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This morning I woke up to no dishes in the sink, the laundry all where it was supposed to be save one load in the dryer, and nothing pressing to do. This allowed me to journal while drinking my coffee and actually think about the pros and cons of a decision I had to make. Imagine that: actually having time and energy to think about what I wanted to do in a particular situation. It was nice. And it was all possible because I took a few minutes after Tater Tot went to bed to finish my “chores”.

The word “chores” sounds so horrible and un-fun. And it is. And they are. But what is fun for me is to wake up in the morning and to be able to sit with my coffee and Tweet or blog or read mindless celebrity crap without worrying that I am shirking my duties. I would not want to be labeled a shirker. But I do enjoy waking up slowly instead of rushing around “doing” before Tater Tot wakes up in an effort not to start the day too far behind.

For several years now I have been following the progress of The Flylady . I say following “the progress” of The Flylady because I have not actually been following her precepts as closely as I should in order to receive the elusive peace of actually being on top of everything. But I have put enough in to practice so as not to be embarrassed if the Directv guy wants to use the bathroom during the 2 hour installation. I have the knowledge, I just don’t always put it into practice. I do notice that I feel better when I do practice the routines that she preaches but there are some times when the routines just elude me. Luckily, last night was not one of those nights. Doing things like rinsing the dishes directly after dinner instead of just piling them in the sink or taking 1 minute to move the wash from the washer to the dryer before moving on to something else really helps me to feel like my time without Tater Tot is really mine. Since my “chores” are done, I am free to do what it is I actually want to do.

Check the site out. Routines are really key to feeling like you are in control and key to being able to take care of yourself. Does it always work magic? No. But it does help. Give it a try!

So I volunteered to research alternatives to plastic for our Mommy and Me class and it sent me running for the cupboards. The topic is one of those that, the more you look, the more you find in terms of information, controversy, and outright fear. At least that’s how it was for me. I found opinions that cited BPA as safe for humans, opinions that vilified it as akin to the devil and much in between. Many opinions that I found were much like my own: “better safe than sorry”. So this weekend I got rid of all of our #7 plastic, plastic of indeterminate origin, and old, scratched or cloudy plastic. Gone. The areas that I have focused on for us right now are feeding and drinking for The Tot, water consumption for me and food storage as these are the areas we use plastic mostly. I’ve starting using our regular plates for Tater Tot, now that she is of the age that she generally doesn’t throw plates. I went out and bought a few glass food storage containers that have #5 plastic tops and will be buying more as the finances allow. Phasing out the plastic food storage altogether.

As it turns out, there are quite a few readily available alternatives to harmful plastics that leach BPA. To cut to the chase, if your plastics have the numbers 1, 2, or 5 on them they are okay but still should not be heated. If they have been heated or are scratched and/or cloudy, they may be leaching chemicals and you should toss ‘em and get new ones. Better yet, use glass baby bottles and food storage. There are several good stainless steel sippy cup options that only have a few #5 parts. If you do still use plastics with the “safer” numbers on them, my recommendation would be to hand wash them as the dishwasher can get pretty darned hot. Not fun but “safer”. I’ve seen some discussion about Corelle since it is heartier than regular dishware and some toddlers can be kinda hard on regular dishware. I bought a few little Corelle bowls for The Tot and use them instead of the plastic or melamine ones.

Some of my favorite products for The Tot and myself include:

The Thermos Foogo sippy which can be found at Target for $15. It has a #5 plastic spout and “inner workings” but the body of the cup is stainless steel and it’s not hard to wash by hand. Thermos also makes a stainless steel straw sippy made of the same materials. We haven’t tried that one yet but the reviews I read were good.

Klean Kanteen Stainless Steel Colored Water Bottles with Poly Loop Cap which has a sippy adapter and an option for a stainless steel cap instead of the #5 one included. I got myself a pink one and I loooove it!

Anchor Hocking and Pyrex glass food storage which both have #5 plastic tops (just don’t microwave with the tops on) and can be found at Target and WalMart for a range of prices.

Corelle “berry bowls” can be used for cereal, soup, pasta…anything you’d put in a bowl! Found at WalMart for inexpensive.

For utensils, I have found that The Tot is past the point of using plastic-tipped spoons so I just tossed those out anyway. The rest that we had were metal. If you’re still using soft-tipped spoons, Munchkin’s Soft-Tip Infant Spoons are BPA-free.

