Holiday Breakdown, I HATE Winter Vacation

I love my kids. Really, I do. I just hate winter vacation.

So it's officially past that special day that comes once a year. You know, Christmas, the time where the jolly little man on a reindeer driven sleigh gets all the props for making it look like Toys R Us blew up in your living room. Yes, sure, it's the celebration of Jesus' birth -(-not making light of this, really, our kids know that and celebrate that, but I'm talking about winter break, not religion-)- and we love that, but I really hate winter vacation.

So you bust your buttons scrubbing your house from head to toe, because, well, if Santa isn't going to complain about the dust bunnies under the couch, you know damn well that great-aunt Margaret might, and if your family was an eighth as dysfunctional as mine, you would whole-heartedly understand why the heck I HATE winter vacation.

So you invite your dad to come over on Christmas Eve, so your kids can at least pretend the rest of the year they have a grandfather, because since the divorce he's just as rare as a fart in the wind... every now and then you catch a whiff, but then it's gone, just as quickly. Our friends came, and the kids exchanged their gifts to each other, which was great, but that freaking breeze blows by, and there's that stench again. So I put on my plastic smile, shovel food into his face, and send him on his merry way, hours after our friends left, because it's quote-un-quote, "past his bedtime".

I burn off the last few minutes of sanity by sending the kids to bed and guzzling a glass of wine like it was from The Last Supper.

Kids go to bed, the husband and I watch some sort of television program, that I cannot recall for the life of me now, and we begin to shove present after present under our already packed tree. It looks beautiful, the tree, the house, the lights, the kitchen, the floors.. no mess, except the aforementioned Santa Sack Explosion under the tree.

I know I've mentioned this before, but that third kid really sends you right over the edge. I have no idea why the hell I thought that this year would be different. Why or HOW did I forget that the kids weren't spoiled as much as they were this year, yet they broke, lost, or ruined half their shit within the first 9 hours they were unwrapped?!

Well, whatever, either way, I completely forgot about that.

So the morning rolls around, the kids tear into their presents, and the living room and half the dining room look like a Tsunami and Armageddon happened simultaneously. One would think that all that would need to happen is a quick shove-all-of-your-garbage-wrapping-paper-and-bows into a garbage bag moment for it to go back to looking pristine, the way it did the night before. But no.. no it didn't.

I have no idea what kind of a Jenga inspired trick the Night Before Christmas entails, but other than some Christmas magic, there was no way all of those toys were fitting under the tree again. So we decide to stack them up, leaving the babies stuff under the tree, only.

So now it looks like Toys R Us was ransacked and dumped in front of my hall closet, both big kids with a pile of stuff, and the baby still isn't awake. At least the mess is no longer in the dining room, and two bags of wrapping paper, boxes and bows are out in the cans. Round two commences as the baby starts to squeal from his crib, and we begin to video and take pictures. I have no idea what the big kids do during this time period, because after presents are opened, I mentally and physically crash. "Go rest, babe," is the last thing I hear before I go back to sleep.

In all actuality, I should know better. Any time mommy disappears for any amount of time, whether a super rare nap, or a trip to the grocery store, Walgreens for formula, or just anywhere, all hell breaks loose.

So I awake from my slumber, because it's time to get ready for the rest of our day, my mom called and said we should come around 4:30. Great. See you then. None of the kids are dressed, nobody was supposed to open any of the toys until their rooms were done. Their rooms were not done, and the toys were all over my house. Seriously. You couldn't take a friggen step from my bedroom door to the front door without stepping on a piece to something. Why?! Never again, I vow, and threaten the children with garbage bags. They scatter to their rooms, and say they're getting ready.

The husband is ready within moments, the baby is still napping, the six year old starts whining like an old car, because she caaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaan't fiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiind [her] tiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiights, the nine year old Aspie is covering his ears, singing loudly, because he's feeling overloaded, and Mommy is wondering if it's too early to dive into the bottle of wine in the fridge.

Catastrophe is adverted, we get into the car at 4:15, and begin the 40 minute trek down to my moms house, and realize we need gas. Pump gas. Stress whether or not the-person-formally-known-as-my-sister (TPFKAMS) is going to actually show up or not. Call mom, tell her {surprise} we're late. She tells me that TPFKAMS showed already, because we're normally there earlier, and that they are going to come later for coffee. TPFKAMS doesn't even drink coffee.. but I digress.

