Tips for Women in 2008

I am currently still traveling so my crazy adventures are still in progress. The recap will be up first thing on Thursday!

As for a quick update, my sanity it is still in tact after being in the car for a good eight hours and Cookie is just having the time of her life. She has been so good and not one complaint aka no poppy diapers while in the car. As long as the bottle is close by, the diapers are near and radio is blaring the latest nursery rhymes she is a content little traveler.

Today, I received a email from a dear girlfriend that I just had to share with you all. It is the Tips for Women in 2008 .

Though some are silly, there is at least one that every wife, mother and friend can relate to..like number 2 perhaps or number 5.

1. Aspire to be Barbie - that Blondie has everything.

2. If the shoe fits - buy one in every color.

3. Take life with a pinch of salt... a wedge of lime, and a shot of tequila (I think I could just settle for a diet coke with a lime.)

4. In need of a support group? - Cocktail hour with the girls or brunch with bottomless mimosas!

5. Go on the 30 day diet. (I'm on it and so far I've lost 15 days).

6. When life gets you down - just put on your big girl panties and deal with it.

7. Let your greatest fear be that there is no PMS and this is just my personality.

8. I know I'm in my own little world, but it's OK. They know me here.

9. Lead me not into temptation, I can find it myself.

10. Don't get your knickers in a knot, it solves nothing; and makes you walk funny.

Have a Good Evening! Feel free to pass these along, you never know when a girlfriend of yours might need a little inspiration or tip to get them through the day!

Simple Math to a Road Trip

A little math to calculate the crazy adventure of our Road Trip 2008...

1 wide awake baby + 1 under caffeinated Rookie Mom + an over packed Toyota Camry + 240 miles on the Open Highway = A very interesting adventure to share...

Stay tune for all the details. I can guarantee this will be a crazy wild ride!

Note: To all my family of course we will call you when we get there...love to you all. GG don't worry I packed extra diapers in the diaper bag, I clearly did not want to have another Picture People moment.

Happy Friday!!

Priceless Moment Edition 001

Unopened Running Shoes with nifty little running device: $88



Treadmill: I am guessing around $300. Not really sure it was a gift from the Hubby, but don't worry I asked him for it. Oh, could you imagine the hint that would have dropped if I had not ask for it.



Uncharged I-Pod: $200



Choosing to have a 100,000+ calorie Frito Pie, a glass of wine (okay two glasses), cookies and watch Grey's Anatomy curled up next to my Charlie girl (our precious whippet) instead of using any of the above items: Priceless

Yes, today I shall eat Frito Pie! However, tomorrow I will settle for a nice plate of air with a side of motivation.

In conclusion to this priceless moment, please note that some (ALL) New Years Resolutions are planned with good intentions but not necessarily planned to be executed on January 1. I feel (STRONGLY) that if a resolution is attempted anytime between now and 12/31 11:59 2008, then yep you can mark it off the list. So at that rate, I should have plenty of time to get out there and get this post baby butt back into shape.

Maybe I should hang one of my old swimsuits up as motivation...nah. No way these baby bearing hips are getting back in to that thing. But if that miracle should happen, then you can bet your bottoms that I will be(thinking about) posting a pick of that.

Have a Good Evening! I think I will squeeze one more cookie in before calling it a night.

If you have any motivation tips, PLEASE send them my way. However, please exclude any tips on which lighters are the best, because I too know that a good old fashion fire under my butt would motivate me quit nicely!

Lions, Tigers and Bears Oh My

Baby Cookie had a hard day fighting off the lions and tigers today in her little rain forest jump-a-roo. So, she stopped to take a nap while in the rain forest. But don't worry she had Mr. Chicken on guard in the background to protect her while she slept.

Gift Giving Idea for Valentine's Day

Each morning the Hubby and I are so blessed with the good fortune of seeing our little Cookie happy and in good health. Unfortunately that is not the case for some parent who have to deal with their child being effected by diseases that we can barely pronounce and much less spell.