These are just a few of the adjustments that we have made to keep The Tot and ourselves safer. It’s an ongoing process, though, and it can be overwhelming. It seems like everything is hazardous these days. However, I do encourage you to start your own journey, if you haven’t already. Anything you can do to minimize long-term exposure to hazardous chemicals for you and your family is good! Baby steps! Now, go! Get started!

SafeMama.com has a great, thorough list of those plastic cups and baby/toddler products that are BPA free here

I decided three nights ago to wean The Tater Tot from her bed time bottle and I was expecting wailing and gnashing of teeth. Arm and leg flailing. Hysterics. But there was none of that. The first night there were a few teeny sobs. The second night there was crying through one of the two songs I rock her to. Tonight there was not a mention of the bed time bottle.

We started by explaining to her that she would be having milk in a sippy cup at reading time before bed instead of milk in a bottle at bed time. We thought about explaining that she’s a big girl now and big girls don’t use bottles. Doing something symbolic like giving them away to a baby who needed them. But, in the end, we went with just changing the routine. That’s not to say that we couldn’t have used that tactic if the routine change hadn’t worked so well.

She looooved having milk during reading time but I think the first night she expected more milk at bed time. She adjusted pretty quickly though. The second night we explained again and I think she understood. I think the crying was a protest against the change in routine that night. Tonight, I think I am blessed to have a daughter that adapts so quickly. She has shown me time and time again, even though I have doubted her, that she will roll with the changes and not throw ginormous, nerve-fraying fits. For this I am grateful.

Thanks to Kirsten and Jenn for the advice about how to handle the weaning! It worked! (And, yes, I will have egg on my face if Tater Tot decided tomorrow night that she is not going to roll with my program any more!)

Would you like to save more money but just don’t feel like you have the time and energy to do it in an organized way? Imagine getting email updates about all the best deals on the internet from one source. You sit down with your favorite morning beverage, check your email, and find your MyBargainBuddy.com daily newsletter showing you great deals and discounts on products from holiday gifts to computer products and everything in between. You read through the descriptions of the deals, click the links and enter the codes. Voila! You have gotten yourself a great deal! No more hunting. It’s all there. Check the newsletter, the Deal Blog that’s updated several times daily, the forums, or search by store for their current discount codes. This is your one stop for internet deals.

As if smokin’ deals weren’t enough, My Bargain Buddy has a monthly giveaway that you can enter daily! Go get yourself a chance to win a $25 Best Buy gift card (drawing 12/15), a $25 Bath and Body Works gift card (drawing 12/31) or a pink sapphire bracelet (drawing 1/15/08) at MyBargainBuddy.com Giveaways. And don’t forget to sign up for the newsletter so you don’t miss out on any great money-saving opportunities!

It’s time to go “SHAAAAHPING” as Tater Tot says!

Amazon Black Friday Hourly Deals

Get free shipping at Jo-Ann.com
with code NOVFSE7 and check out their daily doorbusters Friday, Saturday and Sunday! If you’ve been waiting to buy those big-ticket items until they’re on sale…THEY’RE ON SALE!

Free Shipping on orders over $49 at All Aboard Toys!
They’ve got up to 75% off right now during their Thanksgiving sale (until 11/26) and Thomas The Train Wooden Railway sets are 20-50% off! Go get yourself a deal!

OTHER DEALS AND DISCOUNTS I have come across:

Free OVERNIGHT shipping at zappos.com
a fantastic place to buy shoes, apparel, accessories and more! (Free overnight shipping to 48 contiguous US states only). For guaranteed Christmas delivery, though, make sure you order by 12/21. You know how crazy shipping gets this time of year!

Fall Sale items are up to 50% off at Constructive Playthings

Robeez baby shoes with Free matching Socks Limited sizes and quantities. Shop now for best selection!
They also have FREE SHIPPING on orders of $75 or more right now! (Contiguous US and Canada only)

SAVE 25% on all photo products, including prints at the KODAK Gallery!
With order of $30 or more. Use code GOBBLE25. Ends 11/28. OR Free shipping on orders over $50.

FREE SHIPPING on any order $15+ at Snapfish (coupon code: SHIPALL)

GoToBaby.com is having a holiday sale on personalized baby blankets and plush robes.

Crazy For Bargains: $10 off fun sleepwear orders of $100 or more!. Use code SAVEBIGHOL.

Thanksgiving Special! 10% off orders of $25 or more at CrazyforBargains.com! . Use code HAPPHL85.

Free shipping on fun sleepwear orders of $50 or more! . Use code HOLSHIP.

clothdiaper.com is having a clearance on baby t-shirts! Regularly $5.99, now $2.99!

