It’s Alive!
Posted by Maria
Still here, still trying to not go crazy. Being a mom has got to be the biggest challenge I've ever faced. The strength of my stomach has been tested( many, many, many times), my patience has reached new heights and I've learned never to underestimate a determined Tadpole. I mean this kid is so single minded and curious that I sometimes can't keep up. I tell him No at least 50 times a day or more, in 10 different ways. No we don't play with that. Get your fingers out of the fan or we'll be calling you Stubby. Sparky, get away from the power cords. Stop, halt, and the list goes on. Forget redirecting him, he'll just beeline right back to what he was doing. And crawling over anything that gets in his way. When you put him in the pack and play to keep him from away, he gets ticked off and starts hurling toys out. Or piling them in the corner so that he can stand on them and attempt to escape. Not really looking forward to that day. I can't wait though for when his determination isn't mostly used to get into trouble.
Necessity is the mother of invention
Posted by Maria
I admit that I barely have a thing childproofed. I believe that kids learn through experience and that my job is to make sure that he can do that without getting into anything really dangerous. Cabinet locks on the cleaning supplies? Yep. Locks on the pots and pans? Nope. Plus my cabinets have these latches that are a pain for me to open sometimes. But Tadpole loves his cords. Power cords, computer cords and anything cord like. Even the strings on his Grandmother's pants are not safe. Yesterday even my best attempts at No and redirecting didn't work. I don't like childproofing. Childproofing is basically Ria proofing as well. Then I got an idea.
I had some old wrapping paper tubes in the basement that never made it out to the recycling from a few months ago. My mother-in-law and I had wrapped some baskets for a raffle in clear plastic. It was left over from then. Rounded them up and some zip strips. I cut down the middle like so
Christmas in Summer
Posted by Maria
No I haven't started Christmas shopping yet. Planning yes, shopping no. On one of my message boards someone posted a challenge about a free Christmas. It got me thinking and I think it's something I can do. And if not completely free, I think I can do it nearly free. We have the space this year for a big tree in our living room and if I put up some basic outdoor decorations people will actually see them. And not just because they can see into our living room. I know that if I mention a want for Christmas decorations my family will have me in snowmen and tinsel up to my ears. And my love of free samples can help out with the stocking stuffers. I know the sample sized bottles of shampoo and toothpaste are boring but for my Father-in-Law who travels quite often for his job, they would make sense. I also get plenty of snacks to toss in them as well.
As for the big things, I have the start of a plan for those. I've been using Swagbucks as a search engine and for every 450 you win, you can turn them in for a 5$ e-gift card to Amazon.com. It take a few weeks but I'm up to 10 bucks worth. I could also use it for things that I have bookmarked and probably get them faster. And for the things that I don't get off Amazon I'll use Ebates. I used it last Christmas and one place was giving 20% cash back. I'll probably also be rummaging through Mom's craft room for supplies. Now that I've figured out how to follow a pattern I might try my hand at sewing something.
Untitled
Posted by Maria
I'm a fan of LOLCats. Always good for a laugh when you need it and I see my parents' cats in them sometimes.
Looking Back
Posted by Maria
I know, I know I took the weekend off with the challenge. Won't happen again I promise.