This gift giving idea is for the children who put on a brave smiling face as they walk through the halls of St. Jude. The hubby and I have been a contributor of St. Jude for three years now and each month we receive a precious envelope in the mail that holds the picture of one of these children. They proudly grace my refrigerator and I get to see their little faces each morning and say a little prayer that God is watching after them and providing them with the strength to make it through these tough times.

Each major holiday The Hubby and I send an additional gift in our family and friends names and with Valentine Day's approaching what better gift to give a love one than a donation in their name.

We are so fortunate as parents to be blessed with the gift of parenthood and have learned in this short period of time as parents that God would never put an obstacle in front of us that we cannot conquer.

So this Valentine day share your love with the family's of St. Jude who may need a little extra and bless your love one's with a donation in their honor. It goes a long way and I always think that, I too could be faced with these obstacles.

Each Month I look forward to sharing with you the faces of the children I have been fortunate enough to sponsor. Though it is heart wrenching to know that, that precious child is fighting for their life, it is heart warming to know that I am contributing to make a difference.

You too, will feel the joy with your donation this Valentine's Day! They also have a great catalog that has the perfect items for gift exchanges.

Tips for a Cleaner House in Under 30 Minutes

Today with the weather gloomy the thought actually crossed my mind to cease the moment and...

[wait for it, wait for it]

CLEAN MY HOUSE while Baby Cookie was at school! As I approached the forbidden closet...you know the one that holds the vacuum, mop and all the cleaning tools that I should be using a little more often.

[Standing In front of the All Mighty Vacuum in all it's Glory!]

I thought to myself there has got to be a better way to get this all done in one hour or less. So referring to the source that has all the answers to life's little problems aka Google, I typed in House Cleaning Tips for New Mothers.

Low and Behold, there it was the simple steps to cleaning my house in....30 Minutes or less.

Now I need to Caution you, if you're a Martha Stewart type of housekeeper, this list is NOT for you. However, for the rest of you Rookie / Veteran Mom’s, this is my chance to share 15 Secret Shortcuts to Good Housekeeping that our mother's never told us. 30 Minutes or Less! Somethings are just worth trying.

SECRET TIP 1: DOOR LOCKS
If a room clearly can't be whipped into shape in 30 days, much less 30 minutes, employ the Locked Door Method of cleaning. Tell anyone who tries to go in the room that you accidentally locked the door and can't find the key. Of course, the locksmith can't possibly come until tomorrow. CAUTION: It is not advisable to use this tip for the bathroom.
Time: 2 seconds

SECRET TIP 2: DUCT TAPE
No home should be without an ample supply. Not only is it handy for plumbing repairs, but it's a great way to hem drapes, tablecloths, clothes, just about anything. No muss, no fuss.
Time: 2-3 minutes

SECRET TIP 3: OVENS
If you think ovens are just for baking, think again. Ovens represent at least 9 cubic feet of hidden storage space, which means they're a great place to shove dirty dishes, dirty clothes, or just about anything you want to get out of sight when company's coming.
Time: 2 minutes

SECRET TIP 4: CLOTHES DRYERS
Like Secret Tip 3, except bigger. CAUTION: Avoid hiding flammable objects here.
Time: 2.5 minutes

SECRET TIP 5: WASHING MACHINES & FREEZERS
Like Secret Tip 4, except even bigger.
Time: 3 minutes

SECRET TIP 6: DUST RUFFLES
No bed should be without one. Devotees of Martha Stewart believe dust ruffles exist to keep dust out from under a bed or to help coordinate the colorful look of a bedroom. The rest of us know a dust ruffles highest and best use is to hide whatever you've managed to shove under the bed. (Refer to Secret Tips 3, 4, 5.)
Time: 4 minutes

SECRET TIP 7: DUSTING
The 30-Minutes-To-A-Clean-House method says: Never dust under what you can dust around.
Time: 3 minutes

SECRET TIP 8: DISHES
Don't use them. Use plastic or paper plates and you won't have to.
Time: 1 minute

SECRET TIP 9: CLOTHES WASHING (EEWWW)
This secret tip is brought to you by an inventive teenager. When this teens mother went on a housekeeping strike for a month, the teen discovered you can extend the life of your underwear by two ...if you turn it wrong side out and, yes, rerun it. CAUTION: This tip is recommended only for teens and those who don't care if they get in a car wreck.
Time: 3 seconds