$10 off purchases of $60 or more and free shipping at SimpleShoes.com with code SimpleEcoGift. Expires 11/27/07.

Free shipping at Simple Shoes on all orders for a limited time! No code necessary.

All Orders At FamilyChristian.com Ship For Just $0.99. Valid Through 12.25.07.

20% off all regular-priced sweatshirts at Swell.com. FREE SHIPPING until 12/3. Shop now!

Enter to win a $500 shopping spree at Swell.com

Early Bird Special at Design It Yourself Gift Baskets. 10% off. Enter BIRD at checkout. Limited time offer. Design it yourself or choose from their Christmas-themed ready-made baskets! FREE Ground Shipping with every purchase!
*Excludes highly perishable and specialty gifts requiring expedited shipping:
Fruit Baskets and some Wine Baskets.

FREE SHIPPING and 15% off at Engravable Gift Collection!

FREE SHIPPING on all orders $99 or over at baby-Wise.com

Happy Shopping!

Where did November go? How did it get this late without even an effort at Christmas shopping or holiday card picture taking? Last year when Tater Tot was 9 months old, I had most of my Christmas shopping done by December 1st! By this time last year I had all Christmas gift calendars and photo books done and ordered. My online purchases were well-thought out and ordered early. Stocking stuffers were purchased and wrapped by the time we ran out of leftover turkey. Not this year, my friends. This year I am officially Behind The 8 Ball. I know that many people start their Christmas shopping on the day after Thanksgiving and finish it a few days before Christmas but I have been very proud of myself in years past for getting things done ahead of time. This decreases the holiday stress and generally makes for a much happier Momma. So it looks like this year I will be practicing how not to stress out under holiday stress even more than usual.

How exactly does one remain un-stressed-out during the holiday season? I think the main things to do are to have a plan and to drop unrealistic expectations about the holiday. Start where you are, look at what you have left to do, and plan how it will get done. If things to do exceed time to do it in, cut something out! What are the things you enjoy doing? What are the things that are important to you? Keep ‘em. What are the things you are expected to do? What are the things you do because you are afraid of someone else’s reaction if you don’t do them? Toss ‘em!

Many times what people think they want for their holiday really is not what’s realistic or “real” in their lives. You are probably not going to have the time and energy to bake all those cookies you think you want to. That perfect gift is not going to make a dysfunctional relationship functional. Your finances will not magically get better during the holiday season which means that many of us will be shopping on a budget. If your family situation is not ideal, your romantic holiday-card notions of the family get-together need to be tossed out the window.

Take a look at what all these expectations mean in your life. What is it that you’re hoping to get from the holiday cookie-baking marathon? How much more stressed out will you feel if you exceed your Christmas budget egregiously and what does it mean that you feel you need to? Where else can you find what you think you want from your extended family? Can you create it within a smaller part of your family, whatever form that takes? Can you create it with close friends?

I don’t particularly enjoy cooking a holiday meal. I am not good at it and it stresses me out. So we’re ordering our holiday meal from Marie Callendar’s and I feel good about that. Now those that come to my house for Thanksgiving will actually be eating good food. I have tossed the expectation that I cook the marvelous holiday meal that people expect me to because that just isn’t realistic. Another expectation that my side of the family has tossed is that you will rack your brain to come up with the perfect gift for everyone. We email lists of ideas of things that we want. We can use them as a guideline or we can order the exact gift that the person wants. Either way, we know they’ll like it because they told us they would! To some this may seem to lack the personal touch but it works for us. We know that we love each other. We know also that we’re all busy and want to make it easy on ourselves and everyone else during the holiday season. Voila! Less stress.

So I am off to look at my lists, do some online shopping and plan my mall shopping trips to take advantage of some of the upcoming sales. Oh, and I’ve got to start my Christmas card list…

Do you have a plan?

Nurtured Family is having a 10% off everything sale! If you’re interested in trying cloth diapering, this is a good opportunity to do it for less. The brand and type of cloth diaper you end up using will have a little bit to do with what you as a Mommy are looking for and a lot to do with what works for your child’s body and bodily functions! The cloth diaper that fits and works perfectly for our friends down the street worked well for us but not as well as another brand. Each diaper will fit your child differently and each insert will work differently for each child, depending on how heavy a wetter they are.

