The SEX in Sex and the City...

I was never a fan of the show, so watching the movie never interested me. Yes they're fabulous, but I just could never get into the show. Tonight while flipping the channels, I found the movie playing on HBO. It was the scene where Big is leaving Carrie at the alter. I was shocked; I had no idea he'd stoop so low. So I kept watching, and my favorite part was just thereafter. It was just when Charlotte and Miranda are getting Carrie into a car to get away, and Big doubles back. Carrie hops out of the car, pummels Big with her bouquet, and as he walks toward her Charlotte lets out the fiercest "NO!" to him. It was the best thing I've seen in a long time. I really felt like that would be me. The sheer protectiveness and anger! Charlotte was an animal for one second, and not the tender little OCD kitten.

On a whole other note...what the hell was up with the sex scenes??? Did I become the biggest prude or were they wayyyyy to vulgar!? Are they for real with this shit? Then they showed a real penis! I couldn't take it. It just made it seem like they needed to make the movie over the top risque because the movie itself wasn't so great. It totally cheapened it for me.

So yea...I'm super late, seeing as the sequel was just released, but whatever.

I'm a Viking!

Finally got my acceptance letter from Portland State University! I'm a Viking! In the acceptance packet came this temporary tattoo...how funny is that?



BABY VIKING

Recognizing & Reporting Child Abuse & Neglect...

Just got done with one of the last training courses for my licensing, and what a hard class to sit through. I had to hold back tears for most of it. I've always felt strongly about abuse of children, but once I had my own child it turned into this huge monster that puts knots in my stomach. I can't imagine what makes people do harm to children, and I cannot imagine what abused children must go through. Just absolutely horrible.

Empanadas...

I go crazy everyday thinking about what to do for dinner. I saw some recipes for hand pies, which sounds great, but it made me remember making and eating empanadas with my grandmother. I can't tell you how long it's been since I had an empanada. So I decided to make some. I made the dough following these directions, minus the vinegar (didn't have any). It came out just fine. The filling was some salmon I sauteed in butter with asparagus spears, and a cheddar and monterey cheese sauce. Btw...I loooove cheese sauce. It's the best way to fake a home made mac and cheese, and it's great as a spread and topping for just about everything! I made the empanadas small, I used a coffee cup for the cut outs. I figured Brianlily would be better eating little ones. I fried them and they came out great! So good, and totally brought me back to my childhood! I still have to make some mini hand pies!

VOODOO...

We've been here almost a year, and we just went to VOODOO DONUT yesterday for the first time. The line was to the end of the block at 1pm, we decided to pass and try again later, came back at 5pm and it was still the same! Unbelieveable! We waited the second time around, and had the VOODOO expirence. I'm not a big donut fan, so it just tasted like any donut, but it's all about the experience.



Excuse the cam-cording...Brian has yet to figure out how to successfully use a video camera!

Salt & Pepper...

I noticed some serious breakage at my hairline and didn't know what was causing it. Until I realized that ever since I was pregnant, I've used head bands to keep my hair out of my face. I ALWAYS have a headband on and I'm sure that's the reason for all the breakage. BUT even more shocking, was the amount of white hair I have! HAHAHA I love my "grays". I actually wish there was a way to dye my hair and keep them! lol I just can't get over how much I have now. In less than a year my white hair has doubled! Then I remembered this post. Stress kills!

Mascara...

I've never been one to purchase expensive makeup, I could never afford the MAC's of the world. I've always loved makeup and LOVE eye makeup. Once I became pregnant I totally stopped wearing makeup completely. I just didn't have the energy. Then I just didn't bother, and when we moved to Portland I left any makeup I had behind. But recently I decided to start trying it again. I noticed Rite Aid having BOGO offers on all the major commercial brands like Maybelline, L'OREAL, Cover Girl, and Revlon. How could I resist BOGO!? I loved the idea of trying each brand to find my favs, and not to mention ridiculous prices with a BOGO. I started with mascara. As far as I'm concerned; if there is only one thing you have time for it should always be curling your lashes and putting on mascara. So I tried Cover Girl's Waterproof Exact Eyelights, and Revlon's Waterproof Fabulash. Cover Girl is the hands down winner here. Revlon's Fabulash came out of the tube thick and clumpy, so I knew it wasn't going to go well. And once it dried it flaked off. Cover Girl's Exact Eyelights came out perfectly. No mess, no extra, no lumps. After applying I had to remove clumps and separate with Fabulash, but had no problem with Exact Eyelights. With Exact Eyelights my lash just looked darker and fuller, without looking like I had loads of mascara on. I should warn you, Eyelights does have shimmer in it, but I really don't notice it at all. The brush is amazing! It's little plastic or rubber like spikes-not a traditional brush which probably just gets loads of mascara in it. It also dried really nicely. It felt light and I could run my fingers over my lashes and no flakes! Take a look!




