Self Comparison- the Ugly Truth

So I was at the dentist the other day, getting some fillings - feeling assumed and guilty for putting myself and the dentist people in the position to have to fix my teeth. I hate the dentist! They never tell you you're doing a good job, unless you're part of the 5% of people that have great teeth and actually take care of them properly. I brush once a day, floss every other day - so by NO means am I perfect and yes I could get better! That's not the point of this blog. As I was getting ready to leave and I was paying for my fillings - another woman was talking to the front desk lady about all the fillings she needs. She needed a lot more than I do plus she required extra sedation because of her extreme fear of needles. Why was I so embarrassed?!

Or when I get a pedicure, I'm always ashamed of my rough heels and my ingrown big toe nail (sorry, SUPER GROSS AND TOO PERSONAL!). I always have a fear that when the ladies talk in another language to each other that they are gossiping about my nasty feet. I use lotion regularly, I use a pumice stone weekly and trim as needed so my feet aren't completely disgusting. They have seen, touched, and worked on worse feet than mine. So why am I worried that they are talking about me? 

Or at the doctor, I'm always embarrassed about my weight (I'm nearly 6 foot tall and weight between 168 and 178). Or when they ask about any issues I'm having with my body. The worst is the female doctor and the exams at that office.... that's by far so embarrassing for every woman alive!! But I'm not the worst body they've seen. I'm not the best either - but not the worst. 

Why do we do this?! As women, we are always so self conscious about everything;but on the other end of that scale we are always comparing ourselves (negatively and positively) to other women! Where does it end? When do we become comfortable enough in the world to just be ourselves? The saying goes, "Never compare yourself to others, you'll always lose." - Unknown

So how do you do that? How do you quiet all the negative thoughts inside your head? How do you stop over thinking, stop being so worried about rejection and show the world the real you? The truth is, I have no idea... it's a personal thing we all have to deal with daily - heck hourly for some of us! If each of us, on a daily basis, stop over thinking and stop worrying about how the world sees us and simply focus on being happy and positive members of society then things will change for the better. As for me, I'm going to stop feeling ashamed when I go to places like the dentist and doctor because that is their jobs! That's is what we pay them for - helping us take care of our teeth. I'm going to take better care of myself and be proud of who I am as a person, as a mommy and as a wife. I love my life! All I can tell you is that you, as a person, are perfect the way you are! Flaws and all! 

Happy Mommy-ing!

Making A Guest Room from Your Spare Room

When family visits a few times a year, we make up our spare room into a semi-functionally guest room. We do not have an extra bed nor a sleeper sofa (bed that pops out of a couch). We simply have a section of our old couch upstairs.

I normally clean up the extra junk, like baby items and bigger toys, out a few days prior to family coming out. Then I take a Cal-King bedspread we had in our master before we downsized to a Queen mattress, and I cover the couch cushions and the back of the couch (and tuck it in so it doesn't fall off). I take a Twin bedspread from my oldest and a flat sheet for the covers. Then I place a guest pillow and an over sized couch pillow on top with their rolled guest towels. I leave out an extra blanket in case they need it and an extension cord for their phone chargers.

A few homey touches like a chair to place their suitcase on or hang a jacket on, a hook on the wall for their purse or jacket or towels, an over sized ottoman they can use as a seat or side table or suitcase stand, and a pop-up laundry hamper for their dirty clothes to keep the room clean.

I also add a small caddy basket (from Thirty One) with all kinds of travel toiletries they might have forgotten: body wash, shampoo, conditioner, deodorant, mouthwash, toothbrush, toothpaste, floss, earplugs, face wipes, lotion, fingernail clippers, nail file, sewing kit, body spray, Ferebreze spray, etc.

 I also framed our Wi-Fi code so our guests didn't have to come downstairs for it, added some tissues and an air-freshener so the room would smell inviting. Our spare room also has our old Xbox 360 and a smaller TV in so our guests can watch Hulu, Netficks or use it for DVDs.

Simple transformation for maximum guest comfort in our home! We don't see family often and we love that they decide to stay with us in our house instead of at a hotel! Our sons love waking up and having a family member eat breakfast with them and be there all day and tucking them in at night. The fun never stops because the family member doesn't have to leave for the night! I am very fortunate to have the extra room for our family to stay in!

Happy Mommy-ing!

In-Flight Bag / No Stroller Flying

I recently flew home with my youngest for a family emergency and decided to travel light since it
was just him and me. Yes, No Stroller! I took a 2 and a half year old, by myself, on a 6+ hour flight. As per my norm, I over packed my bag! I purchased this wonderful Deluxe Organizing Utility Tote from Thirty One [link here] and it made for the perfect In-Flight bag / diaper bag while I was in California.

This bag is huge! There are 2 side mesh pockets that are big enough to hold 2 bottles of whatever in each. I packed an empty sippy cup to get us through security and then once we were thru - purchased a soda for myself and some juice for my youngest.