Fuzzi Bunz is a great brand to try and Nurtured Family offers free inserts with the Fuzzi Bunz you purchase AND they are eligible for free shipping! With the 10% off and free shipping, you will be hard-pressed to find a better price on this brand anywhere else! This is the brand I first tried when I was starting to cloth diaper and they are so easy to use. The diaper has a pocket for an absorbent insert (included in your purchase but you can purchase more and different types) and a fleece inner lining that keeps your little one dry. They also offer Swaddlebees, Mommy’s Touch, and Sckoon cloth diapers along with inserts, cloth diapering accessories and diaper bags. They offer nursing necessities and baby slings as well. Head on over and check them out! Don’t forget to enter your 10% off code: NewBaby and hurry! The sale ends November 20th.

If you’ve got questions about cloth diapering, there is a great forum over at www.diaperpin.com and wonderful, helpful cloth diapering Mommas that will help you figure out all of your cloth diapering dilemmas!

Thankfully (I think!) it’s mostly physically falling apart as opposed to emotionally falling apart. I’ve got a handle on the emotional right now. Lots of stuff running around my brain and making dents in my psyche but nothin’ I can’t handle and nothing that’s not “normal”. The physical, however, is not working. I’ve got shoulder strain and hamstring strain and lower back spasms and fleeting, sharp abdominal pain. But other than that, Mrs. Lincoln, how was the play?

I went to see the Nurse Practitioner this week and she said “Stop rocking The Tater Tot standing up! Set limits! Show her who the adult is here!”. The last one went a bit far but I could see how, only having seen me for a half hour, she could come to the conclusion that I over-indulge The Tot. I really don’t, as evidenced by the number of tantrums that occur each day that I DON’T give in to. But I DO carry her up and down the stairs because it’s quicker, lean over to pick stuff up with her on my hip, rock her standing up for nap and bed times because she “won’t let me rock her in a chair”, run and jump and dance and play almost incessantly for most of the day. It was the “won’t let me rock her in a chair” that gave her the impression that I’m The Flexi-Mommy that doesn’t set limits. And the amount of “Pickapookoo” that I described is going on right now. And the description of how desperately (and pathetically) I’m trying to have a life after The Tot goes to bed.

So I moved the comfy chair that I slipcovered in pink and purple fuzzy material into our bed room for Reading Time With Mommy (because she no longer wants Reading Time With Daddy…it’ll pass) before bed time and moved the rocker from our room to her room. I doubted. I doubted a lot that she would not throw a fit when I tried to rock her in the chair. But I swear, every time I am apprehensive about some change in her routine, she pulls through like a champ. I explained to her that Mommy needs to rock her in the chair because my back hurts and she was fine! Not a peep! Snuggled in like we’ve always done it that way! Hallelujah.

Decreasing “Pickapookoo” has been relatively easy too! Who knew? I explained, again, that Mommy’s back hurts and she cried a bit the first day or two when I would pick her up and sit with her in a chair as opposed to standing with her but I’ve noticed that the requests have decreased. I still hug and shnug her as much as I can because I do miss the closeness that the pickapookoo affords.

As for the abdominal pain, I got to go through yet another pelvic exam. Yay. *sarcasm* But she said everything seems normal down there (no cysts/masses, etc.) so let’s just call it ovulation pain and keep an eye on it. That’s actually the least of my worries. Thanksgiving is around the corner (we’re hosting), my LEEP procedure is next week (fun), my house is nowhere near clean enough for company, we’re taking off to visit Gammaw and Gampaw today since they’re not going to be able to come for Thanksgiving and I haven’t even started my Christmas shopping. Thank God The Daddy doesn’t expect me to cook a home made Thanksgiving dinner on top of it all. Marie Callendar’s to the rescue! Martha Stewart I am not.

Mommy Tip: If, like me, you’re not a Martha and/or don’t enjoy hours and hours slaving in a hot kitchen, consider using one of the many places have dinners that you only need to heat up. Our local health food store has ‘em, the grocery store, Marie Callendar’s… You might not be able to get one for Thanksgiving since it’s just a few days away (but try anyway!) but Christmas isn’t too far away now and you could call your order in now! There’s nothin’ wrong with delegating a little bit of the holiday cooking! Who cares if it’s not the way your mother/mother-in-law does it? Start a new tradition!