SECRET TIP 10: IRONING
If an article of clothing doesn't require a full press and your hair does, a curling iron is the answer. In between curling your hair, use the hot wand to iron minor wrinkles out of your clothes. Yes, it really does work, or so I'm told, by other disciples of the 30-Minutes-To-A-Clean-House philosophy.
Time: 5 minutes (including curling your hair)

SECRET TIP 11: VACUUMING
Stick to the middle of the room, which is the only place people look. Don't bother vacuuming under furniture. It takes way too long and no one looks there anyway.
Time: 5 minutes, entire house; 2 minutes, living room only

SECRET TIP 12: LIGHTING
The key here is low, low, and lower. It's not only romantic, but bad lighting can hide a multitude of dirt.
Time: 10 seconds

SECRET TIP 13: BED MAKING
Get an old-fashioned waterbed. No one can tell if those things are made up or not, saving you, oh, hundreds of seconds over the course of a lifetime.
Time: 0

SECRET TIP 14: SHOWERS, TOILETS, AND SINKS
Forget one and two. Concentrate on three.
Time: 1 minute

SECRET TIP 15:
If you already knew at least 10 of these tips, don't even think about inviting a Martha Stewart type to your home

Now of course there will be feedback to follow on which tips were a success and others that I will need save for the next rainy day...

Let me know which ones work for you!

Free Hugs and Kisses

I love a great deal and always use coupons when I can, even if they are expired. Yes I admit, I have been known to be that person in line at Bed Bath and Beyond (and other places) pleading my case that I had no idea that the coupon expired last month. But what really Works for Me This Wednesday, are my Free Hugs and Kisses coupons that I get to cash in this morning!

I just couldn't help but share this great deal with my new blogging friends. You too can create your own personalized Coupons. Just click on the word coupon (link) and your off to making your own coupons!. It is always a great way to brighten someones day and the best part is they never Expire.

Who knows you may get lucky and pass it along to someone who offers Double the Value for your Coupons...

Big Girls Sit At the Table

Not only did we hit the milestone in having to up the size of Cookie's diddys to a size 3 but now our little girl is sitting at the table and enjoying her dinner!

[Now rubbing your eyes in disbelief]

Yes, you are reading it correctly...our little girl just enjoyed her first meal at the table in her pink princess chair. Check it out "the proof is in the Apple Sauce"....in this particular case

It's All About the Accessories

A little Red Bow always does the trick! The perfect accessories always does the trick in starting your morning off right.

Cookie's Conversation with a Chicken

Mom, allow me to introduce my friend...Mr. Chicken



We talk about the weather and stuff!

All You Need is A Little Extra Humidity

Last night we discovered that Humidity really does serve a purpose other than flattening your hair during the dog days of summer in TX!

While visiting with our friends they too noticed that Cookie was congested and offered to lend us one of their humidifiers and said that it always does the trick when their little ones have colds. So we graciously accepted the humidifier, filled our wine glasses and headed back home to give it a shot. Because that is what you do when you live in a cul-de-sac you always make sure that kids are safe, wine glasses are filled and lend a tip and/or tool to one another when you can.

[Everyone should be so blessed to have neighbors like ours!]

Also, it seemed appropriate to head back home since Cookie had marked Mr. Eric by not only spitting up on him but also filling her Diddy to the max. Thankfully, Mr. Eric didn't realized the Diddy situation or was just being very gracious because it was a dozy.

The Humidifier worked like a champ and little Miss. Sniffles was breathing so much better this morning! So you can only imagine what we did first thing... we head to Wal-Mart to buy one. Being a Rookie in the Humidifier arena, I wasn't sure which one would be the best, so I did a little research and discovered that the following came highly recommended:

1) Vick's V3100 Mist Humidifier The Vicks V3100 Mist Humidifier is a cool mist evaporating humidifier that works for 18 hours before needing a refill. Other features include a wick that removes impurities and prevents white dust and a low-noise level so your child will be able to sleep well with it on. Price Range $35.