We get to moms, eat a killer meal, enjoy opening presents that my ungrateful, nasty children don't deserve. TPFKAMS texts my mom back FINALLY, and says she's heading to bed. We open the presents TPFKAMS left for the kids, and no surprise when they give my kids the furthest thing from their wishlist. (Read-I'm not about the presents, I'm about the "presence", but if you're not going to be a part of my kids lives, don't pretend to be an amazing aunt and get them a crappy present. At least get them something cool to apologize for acting like an ass to them.)  They run off and play roblox until I'm screaming for the 90th time it's time to leave, and I'm returning all of their presents.

We make it home in one piece, and I walk back into the war zone, send the kids to bed, and crash before I could enjoy that glass of wine. Husband goes to work the next day, and I proceed to pick up pieces of games, toys, and whatever-nots, as I make my way into the kitchen to start the day.

Is it part of the Autism? Is it their age? How do I not raise ungrateful little turds? It's been three days since Christmas, and every time I turn around there's pieces of ANOTHER game all over my floor. I told them to wait on opening the K'nex so my husband could help, and pieces wouldn't be lost. He didn't, and guess what!? It's already missing pieces. So a brand new toy that has never been played with is trash because the damn thing is missing pieces.

I decided today I'm loading the car up with the presents that still exist. Whatever they earn back, they will earn back. Whatever is lost will be thrown away, donated, or given away to random kids on the street.

I'm over it. The two big kids are fighting, the baby's butt is exploding, I'm cleaning the house every three minutes, and my head is going to explode. All day long I hear, I'm huuuuuuuuuungry. All of the checklists, and plans are not working, and frankly, aside from duct taping them to their beds, I'm out of options.

If I go to use the bathroom and have only two more squares on the roll, I will flip my shit. No pun intended. How in God's holy name will I {they/we} survive another week and two days of this, I have no idea!!!!

So, did I mention....? I hate winter vacation.     

  

Read more...

The Joy of Being a Mom

There are many joys of being a mom, but this weekend I got to delight in one of the most wonderous joys.

We spent one night of our three day weekend in the ER. Why, you ask?? Because for the first time in about 6 months my mom actually agreed to watch the kids overnight for the hubster and I. It was inevitable that the forces that be would not allow a full day for the kids to enjoy grandma's- (usually we're called at 9:30 in the morning and asked when we're going to come and get them, every.hour.on.the.hour until we pick them up). Friday night we actually had it planned that Bri and I were going to get some stuff- that we've been trying to get done for six months or so- and then we'd go back to my mom's for dinner. Awesome.

Because we were sans kids, the man-of-the-house asked if I wanted to host ladies night at our place, so the girls came over for some mozzarella bites, brownies, cocktails, and Rock Band. For the first Ladies Night in forever, I didn't have a sip of alcohol. The girls and I rocked on, Bri relaxed on the computer with nobody interrupting him, and then he headed to bed early. At 2:15am, the phone rang.

After listening to my daughter scream in the background, I kicked the girls out, and made record time to my mom's house. Apparently three times (11pm, 12am, and then 2) Miss Tish woke up holding her head, screaming that it hurt. Louder, and louder, and more inconsolable each time. She scared the crap out of my mom.

I called the after hours pediatrician, and they told me that unless she has a fever or throws up, we should just follow up with the pediatrician on Tuesday. BUT if either of those symptoms should rear their ugly heads, to fly to the ER.

Within ten minutes, she woke up and got sick everywhere! She felt a little warm, so I threw her in the car and took her to the ER.

She got to snuggle with me at the ER, then was able to eat a popsicle. And finally, she was able to keep some motrin down. They have no idea what she "had", and advised that I follow up with my doc, and ask him if he would recommend an MRI for her, since she's been complaining about her head hurting a lot lately.

I personally feel that it has to do with her allergies, but I have no idea. I'm just at my wits end. We left the ER about 5:30am, and I watched her sleep for about an hour before I crashed on the couch at my moms house.