Oh Good Lord, will I ever be done with hideous excuse for an electronics company? I’m not holding my breath. The latest is that Executive Customer Relations did call me back with an offer. Not one that I liked but we took it anyway to avoid having to go spend more than they offered us for a new TV since they have no idea when the part will become available that will repair our TV. They offered a 32 inch flat screen LCD TV for $300. Good offer for a much better TV if we had $300. We don’t. But we spent it anyway. The alternative was to wait indefinitely for a part to repair a TV that crapped out after only a year and a half. I am pissed beyond belief that this is the best that they could come up with after holding our TV hostage since July. I WILL NEVER AGAIN BUY SAMSUNG ANYTHING IN MY LIFE. And I encourage you to do the same. Supposedly we’re going to receive our new TV in 14-21 business days. Merry Flippin’ Christmas to us.

The more I think about this, the more angry I become. I just may have to call them back and see how far up the chain of command I can get. I know it’s only a TV but I’m feeling stubborn today and it’s the principle of the thing…

It’s that time again! Time to think about holiday photo cards, if you do that sort of thing, and those calendars for the grandparents (and The Mommy and The Daddy!). Oh! And the photo gifts that show off your little one in all their cuteness. The Daddy kidnapped our photo calendar to put in his classroom. I miss it! I love seeing Tater Tot’s cute little self every day when I’m looking to see what’s going on for the day. But I get to see her cute little self all day every day and The Daddy only gets her for an hour or two so I use my organizer to schedule our stuff instead. Not as cute but…

I’ve got a bunch of deals that are running right now from the leading photo hosting sites and you can pick which ones work for you for your holiday card/gift needs! I’ve used several of these sites to create photo books and calendars based on who’s having the best deals. Although it can be some work to upload all the photos that you need to multiple sites, it can be worth it in savings. Keep in mind, too, that most photo sites give free prints for new members, so if all you need is some prints to go in your holiday cards, signing up for a photo site or two can get you prints for just shipping, which can be cheaper than your local drugstore. Keep in mind, too, that most of these offers cannot be combined.

KODAK GALLERY

Register at Kodak and get 20 Free Prints

Get 20% OFF photo products at Kodak Gallery.
This includes photobooks and cards along with other photo gifts. Coupon Code: ANYONE. Expires 11/16/07.

20% OFF Martha Stewart Cards at the Gallery!
Coupon Code: HOLIDAYS07. Expires 12/31/07.

SNAPFISH
Upload your digital photos and get 20 FREE prints with your first order! Sign-up today!

Site-Wide FREE SHIPPING on any order $15+ at Snapfish (coupon code: SHIPALL)
Expires 11/30/07.

25% OFF on duplicate gift orders at Snapfish
Does not include prints, photo notebooks, notepads or cards but DOES include photo books. This is great if you’re planning on doing photo books for two sets of grandparents! Expires 12/31/07.

Great Deals Under $15 At Snapfish by HP

Save 20% on all photo cards at Snapfish. (coupon code: GOCARDCRAZY)
Expires 11/30/07.

30% OFF orders $30+ at Snapfish (coupon code: AFFORDER30)
Expires 12/1/07.

Here are some weekly specials they are running through November:

Buy 2 sets of photo cards, Get 1 set FREE at Snapfish! Valid Nov. 9 – 15 (coupon code: BECARDCRAZY)

Free Shipping on photo cards at Snapfish. Valid Nov. 16-22 (coupon code: GETCARDCRAZY)

4 FREE premium folded photo cards at Snapfish! Valid Nov. 23 – 30 (new customers only, no coupon necessary).

CLARK COLOR LABS
Digital Photo Prints for as low as 9¢: Register for free with Clark Color, get 20 free 4×6 prints with your first order.

Visit Clark Color
to get $8 off 60 photo slimline greeting cards (code: 8OFFCARDS through 11/19/07) and $2 off their best sellers (code: 2OFFBEST through 11/19/07). To give you an idea about price, 60 4×8 cards are $20.47 and 60 5×7 cards are $27.97.

SHUTTERFLY
Shutterfly – New member’s special offer: 12 Free 4×8 photo cards.(Expires 11-13-07)

Shutterfly – 20% off orders $40.  Use coupon code: 32AF-11DR (Expires 12-04-07)

I have to say, from experience, both the Shutterfly and Kodak photo books are amazing! They are very well-made and a great way to commemorate events or time periods in your child’s life. You can choose from a variety of styles and backgrounds, covers, fonts, and font colors. If you like the idea of scrapbooking but think you lack the creativity/time/whatever, try this! It will quench your thirst for creativity without the need for all those little decorative punches, stencils, glue, etc.!

I have also made Shutterfly and Kodak calendars and, not only are they fun to make, but they come out so well! Even The Daddy was impressed with the photo books and calendars, and he’s not easily impressed!

Check back here as I will be updating some of the offers through November!