2) Vick's Ultrasonic Humidifier Includes a 1.5-gallon, 20-hour tank and a whisper quiet variable control function to fine-tune mist output. Plus, with this Vicks Ultrasonic Humidifier, you can direct the mist to where your child is sleeping. Price Range $32.95 - $53.99

3) Honeywell Quiet Care Cool Mist Humidifier The Honeywell Quiet Care Cool Mist Humidifier humidifier is a high output humidifier that can run for 24 hours without a refill and is capable of humidifying up to 2300 sq ft. Price Range $79.99 - $137.41

4) Vick's Nursery Cool Mist Humidifier Vicks Nursery Cool Mist Humidifier is an inexpensive cool mist humidifier that can run for up to 18 hours and is designed for use in a baby's nursery. Price Range $28.95

5) WindChaser Ultrasonic Humidifier The WindChaser Ultrasonic Humidifier is an inexpensive cool mist humidifier that can run for 8 to 10 hours. Price Range $21.00 - $25.99

Per additional research it was recommended that in general, a cool mist vaporizer or humidifier is preferred over a warm mist one because of the risk of your child getting accidentally burned.

We settled on the first one in the list. If you Veteran Mom's have any suggestions on additional humidifiers or tips for clearing up congestion please let me know. Your suggestions and tips are always appreciated!

Wishing everyone a great week.

Bear Warning in Effect Unitl Noon

Galveston County has issued a Bear Warning in effect until noon today; Saturday 1/19/2008.

Residents say that this Bear is approximately 25 inches, 15 lbs., pink and very furry. It was last seen leaving the IHOP located on 2094 at 8:30 am this morning heading south toward Target.

If you should come in contact with this Bear please shower it with hugs and kisses.

Sincerely ---

The Pink Fuzzy Bear Watch Group

Clean As a Whistle

Remember the days of laying out and using baby oil as a sunscreen..in our cases burnscreen. Well of course those tanning days are over (since learning that sunscreen really does serve a purpose), not to mention that size of bikini is a thing of the past...I have found another purpose for baby oil in that it is a great tool in getting wax out of Baby Cookie's ears!

Yes, we have a winner when it comes to cleaning her ears and I thought I would share this trick with other Rookie Moms.

If you see that your little one has waxy little ears, just simply place a little bit of baby oil on the end of a q-tip and gently swab the area and WA-La, clean as a whistle. It even works well on our size of ears too!

Got any additional ear cleaning tips? Now that my ears are a little cleaner these days and I seem to be hearing much better, I can definitely use the advice from all you Veteran Mom's out there!

Who's That Girl with Pants on Her Head

When Daddy changes the diaper it is always a fun time, poop and all. Baby Cookie even get's a nice "pants hat." She is such a little giggle box these days and I was finally able to catch it on tape. The song for this diddy change was..."Who's that girl with the pants on her head?"

Look forward to many more Daddy and Baby Cookie songs to come.

Moonlighting as a Pilot

Okay so this was our morning conversation:

The Hubby: Hey, I need your opinion about something. Hold on one second and let me know what you think.

[Hiding behind the pantry and then quickly jumping out with his signature double thumbs up]

Me: Oh my, you look like an airline pilot

The Hubby: Great, then I am off to Fly My Car.

Let me know what you think? Do you think the hubby could moonlight as a pilot?

A Little Salt is All You Need

Just when I thought my stain removing, vacuuming days were over, there it was [holding breath and gasping for air] the red wine stain from h - e double L right in the middle of my bathroom, thanks to my clumsiness. Just when I thought it was off to the land of Re-lax-ation, my fun time was turned upside down in an instant.

It stopped me right in my tracks and I had no idea what to do, but the idea did cross my mind to just simply put the rug over it. A little Cook philosophy that we live by is, if it is broke and there is a number to call to fix it...call, if it can be covered up just Cover it and worry about it later.

