street! It was hilarious. 

We were at Hallmark the other day and saw some plush that he adored. He had 3 characters with him while we shopped around for yet another Webkinz for a birthday present. He had Grover (a personal favorite since childhood), Cookie Monster (THE favorite from childhood) and Big Bird (who's cool in his own right). Boops was kissing them and cuddling them, it was a darling scene. We go to leave and I decide to buy him one since he obviously ADORED these guys. They wanted $15 for one plush. I don't think so. 

The moment I took them all away and stuck them on the shelf was the moment I realized that we were moving into toddlerhood because the fit that ensued could have rivaled any 2 year old on it's worst day. Crying, screaming, flailing. It wasn't pretty. He's just started protesting in stores when we let him look at something - mostly to keep him quiet while we shop - then put it back when we leave the store. He never really cared or paid much attention but now he understands more and wants to keep what we give him to look at. 

I think I'll wait a week or so and see how long this Sesame Street love lasts. If it keeps going and he becomes more familiar with the show, maybe I just might have to swing back over to Hallmark and get my guy a Cookie Monster. I'm such a push over! 

A night out on the town

Tonight, we actually get an adult night out. We're going to dinner in San Francisco with another couple. I am sooo excited! It's in North Beach, which is one of my favorite places to eat and people watch. We're going to Mangarosa. Click the link if you want to drool on the screen! Apparently, the mojitos there are AMAZING and since those are my drink of choice (as long as they're made well) I can forsee at least 2 of these this evening.

We never go out for adult time. An occasional dinner or movie but probably 3 times in the last 14 months since Boops has been born. That's a pretty sad showing for date nights but hopefully tonight will make up for it a little bit. 

I want to say Happy Birthday to my sister in law, Tonya, and my nephew, Josiah! They are mother and son and share a birthday. Isn't that cool? I hope you have a fantastic day and blessed year. We love you guys!

Well, that's just SICK!

Boops is almost 14 months old and I am working very hard at getting him weaned. Every time we get close to closing down the snack shack, I get a mastitis and we're back to square one. I'm cutting out feedings one feeding at a time and the night feeding was one of the first to go. Who wants to get up in the middle of the night every night and if you keep feeding the baby at night, their body gets used to having a feeding then so their little time clock wakes them up for a snack. 

So, last night around midnight, Boops starts crying. My husband and I laid in bed going back and forth as to whether we should get up and let him nurse or could we be strong and allow him to cry it out and work through it on his own. We decide to let him cry it out and we were pretty proud of ourselves because we did. We lot him cry for about 5 minutes, which I know isn't a long time but for us, it's an eternity because he never has to cry that long before we RUSH in to save our poor little man. 

This morning, we slept in until almost 9 AM. That's unheard of for him but we had friends over last night and we were all up late so I figured he was recouping and charging his batteries. He has a Fisher-Price Rain Forest music player in his crib. He LOVES it. He'll wake up, push  the toucan and start up the music and waterfall sounds then lay back down and slowly wake up to these soothing sounds. 

I hear the music and let it play through a cycle then he is stirring so I go in to get him. He seems a little extra clingy and STINKY when I grab him. It wasn't a usual stinky either. (if you know what I mean.) I pull him back to look at him and there's pink all over his shoulder. What in the sam hill is that? I peer into the crib, yep, vomit. All over the sheets is dried pink puke. 

Immediately, the guilt sets in. What kind of mother am I? My son was crying out in the middle of the night for me and I didn't go rescue him!! Ugh, I should be taken out and flogged. As you can guess, I will NOT be letting him 'cry it out' again any time soon. If he cries again tonight, I will be in that room faster than Dale Earnhardt Jr. can get around the track in a Nascar race. 

Boops seems just fine now and shows no signs of feeling sick but the guilt will haunt me forever. I guess I can count my name being taken out of the running for Mother of the Year 2008. 