There are 2 outside pockets - a zipper pocket on one side and a Velcro pocket on the other. They were perfect size for our boarding passes (so I could find them easier) and my toddler leash [review here].

Inside the bag I packed everything I thought I would possibly need to keep my youngest happy.
Comfort Items for him like his blanket, a pacifier attached to a stuffed animal called a Wuby (because if it fell, it was easier to find than a simple pacifier), a stuffed animal for him to cuddle with and my shawl (for me or to cover him, lay him on, change him on, as a pillow for either of us. This thing was a huge help!).

Food Items are always a must when going ANYWHERE with children, I think! All of his favorites like fruit snacks, mini cookies, crackers, pretzels, cereal bars, puree pouches, etc. An array of foods helps keep kids happy and calm, and no one on the plane wants to hear them upset!

Toys are always a great idea when traveling with kids, especially non-electronic toys because even though kids' tablets are amazing and compact - they do eventually need to be charged and in the middle of a 4 hour flight is not the ideal time for it to die and then your kid to have a meltdown because of it! I packed just a few things like stickers, a giant pad of paper he could place the stickers on or draw, a cardboard book with his favorite character on it, a toy car that's bigger than normal (again in case it fell, it was easier to find than a hotwheel), a McDonald's toy that is like Hungry Hungry Hippo game, a PEZ dispenser without the candy in it, and a dollar photo album I put animal flash cards in.

The tablet we have is a Kindle Fire and we did purchase the Amazon Freetime Unlimited for it (great value! $4 dollars a month for thousands of apps, videos, books and games my kids just love! We have a storage issue because my kids love it so much!). I also brought with us a portable charger, 2 charging cords, a tablet stand, my Ipod charger (which I had my Ipod in my purse), a jack splitter and his headband phones. Everything fit perfectly in a Thirty One Zipper Pouch!

And finally the normal diaper bag necessities: diapers, wipes, sanitizing spray, sanitizing wipes, boogie wipes, medications, toy/pacifier/cup leashes, band-aids, lotion, sungalsses for my youngest, etc.

This bag was huge and heavy but it was prefect for flying alone with my youngest without a stroller! I had all my stuff in my purse and all his stuff (plus a few things of mine) in this amazing bag, with room to spare!

Happy Mommy-ing! 

Product View: Zippysacks!

My five year old is pretty good at doing his chores: picking up his room, feeding the cats, putting his dirty dishes in the sink - the biggest issue is making his bed in the mornings. It's not that he can't do - it's the fact that his bed is up against the wall and he moves around so much at night he can't get his comforter back between the wall and his bed. So a lot of the times I go upstairs after I drop him off at school and make it for him, remake it - make look nice. There had to be a better way.
Enter Bed Bath & Beyond with their As Seen On TV Zippysack! I first saw this on a yard sale site through Facebook and then looked it up online. I then found it at the Bed Bath & Beyond website on clearance, plus the 20% off coupon they mail you and got it under $15 shipped! First when I took it out of the package I was a little disappointed.

The pictures and videos that featured it made the product look like it was more of a comforter or a sleeping bag fitted onto a mattress. Not a blanket that fits around the mattress and zips up. So it kind of makes the bed sleeping bag in a way. I don't know how hot or cold it's going to be, it's made out of normal blanket material. So I took off the old comforter, left the fitted sheet, the flat sheet, and the blanket he normally uses and then put the Zippysack on as the comforter on top of everything. It does not zip up as far as the video shows either, it zips up and then you flip it on top of the pillows and you're good to go. It zips on one side which I kind of like it to allow him to move but not too much. My thoughts are this product will kind of keep everything contained so that if he does move around a bunch during the night - there's not much that he has to fixed in the morning. He is at school for the moment so I do not know his thoughts on it, I will be sure to put it down below.

He was not very impressed with it at the beginning...I mean his brother got a stuffed animal to sleep with so he was hoping for a new toy. But then again he is only five years old and all they want is toys. He then said it was super soft and he wanted to sleep in it that night. He told me the next morning that it was easy to make his bed (it cut his time from almost 10 minutes to about 4 minutes!) and that he was warm enough during the night!

All in all this was worth the 15$ and I wish we had purchased this sooner and once our youngest is ready for a big boy bed - we will be buying him one as well!

To purchase yours from the Bed Bath Beyond website: link here
All options are my own, I was not paid for this review and I purchased it - was not given it for free. 

Happy Mommy-ing!

