CSN Giveaway

Thank you for all your input yesterday!  I was, literally, a baby registry fool last night and got most everything done - put on the registry that is - and I truly took your advice to heart. 

All that "baby gear" talk, got me in the mood for some shopping.  I even took a break from nursery and, instead, browsed LCD TV stands and other unnecessaries.  (A girl can dream, right?!?)

Anyway, it's been a long time since I did a give away; so, today, one of my favorite shopping sites - CSN Stores - is giving away a $40 promotional code to one lucky reader!

Just leave a comment below before Sunday at 11:59PM telling me what you'd "splurge" on if you could.  Also, don't forget to include your email address in the comment.  I'll announce a winner on Monday.

Happy shopping! 

Baby Questions

Calling all moms!  I need some help... Now that we have crossed the half-way mark, I've given myself permission to finalize a baby registry, buy some of the necessities, and officially start the "nesting" process. BUT, it seems I'm learning about some new product or "must have" every day.  At the same time, I'm really trying to think simply when it comes to STUFF.  I'm also in the process of forming a "to do" list of sorts before baby... I want to be productive/prepared, but I don't want to set unrealistic expectations for myself.

So... will you help?!?

I've put together a little poll plus a few questions you can answer in the comments section below. Anything you can share would be MUCH appreciated! (This may even be helpful for some of my other proggers*.) 

You guys are the best!

I've added in the results in red for those of you interested. (3.14.11)


43% said gifts, and 38% said they bought it new


60% used a basic sound monitor


65% said neither... which I thought was very interesting.


47% used disposable diapers and a Diaper Genie; 21% each for Diaper Pail and basic trashcan


42% used a stuffed bumper, and 32% used flat


This was almost evenly split for 2 or 3 with approximately 30% of the votes each... But, I think I'll still go for four since I hate doing laundry!


61% said they had "just enough", and NO ONE said they had "too little."


61% of moms used a basinett when baby first came home; 33% said he/she went straight to the crib in the nursery


Only ONE vote for "on the due date." The rest were pretty evenly split with "within a week" and "more than a week early" being slightly higher. (I guess we can blame that on good ole induction!)


89% of moms had a medicated birth in a hospital.


59% said within the first days/week, and 31% said the second the baby was born

What could you NOT LIVE WITHOUT in the first few weeks/months?

What did you have but NOT NEED?

What books do you recommend about pregnancy, labor, parenting, etc?

What did you do (or wish you had done) BEFORE baby that you certainly don't have time to do now?

*pregnant bloggers :)

(BTW: I tried a million different free sites to find a poll-maker that would work for me. I settled on Modpoll and am really happy so far. *Just in case you'd like to try this in the future yourself.)

Top Two Tuesday... Relationships

I had something else baby planned for today... But, I thought I'd take a little break and participate in The Undomestic Momma's Top Two Tuesday on relationships - I like talking about relationships (a lot), and I have several (SIX to be exact) friends getting married in the next three months, so I thought this might be fun/helpful.

I'm by no means an expert in relationships, but I have been in the same one for the last ten years... And, I love Jeff even more now than I did then...  So, what are The top two things I've learned about relationships?

1. Be partners - in everything. My husband is my teammate and partner. We don't do everything together (in fact, I quite like having some different interests), but we share everything.  He could probably name all my students and tell you exactly what we are doing in class on any given day.  Likewise, I know when the iPad 2 will be released in stores (March 11), and I can carry on a decent conversation about Call of Duty Black Ops (this is a big hit with my students).   Honestly, this part of being partners came pretty easily; probably because we've literally grown up together.  But, the trickier part has been learning to be a team in our responsibilities to our families, our house, etc.

When I first got married, I truly felt obligated to do EVERYTHING around the house - laundry, cook, clean, etc.  In fact, on top of my first job and adjusting to marriage, I felt a lot of pressure to "perform" these "duties" and really had a lot of anxiety and stress about it.  Jeff has never been a "wife barefoot in the kitchen" kind-of guy, but we naturally fell into these roles early on.  It has only been in the last year or so, that we have truly learned to SHARE these responsibilities and be PARTNERS - even in our house.  Between Jeff's job situation and my utter exhaustion these days, I have stepped back enough and shown myself enough grace, that he has been able to step in.  Acts-of-Service is one of my love languages, so when I come home to a clean house and fresh laundry on Fridays, not only do I feel loved; but, it also frees me to actually spend quality time (his love language) with my husband on the weekend.

We realize that our situation won't always look like this... And, at different times, I'm sure the roles will swap around again.  But, this period in our lives has taught us a lot about partnership, and about serving each other.  I am confident that we will be better husbands and wives, and certainly better parents because of this lesson.

2. Have friends. This is kind-of a soap-box of mine, although I admit I'm not always as good about it as I should be.  But, I've seen so many people trade in their friends for a relationship/marriage, and I think this is really detrimental.  Jeff is my BEST friend... But, no matter how hard he tries, there will always be things he just can't do for/with me.  One of the things I love the most about him, is that he knows when to play comforter/ advice-giver, and he knows when to say, "I think you should call a girlfriend" or "You're due for a trip with the girls."  Honestly, seeing him value my friendships is so special and attractive to me. It is SO important to maintain friendships after you are married - both together and separately - whether it be through Bible study groups, girls (and boys) nights out, or just a weekly phone date with an old bud.  (Someone remind me of this in a few months ok?!?)

June 30, 2007

That's all for today... Go check out more lessons at The Undomestic Momma.  And, come back tomorrow for a little baby "stuff" poll.