Unless you're training for the Olympics

Baby gates are a wonderful thing. They keep your children out of harm's way or protect things you don't want them to smash in one red hot second. We only have one in our house and it sits between the dining room and the kitchen. Now that Little Man can reach the knobs on the stove, it's time to leave it up all the time. 

Yesterday, though, I wish it hadn't been there. As anyone that has electronic devices knows, you have to charge them once in a while. My Blackberry was charging on the counter and I could hear Low Rider by War playing from my back room. (That's my husband's ring tone.) I ran in to get the phone before I lost the call. Bad choice. 

I hustle into the dining room, I make a break for the phone over the baby gate, hurdle style and WHAM-O... not so much. I did NOT make the jump. It was obvious to me that I wouldn't be making the 2008 Summer Olympic team for track and field. The jeans I had on did not give as much as I needed and let's face it, I probably could have been in running shorts and I still wouldn't have made it. If anyone wants to know, hardwood floors do not make for a soft landing what so ever and baby gates leave super sweet bruises. Next time, I'll just call him back. 

Speak now or forever hold your peace

I LOVE new products. Love them! I swear, I've tried every new flavor of gum at the check stand at Target, good or bad, I've chewed it. I bought the Swiffer Sweeper Vac when it was brand new and it impacted my cleaning routine and the happiness of my husband so much that I've told an amazing amount of people about it who bought it, and use it as much as I do. Anything that tastes good, will be of good use or will make my life easier... man I am THERE. 

So, I was watching Good Morning America today - which I do every morning - and they were talking about some websites you can join and you'll get to try out new products for free. Well, if that didn't spark my interest right away. I went online and signed up for www.shespeaks.com and also www.houseparty.com Houseparty is a site where you have a party at your house to showcase a product and shespeaks lets you try products and use word of mouth to spread the news on what you think. So cool! 

If you are in the market for super fantastic deals on name brand and high end designer clothes, there are 3 sites I am a member of. One is Rue La La (www.ruelala.com). They have deals on everything from clothes to hammocks to dishes and knives! Another is Gilt. Ugh, I love this site! They have designer clothes at a fraction of the price and they just had a major blow out where you got 90% off the prices. It was designer name dropping at it's best and uber cheap. (www.gilt.com) The last one is Haute Look. This site I have spent the least amount of time on but still amazing deals and cool clothes. (www.hautelook.com) All these sites are by invitation only which means that someone who is already a member has to invite you via email then you can join through that invitation. If you are interested in checking out any of these sites, you can email me your email and I will send you an invite.

I signed up for a campaign on Houseparty.com to hold a Fisher-Price party at my house in September. We'll see if I get accepted to do it but if I do, anyone who is in my area and wants to come, party on, my friend. And if you aren't, you WILL be hearing all about it here so be on the look out for details and the good, bad or AWESOME right here on A Little Bit of Heaven. 

How do you start a blog? THAT is the question.

This is the question I have asked numerous friends who are avid bloggers and writers. They all say the same thing... write about what you love and are passionate about. So, I guess I will! But since this is my first post, I'll tell a little bit of the basics about me. 

I am 34 years old, I have 3 beautiful kids - Chachi (9), Tiny (7) and Boops (1), I have a fantastic husband, we live in Northern California in a terrific little community that I grew up in... I know it all sounds serene and lovely but most the time it's down right chaotic but they're all funny and keep me on my toes. I'm a seudo-stay at home mom. I work from home selling jewelry through a direct marketing company. I've done it for a little over 6 years and I love it! 

I have friends all over the country and probably will talk a lot about them. If you have ever found yourself amongst one of the most hilarious group of women you ever met or maybe you've seen them in a restaurant - back in a corner someplace - belly laughing, being loud and whooping it up in general, then those are my friends. And I'm darn proud of it. 

I'll post about things I love. People I love. Super cool things I've discovered or I've been turned onto by my friends & family. And I may even through in the mundane dealings of day to day life with 3 kids. Pretty much anything and everything goes so here we go... we're off on this little journey called A Little Bit of Heaven!