Beautiful! Perfect lashes! No clumps, even color, and dark! LOVE!


Cool brush! Look at how nice and clean it looks!


I really hope you can see the clumps here! And they're not even dark!


Total cake brush! Messy and wayyyy too much mascara on the brush!

Small Business Owner!!!

I'm on my way to becoming a small business owner! I cannot believe that I'm here, but it seems like I was meant to go this route...for now.

I've been a stay at home mom for almost a year now, and wanting a second income is huge right now. When I left New York I thought it was going to be soooooo easy to make extra money and still be able to stay home with Brianlily, but that has NOT been the case. I wanted to take on a few little ones in to care for, sitting. But after Sittercity.com, Care.com, Craigslist, and flyers all around town including PSU, with no luck I had to think of going back out into the work force and placing Brianlily into daycare. DAUNTINGGGG! It just didn't make sense in the end. The income I would need to cover the cost ($1000/mo the cheapest), plus enough to save and enjoy ourselves was way more than I could make without my degree.

A woman responded to my ad on Craigslist, came to visit, was interested but in the end went with someone licensed. total bummer. So I thought, why can't I get licensed? I know that by law I would be exempt from licensing if I only care for three children, not including my own. But wouldn't being licensed be a great way to get business?! So I called and started the process. It's crazy to think it'll be a full fledged BUSINESS! It's great though, it's everything I love...work for myself, organize, be detailed, teach, children, and activities!!! hahahaha I'm such a geek! I want to run a Martha Stewart Daycare! lol Crafts, crafts, crafts!

It's going to be a load of work, but the benefit is being home with my daughter! And that's more than enough reason. Maybe I'll just do it until she's in school. Either way, I'm on my way. Another great thing is my location. Turns out there aren't any registered family child care providers in my area!!! Woo Hoo for me!

Here is a quick breakdown of the process here in Oregon:

1. I visited The Oregon Child Care Resource & Referral Network and The Child Care Resource and Referral of Multnomah County. They give you all the training and helpful information you need for licensure.

Training consists of:
a. Overview of licensure process
b. CPR/First Aid
c. Recognizing and Reporting Child Abuse and Neglect
d. Food handler certification
e. Enrollment in the Central Background Registry

2. After completing these trainings, you will send in photo copies of certificates along with the application for becoming a Registered Family Child Care Provider.

3. Once your application is processed, including listing in the Central Background Registry, you will have an in home safety and regulation inspection. Upon satisfactory evaluation, your license is active the following day.

4. Naming your business. You can search here for business naming information.

5. After you are officially licensed and naming is done, you will then need to apply for a business license; get more information at your local City Hall.

It's a lot of work, but it's all worth it! All of the information here was shared with me during my Overview course at CCR&R of Multnomah County. The people there are amazingly helpful, kind, super informative, and answer ALL your questions (and I have a lot!). There is so much more information, and still more to come, so I will continue updating the process.

I Love You, Goodnight...

I Love You Like Bears Love Kisses And Cuddles...

That's when Brianlily plants a big wonderful kiss on me.

The best goodnight routine EVAH!

Coupla...

Coupla cool things happened this weekend.

First we went for our very first bike ride as a family! Brian was paranoid, as he always is. It almost wasn't fun because of it, but he loosened up. Brianlily did great! I kind of expected her to be more excited, but she didn't cry which is really all that matters! HA The child carrier felt fine, and my bike did well. I really like having Brianlily so close to me. I know a trailer is THE most safe, but I can't get over her being so low and so far from me. Brian really thinks we should just get a trailer. Not too sure what we'll do yet. It's hard enough trying to store my bike inside, let alone a trailer! All in all we had a good time, and baby girl did wonderfully!



The we finally had our picnic table delivered. I was having trouble deciding on what patio set to get, seeing as our patio is small, and I found this guy on Craigslist (you know me an my CL addiction!) who was selling hand made picnic tables. I told him the size I needed and it was only going to be $80, plus I liked knowing it was going to be super sturdy...not like the Ikea set I was thinking of purchasing. Here it is!