Unfortunately, the rug wasn't going to do the trick...darn it! Then it hit me to try the little tip I picked up from the Today show. So, I thought what the heck I will give it a shot. All you need is the bottle of Morton's salt, paper towel and a book. Generously apply the salt over the wound and let it soak, though I panicked a little because it was spreading I was going to leave it in God's hand and hope that it would do the trick.

The key was to wait 24 hours and place a paper towel over the carpet's wound and place a book over the paper towel so that it could soak up the excess. Then WA-LA 24 hours later I vacuumed the salt up and boom it was gone!

Great Holiday Trick, for those friends who love their red wine but just can't seem to keep it in their glass...wink wink

Watch Out Daddy's Got Some New Moves

For those who have spent the holidays with the Cook's you all know that, it isn't the holidays without the Hubby leading the Dance Party. The hubby loves to break it down with his nieces and show off some of his fancy foot work such has the infamous Scarecrow.

This Thanksgiving was no different than last year; excpet for the fact that the new High School musical CD was out. Which means that we not only got to hear What time is it, It's Summertime but Riley and the Hubby got to sing a duet with KC taking the lead as Zac and Riley as Gabriella. I think we have a little Miss. American Idol in the works!

Last night KC and I sat down to watch a little bit of the u-tube, with the writers on strike and only reruns playing we thought it would be a good opportunity to catch up on some funny videos.

Much to my suprise Mr. Hubby himself had not seen the "The Evolution of Dance," video. His face was like watching a kid in the candy store, oh the dance moves were just going crazy in his head.

All I can say is get ready for Florida and the next family get together, because the Hubby has got some new moves!

Don't forget to watch the video it will give you a great start to any day, just click on the link above!

Nice Dr. Big Shots

Today we took baby cookie in for her four month shots! As always it was nice visiting with the Dr. and seeing how well Baby Cookie has progressed.

She is now 15 whopping lbs, and is falling within the 80% of her stats. He said that she looks great and that she is coming along really well and that within the next couple of weeks we can start her on stage 1 foods.

The visit was going really well until the nice Nurse came in with the Shots! My heart always sinks when I see the needles but Cookie did really well. She cried a little more this time but we were prepared for that this time around.

I dropped her off at school around 11 am and we will watch her over the next 48hrs to make sure that there is no reaction to today's visit. We will keep you all updated on her progress through out the weekend and stay tune for many more Cookie Notes to come.

Members Only

Yesterday, I flew to Dallas for a business meeting. But before I get into that I would like to first mention that Southwest now has a new boarding system. Yes, my friend they now have a whole new method to their "No Assigned Seating" madness. Now instead of lining up under the nice A, B, or C line in no particular order you now get to line up into sections under those nice pretty letters. Granted it is much easier, but I still have to chuckle at the people who still arrive an hour early just to now stand in front of their designated zones under those pretty little A, B, or C sections.

Now to the fun part! On the flight up to Dallas I sat next to this very well put together Litigator from Beaumont. We talked about our little ones that are in school and how we both lived in Austin for a while, business, the weather and so forth until our quick fifty minute flight came to an end.

As we stood up to race off to our destinations I could not help but giggle when he grabbed his coat down from the overhead bend. As opposed to the typical sport coat, there it was before my eyes....an Original Members Only Jacket, Navy I might add! I just had to ask him, "Sir, when you put that jacket on does something just happen?"

Side Note -- for those who are not aware of where my question came from, it was their advertising tag line in the 80's.

I am guessing he knew what I was talking about because he replied, why yes ever since the 80's when I got it in college. I guess somethings are just hard to let go of. As for my hubby's Members Only jacket; well, he gave it away to some girl in Jr. High!

When KC and I look back on our childhood we always get a good laugh at the fashion fads we fell victim to and when we see them pop up unexpectedly in our every day life we just can't help but mention them. So it poses the question, have you spotted a members only jacket lately?

Laughter in the Morning Trumps a Coffee

This morning while I was getting ready I put a Baby Einstein video for Cookie. As I was putting on my make-up I kept hearing her little giggle from the other room. When I walked in this was the expression on her face.

She was really getting into the Get Up and Go Video and was just having a ball with it. Her laugh is getting really strong and is so infectious.

Have a great day everyone!