The next day, Tish was bouncing around like a rubber ball- you'd never know she wasn't feeling well the night before.

Mom, on the other hand, could barely move. Sunday, Mom spent the day in bed doped up on allergy medicine and downing gatorade. It was not a pretty weekend.

Read more...

Fuel Your Body with Zola Acai Drinks

Since having kids, I feel drained.. all of the time, for no good rhyme or reason. It doesn't matter the time of day, or what time I went to bed. The bottom line is that I am shot!

Last year, while researching Acai berries, I found a company called Zola that creates organic Acai drinks that are flavorful and energizing. (Read our review of Zola Acai Drinks.) Over the last year, Zola has grown and has started sprouting up on shelves of mass retailers all over the place. I happen to find Zola at Whole Foods or on Amazon.

What's New to Zola?

This year, Zola has introduced their new Light Acai Berry juice ($2.99 each) and a family sized (32oz.- $6.99 each) bottle of their original juice to the market.

The Zola Light juice contains 50% less sugar, almost half the calories, but still containsthe same antioxidants, omegas and energy as Zola's Açaí Original Juice. Zola Light Açaí is naturally sweetened with Stevia and uses the same 100% organic Açaí Pulp to deliver the best tasting LIGHT superfruit juice.

The family sized Zola is not only convenient, but allows families to stock up on the superfruit juice. Zola Acai juice can be stored on the shelf and is refrigerated after opening, which is much more convenient for our busy family. I like the idea of the individual bottles however, we do seem to go through them much quicker than the larger 32 oz size.  It really is a personal preferance, but either way, you are getting the same fresh taste, and same great product. 

Zola also offers several different varieties of acai juice blends to give your body exactly what it needs. If you are looking for a quick pick me up, turn away from synthetic energy drinks and pick up a bottle of the energy blend juices and keep them in the pantry or fridge- ready to go in seconds! Fighting cold and flu season during Back to School? Make sure you stock up on the Immunity Smoothie which is packed full of Vitamin C and blended with acai and other super fruits proven to help boost your body's cold fighting ability.

Our friends at Zola have offered our Back to School readers a chance to win a sampler case of Zola Acai drinks. Sampler packs include 3 of each of the Zola flavors.


This giveaway is open to residents of the US. This giveaway will end on September 6, 2010 at 11:59pm EST. The winner will be chosen using Random.org, and all winner information will be posted on our WINNERS PAGE and on this post. Please include a valid email address in your comment. If I cannot find a way to contact you I will not. I do try to email all winners, but due to the volume of giveaways offered on our site, delays can be expected. If you catch your name before I email you, please feel free to contact us first. :) Any unclaimed prizes will be redrawn accordingly and at the discretion of 4BabyAndMom. This product was provided to me at no cost by Zola to facilitate a candid review. As always, what you have read is strictly the opinion of 4BabyAndMom. Your opinions may differ.

CONGRATULATIONS TO OUR WINNER!

Please refer to our WINNERS POST for more information on how to claim your prize.
 

Read more...

Holiday Savings at MomsRTheBest.com!

I have a soft spot for small businesses, or for companies that really are more than just a corporate front. I've worked with many companies over the past year, and one of the businesses that I'd love to share with you is MomsRTheBest.com.

A motherhood staple is jeans and a tee, often because we are running after our crazy kids, climbing jungle gyms, and running errands. Often we lose ourselves by looking "frumpy" or lazy, but with tees from MomsRTheBest, you can wear comfortable clothes that flatter your body, instead of hide it in big boxy shirts.

Filled with tees, hats and long sleeved shirts with fun and spunky sayings, MomsRTheBest carries stuff for all types of moms, grandmas, babies, and dads, too!

During the holidays, I would love to be able to say that I do not shop for myself.. but I do. My son might pick up a key chain from the school store, and my husband *might* pick up something I casually hinted would be nice to get.. but for the most part, if I don't buy it for myself, I don't get gifts for Christmas.

MomsRTheBest prices are reasonable and if you shop now, you can take advantage of their Holiday Sale prices!

Visit MomsRTheBest to get to know the fabulous mom-preneur behind the company, follow her blog, or nominate a mom-of-the-month to win a great prize.