We'll seal it sometime in the next few weeks, but I'd like to do something special to it before we do. Maybe carve our initials into it, or have Brianlily paint all over it. We are soooo in love with it! The weather needs to get a little warmer so we can eat out there!!!

Teething...

My poor little honey is teething so bad for the past week. It's gotten so bad for the past few nights, that she's actually waking up screaming! Brianlily is the best sleeper in the world, besides me of course. But in the past few nights she's been waking up in the middle of her usual 10 hour doze fests to scream her head off. I hate it. I just tell myself that I had to do the same thing. I don't give her meds for it, I just think they should be left for fevers. She's done amazing with frozen foods like melon, grapes, and applesauce. It's just hard to do that when she's basically asleep and crying. I used to use Boiron Camilia when she was much younger, and still do when it's bad like it's been lately. I just think it's a lot better than pumping her with Tylenol or Motrin. Chamomile tea helps too. There are lots of people that use Humphreys, and Hyland's but I take one look at the word Belladonna and freak. All I think about is the scene in Practical Magic when Gillian tells Sally "the belladonna's in my bag" ~ damn I love that movie! It's scary...even if I thought it would be my daughter's name when I was much younger! I wouldn't use Orajel either. It doesn't last long, and the thought of numbing my baby's mouth is crazy. So we just give her frozen foods, distract her, and give her lots of hugs & kisses! My trooper is super tough!

Strollers, Strollers, Strollers...

I don't know how I did it, but I now own 3 strollers! From the moment I found out I was pregnant, it became the hardest task to find the perfect stroller. I had conditions that had to be met.

1. Face me when Brianlily was a newborn.
2. Have a good recline.
3. Be super light.
4. Be sturdy.

I would have loved to have had a Bugaboo from the start, but who the hell had that kind of money. So I oped for a Graco Safe Seat car seat with the SnugRider stroller, and knew that once she was older we would get something light like a Maclaren. The car seat idea was great, even though we didn't own a car! lol It was nice to have her upright when she was so little, snug like a bug, super huge storage, and facing me.



It wasn't until she was about 3 months that I purchased her Maclaren Quest. I got a great deal on it because it was a model from the year before; think I paid $140 or so. It was the best model for my needs. Three positions, light enough to lug up and down the subway stairs, and compact enough to take on the bus. The only problem was the super small canopy, but I solved that with this amazing shade by Kiddopotamus. I cannot, cannot live without this shade. Another thing you'll have to do without is storage space. I purchased an organizer like this one to help, and always used the handles for holding bags (just be super careful about weight distribution...the stroller falls back super easily). The Quest did a great job for us, and I still use it on the days that we'll be taking a bus because it's so compact.




My sister purchased the Maclaren Techno XLR once Trevor was born. This model could be used from birth, unlike the Quest. It's wayyyy bigger than the Quest and heavier. It does however have a pretty close to flat recline and a little bigger storage, but it's pretty much the same stroller just wider and taller. One thing I did notice that was super different was the seat position. On the Quest Brianlilly's bottom rested farther back than in the Techno. She almost looked like she was sitting outside of the stroller. I'd rather have her snug sitting farther back, but my sister LOVES her stroller. The problem she's had with it all along (and still does) is the weight. She's still in New York City, and finds it impossible to carry up and down the subway stairs. Not to mention that fact that Trevor is a biggg boy! She's now thinking about buying a Quest! HA!



Once we moved to Portland, I realized I could now have a big old caddy of a stroller. Brianlily was bigger and needed more room, so I started my search. I wasn't concerned about purchasing it new, so I headed straight to Craigslist! I came across a stroller that I loved from the first days of searching for strollers, Bumbleride. It had everything that I wanted. A woman was selling the Bumbleride Flyer for $100!!! I jumped on it and couldn't be happier with it! It's big, but not huge, it's comfy, reclines completely flat, has a big storage basket, easy to push and turn, and just lovely! My model is older, maybe a 2004? It didn't have a rain cover, but I just used the rain cover I had for the car seat stroller, all I had to do was alter it a bit. I cut a foot long piece off the backside, and hot glued it to the foot area to give it more length so it would cover her feet. Since it's wider and longer, it actually gives her more leg room when the cover is on so that it's not right on her legs. The handle bar is great for carrying bags with this carabiner hook from Home Depot. Babiesrus sells The Mommy Hook for $7.99! Insane...it's the same thing! I'm so in love with this stroller!




Those are my 3 strollers, and I'm sticking to it! I just wonder what I'll do when baby number two comes around...one day!