Baby Acne

With a big ol' TX size hug, thank you Shannon at Rocks in My Dryer for turning this weeks Works-For-Me Wednesday inside out.

Recently I performed a Google search on the topic of Baby Acne, because doesn't everyone go to Google for the entire list of (link’s) solutions to life’s little problems? Lucky for me only 400,000+ topic results were returned. Needless to say, the opportunity to ask other's for advice could not have come at a better time.

Our little Cookie is now four months old and suffers from Baby Acne. We understand that this is normal and that with time they will eventually go away; however, this is a classic case of them hurting us more than her. Sometimes they just look so painful, but our little trooper just manages to giggle right through them each time we wash her face.

Any additional tips or recommendations on fighting these little boogers are greatly appreciated!

Cuckoo for Cocoa Puffs

Well, not really but I am sure that phrase is just around the corner...now it is more in the lines of being Cuckoo for Gerber's DHA cereal. It is official our little one is now a cereal eater! We just started giving Baby Cookie a little at night during her last feeding and she just loves it.

Though I am not really sure at this point how much we should be giving her or how often, I do know that a 1/2 of a scoop just suits her just fine and she sleeps like a baby through the night. Oh, we are so blessed when it comes to sleeping through the night. I just hope it isn't a curse to what's to come in the bedtime arena.

Our four month Dr. appointment is on Friday so look forward to the Notes from the Dr. Visits.

Advice is Always Welcomed!

The Onesie Toss

Rookie Mistake -- 0001 Onesie Toss....

For all of those Mom's out there you have had to experience at least once the uncomfortable moment when your child fills up the pamper to it's max. For me that moment was at 10 weeks and I just sat there in amazement that something so small could do so much damage.

Panicking a little the only solution I could come up with at the time was just to perform the Onesie Toss. What is the onesie toss you ask? Well it is plain and simple, you wrap the evidence into a tight little ball, place it into a Ziploc bag, stand away from the garbage can and gently TOSS it! Seemed like a good idea right? Bye, Bye poopy pants.

Then it happened again this time in of course not a nice little affordable outfit but in probably one of her most expensive outfit, so the onesie toss just wasn't going to happen, I would have to step up to the plate and bear the pain of scrubbing the evidence out.

After several failed attempts with dreft, tide and all the things you probably shouldn't wash your kids clothes with, I reached back in the laundry pantry for the last option I had...Oxi Clean.

What a miracle this stuff is!! I recommended it to all you new moms who need to do a little extra scrubbing.

Though I enjoyed my onesie tossing, I can now say that those days are over and Oxi clean is here to stay.

If you guys have any other suggesstions please feel free to provide them.

Life is Like a Roll of Toilet Paper

"Life is Like a Roll of Toilet Paper. Once you get close to the end of it, it just goes by faster."

Author -- Greeting Card found at the Car Wash

I am a Survivor

It is never easy having to make the decision to place your child in school. After our first week of school now under our belt I can now say that I am a Survivor and very pleased with our decision to enroll baby Cookie.

Though the first day was hard and I felt sick to my stomach and throughout the day was so tempted to go and get her, I knew that the decision was right. Seeing her smiling face when I went to pick her up for the first time was amazing!

Her teachers are great and she really seemed to enjoy being there. She talked the whole way home as if she had so much to tell us.

As the weeks go by I know that it will only get easier and it gives me a sense of calmness that she is less than 2 miles from the house and only a phone call away when I need to check on her.

Now that Friday has come and gone and the weekend is here we look forward to watching the little things she has already learned from her classmates. I guess it is true that you really do learn a lot from your peers, even if they are less than two feet tall.

I now understand why my Grandmother always had her camera near by. I couldn't help but snap this shot of her first day! We look forward to sharing many more Notes from the Playground.

The Evolution to Rookie Mom 101

The Evolution of Rookie Mom 101 begins with a simple tale of First comes love, then comes marriage, then comes Cookie in the baby carriage.

I am beginning this blog so that you my family and friends can be up to date on the latest Adventures of Baby Cookie as they unfold one diaper at a time.

So hang on crew this is going to be a fun blogging ride.....