Be sure to let her know 4BabyAndMom sent you!

Read more...

Bella Bands by Ingrid and Isabel Review & Giveaway! Fabulous February Fiesta~Day #4!

When I was pregnant, I had such difficulties finding jeans that worked for me. I'm 5'10" and during my first pregnancy, was slender with hips until my belly popped. When it popped I was HUGE, or so I thought. While I was pregnant with my daughter, I looked like I ate 5 adults for breakfast! I blew up like a balloon! NOTHING fit me. Pregnancy pants were either way too huge and short in between my legs, or regular jeans just couldn't stretch.. even with a rubber band chain going from the button through the hole and back again. (Come on, you know you've done something like that before!!)

Now I'm on a weight loss journey, 2 years postpartum- so it's not just baby fat any more. Either way, I'm on a very big road to make myself healthy but I've been experiencing problems like I had while pregnant. Some jeans are just way too tight and give me a lovely muffin top, and some are just way too loose, a week after I buy them.

So what is a woman in either situation to do? Thankfully, Ingrid and Isabel created an amazing product called a Bella Band. A Bella Band is a band of stretchy, comfortable, breathable fabric that allows for your too-tight pre-pregnancy pants to stay unbuttoned, stay up, and hide that muffin top- all at the same time. There's no more hiking up your too big pregnancy pants, or pants that don't fit because you're losing that baby weight!

I must admit, I was a little skeptical after browsing on the Ingrid and Isabel website because I felt the models were so perfect. These beautiful little belly bumps, on fairly normal, well toned women didn't really portray me when I was pregnant.. and the postpartum model looked like she was maybe (max!)a size 6. Definitely NOT me. So I contacted the company and bombarded them with a ton of questions; does it really work the same on a plus size mom as it does on the smaller moms? My pants barely stay up now, will they really stay up? Is it comfortable?

Their amazing customer service, (and the answers to my questions!) led me to try Bella Bands out for myself! As soon as I got the package, I put on my Bella Band. Right away, it helped my muffin top tremendously! I was excited! I can honestly say that for the past week or so, I haven't taken off my Bella Band except to bathe and sleep! I think this is one "accessory" that every women should own. It's comfortable, I don't have to worry about my undies peeking out as I bend over to pick up my kids, or my pants falling down. They stay where they are supposed to be- and occasionally I need to adjust them, but it's less than with a belt. It makes me feel good when I am working out, not annoying at all. It looks like it's supposed to be there, and that's one of my favorite parts. My best friend works in fashion, and she thought I was wearing a tank under a favorite shirt of mine! I feel much more confident while wearing my Bella Band and have already begun spreading the word of my new discovery to all of my pregnant, postpartum, and dieting friends!

Want it?
Head over to Ingrid and Isabel and check out the many styles that Bella Bands are offered in. At purchase, be sure to mention that you read their review here, at 4BabyAndMom

Win it!
Our friends at Ingrid and Isabel are offering 4BabyAndMom readers their choice of their favorite color, style and size Bella Band!
Here's how:

• Head over to Ingrid and Isabel and tell us your favorite style Bella Band, color and size. In your comment, share with us your uncomfortable pregnancy or postpartum clothing experience!
  
• Email this post to at least three other friends and CC us at 4BabyAndMom [at] gmail [dot] com!
• Tweet, Digg or Stumble this giveaway! (As much as you want!)
  
• Follow this blog and/or subscribe for our feeds!
• Blog about this contest!
• Add our button to your sidebar!
  
• You get an extra entry in ALL of our giveaways if you follow the directions in this post!!

Special thanks to our friends at Ingrid and Isabel for sponsoring Day #4 of our Fabulous February Fiesta!
Fine Print: Please include your email or contact information in your comments. YOU MUST post separate comments for each one of the tasks above that you complete. This drawing ends Saturday 2/7/09 at 11:59pm EST. Any comments posted after that time will be deleted. If you post one reply saying you did all six, you will only receive 1 entry. One lucky winner will be selected using Random.org. Winner will be announced on Monday, 2/9. Any questions, please click on the Contact Us button on our sidebar. Thank you for participating!

Read more...