Taking 2 Under 6 to the Dentist

I hate the Dentist! I've always hated going! They never tell you you're doing anything right, it's always what you're doing wrong in my experience. Until I was about six I went to an adult dentist and did not enjoy it one bit. Then my mom found a children's dentist for me and my two younger siblings and he was a sweet old man that was gentle and talked me through the whole thing in order to calm my nerves. I do not want my past unpleasant experiences to dictate how my children perceive the dentist. After a lot of research, I found a children's dentist that's in the same building as my dentist. Again he is a sweet old man, he is very patient with my kids. All the hygienists are extremely patient, they talk to my kids like they're the most important people in the room and I'm allowed to be in there with them which was very very important to me. So how do I do it by myself?

1. I make the appointment at the end of the school day, just late enough that my son only misses the last 20 minutes of school so hopefully there aren't a bunch of kids there or a long wait time.

2. I get there early to fill out paperwork, because there always seems to be more paperwork I have to fill out at every visit.

3. In the waiting room they have video games  but I also brought along snacks, juice cups and tablets with headphones just in case.

4. To make things easier on myself for after the appointment I decided to make dinner using the crock pot that way no matter how long it takes (with a 5 year old and a screaming Terrible Two Toddler, extra time is always a good idea!) the main component of dinner will be done and ready for us when we get home. I just have to heat up the taco shells, my husband already shredded the cheese from earlier in the week and set the table.

Mom Tip: When we used to go to the dentist as kids my mom would pick us up from school and have us brush our teeth in the car. I didn't understand the reason then because they made you brush your teeth again when you got there and then they brushed them with their dentist tools. As a mom though I completely understand where she was coming from. Not that my kids are old enough to understand and brush their teeth before we go - so I just gave them breath mints and hoped that their teeth aren't so bad.

Their visit went great! We honestly spent more time in the waiting room than we did in the exam area. My youngest screamed when they counted his teeth, so that was all they could do for him. The hygienist did give him a treat bag with a new tooth brush, sticker and bathtub toy. She also gave him a plastic mouth mirror, hoping it would allow them to do more. It did not but my youngest liked his new toys. My oldest was very good! Since they examined my kids at the same time, my focus was on holding my youngest and helping the dentist, and my oldest was left with his hygienist. He did everything he was told and they both had no cavities!

Happy Mommy-ing!

Mom Bag: No More Diaper Bag

There's a new trend going on these where moms of older toddlers (above the age for 2 years old) are letting go of carrying around a huge, fully loaded diaper bag. I know I have stopped doing so, unless we are going super far away from our house. I used to have a smaller diaper bag always packed and ready to go (link here) but it got to the point that I hated carrying around 2 bags still. Mom of 2, running after a toddler that refuses to sit in the cart or hold your hand - juggling 2 bags was NOT working for me. Or I would leave the small diaper bag in the car and then he would need a diaper change - so that did not work out either. So there are lot of moms on YouTube that were doing "What's in my bag" videos calling them "Mommy Editions". There are also a few Pins on Pinterest about "Ditching the Diaper bag" and "Mom Bag Essentials", both of which are good things to Pin and read later.
So what is a "Mom Bag"?! It is a diaper bag and a purse all in one! There are numerous versions out there but in my case it is a pouch for my kids' needs inside my everyday purse. Stuff that I may need when we are out grocery shopping or other errands. Mine is very basic, very bare minim because I have redone my car to have more of the kids' needs inside it so I can carry less on me (post coming soon on Mommy Car).

When we are out running errands there's really only 3 things that will keep my youngest happy (most of the time my oldest is in school while we are running errands) 1. a sippy cup of juice, 2. my phone or my Kindle Fire with kids apps on it and finally 3. tons of snacks! As long as he's eating, he's happy. So like I said, there is not a lot I carry with me at all times. My new purse is from Thirty One and it's the Cross-body Organizing Tote and I love it! It took some moving around to get use to it but I love it! Everything that I had in my purse (post link here) is in my Thirty One Super Swap It Pocket, so I just took that thing out and placed it in my new purse no problem. This new tote has 2 mesh side pockets which are perfect for my youngest's sippy cup and I bottle of soda for me (mom of a toddler - we need caffeine!). Then it has 2 outside front pockets for my cell phone, sunglasses, mittens because it's February, and Ipod. Even the Kindle in a case fits in these front pockets! Not sounding like too much kids' stuff right?

I carry with me at all times a Thirty One Pocket a Tote, clear zipper pouch with 2 size 4 diapers, a travel pack of wipes (when this runs out, instead of spending $2 for 18 wipes, I am just going to put some wipes from home in a Ziploc baggie to save some money), some fruit snacks to stop those terrible-two meltdowns and small suckers as a last resort.

In addition to that clear zipper pouch and sippy cup, when I know we are going out to run errands I throw in tons of snacks for him: cereals bars, crackers, cereal, cookies and a pouched food of some sort (not all of these but a few things) and I'm all set! So as long as I have a sippy cup, snacks, entertainment and diapering needs for my youngest.. my purse is the perfect Mom Bag!

Happy Mommy-ing!