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March 21, 2012
July 19, 2011
Inspiration
Oh Dear friends, I cannot and can, believe how long it has been since I've updated. I will sit down to make a post, and half way through realize that it is coming off more as a journal entry than a post the mass public should be subjected to!
I have had so many inspirations about what I should be doing in my spare time lately. Reading books, nah, I don't get past the first chapter before I am distracted, or tending to Henry. Start writing a book? Ha! Funny one. Post a blog....nah. Watch a movie, nah. etc etc. Lately though, I have been hit with this urgency for educating myself, on all things.
I took a 2 year long hiatus from learning, as in on purpose... F.I.D.M. burnt me out of all my compassion, lust, creativeness, awe-ness (is that a word, well who cares) with not only the world of fashion, but the world in general. It was a boot camp for your talent, and as we all know, only the elite leave going into battle. I couldn't and still cannot, go to Style.com, or Womens Wear Daily, or buy a fashion magazine. Couldn't stand to look at fashion blogs, or fashion shows, etc. I thought maybe, I had wasted 3 years of my life, maybe fashion wasn't where I belonged in life. Reiterating this thought was how I felt about the world of retail. I hated it, and that seemingly was the only place I had ever worked, or could find a job. Had I really just wasted 7 years of my life?
I have been searching ever since, to find 'my calling' in life. For a brief moment I thought motherhood was my calling. Shortly after having Henry I realized, no, I am not a cicada, I was not just born into this world to reproduce and then die.
And no, I am not the mother of 19 kids and counting, nor do I want to be. Babies have become a sincere passion of mine since having Henry, but that is not my life calling. I have become educated on SO much, and the world makes so much more sense since having Henry, yet, not my life calling. I digress.
Getting to my point, I have a thirst now. I am so thirsty to understand the world, and everything in it. I love watching CNN. I love staying up to date on news stories, I love pop culture, I love to hate it. I have found my way back to music, which I had stopped listening to for so very embarrassingly long because I was too busy. I found my compassion, I found love, I found faith, I found so much in the last few years. It's like I have been awakened from a deep sleep. Now I am inspired! My sister and I, have been talking forever about interesting business propositions. We keep trying to figure out what we can do, what is our calling. And the more thirsty I become with the world and exploring it, the more I see the voids in the world. So this is my mission: To make a blog updates, and transition this blog into a mothers journal, and pop culture journal, a forum for questions and answers, discussions and 'been there done thats'. I hope that it develops the way I want it to and if no one reads it, no problem. I have a great need to pen my inspirations down and make sense of them.
This entire post is such a ramble and mess of ideas, but that is how full my brain is these days! I watch a lot of news and talk shows, the same ones pretty much every day. I hope that I can take their 'hot topics' and express my thoughts on here and hopefully elicit some responses on your views. I find more and more thoughts building in my head and no where to dissect them! I'll try and start today. Here goes....
LC
I have had so many inspirations about what I should be doing in my spare time lately. Reading books, nah, I don't get past the first chapter before I am distracted, or tending to Henry. Start writing a book? Ha! Funny one. Post a blog....nah. Watch a movie, nah. etc etc. Lately though, I have been hit with this urgency for educating myself, on all things.
I took a 2 year long hiatus from learning, as in on purpose... F.I.D.M. burnt me out of all my compassion, lust, creativeness, awe-ness (is that a word, well who cares) with not only the world of fashion, but the world in general. It was a boot camp for your talent, and as we all know, only the elite leave going into battle. I couldn't and still cannot, go to Style.com, or Womens Wear Daily, or buy a fashion magazine. Couldn't stand to look at fashion blogs, or fashion shows, etc. I thought maybe, I had wasted 3 years of my life, maybe fashion wasn't where I belonged in life. Reiterating this thought was how I felt about the world of retail. I hated it, and that seemingly was the only place I had ever worked, or could find a job. Had I really just wasted 7 years of my life?
I have been searching ever since, to find 'my calling' in life. For a brief moment I thought motherhood was my calling. Shortly after having Henry I realized, no, I am not a cicada, I was not just born into this world to reproduce and then die.
And no, I am not the mother of 19 kids and counting, nor do I want to be. Babies have become a sincere passion of mine since having Henry, but that is not my life calling. I have become educated on SO much, and the world makes so much more sense since having Henry, yet, not my life calling. I digress.
Getting to my point, I have a thirst now. I am so thirsty to understand the world, and everything in it. I love watching CNN. I love staying up to date on news stories, I love pop culture, I love to hate it. I have found my way back to music, which I had stopped listening to for so very embarrassingly long because I was too busy. I found my compassion, I found love, I found faith, I found so much in the last few years. It's like I have been awakened from a deep sleep. Now I am inspired! My sister and I, have been talking forever about interesting business propositions. We keep trying to figure out what we can do, what is our calling. And the more thirsty I become with the world and exploring it, the more I see the voids in the world. So this is my mission: To make a blog updates, and transition this blog into a mothers journal, and pop culture journal, a forum for questions and answers, discussions and 'been there done thats'. I hope that it develops the way I want it to and if no one reads it, no problem. I have a great need to pen my inspirations down and make sense of them.
This entire post is such a ramble and mess of ideas, but that is how full my brain is these days! I watch a lot of news and talk shows, the same ones pretty much every day. I hope that I can take their 'hot topics' and express my thoughts on here and hopefully elicit some responses on your views. I find more and more thoughts building in my head and no where to dissect them! I'll try and start today. Here goes....
LC
June 29, 2011
Favorite Baby Brands
I get asked this question a lot from friends, family and followers on YT/Formspring.
As I sit here folding laundry I realize I should just type this up while it is on my brain.
Clothing:
Carters: is cute and the outfits with the animals on the butt are sweet, BUT they do run a bit small. They were great when Henry was a newborn, the NB size was pretty accurate and fit him for about a month, but once he got to about 1mo old he was wearing 3mo size clothes from Carters.
Koala Baby: LOVE them! This brand is sold mostly at BabysRus, it might even be BRU brand, I am not sure, but the fabric is soft and comfortable. Comfort is a huge thing with Henry, he fusses if you put itchy acrylic fabric on him or polo fabric like Polo Ralph Lauren. I have two outfits from Koala Baby and they are his favorite.
Janie and Jack: Expensive but the quality is the best I've seen from all other brands. If you hold in your hand a Carters onesie and a Janie and Jack onesie you can feel and SEE the difference. Ive had a onesie from them since Henry was 2mo old and he is almost 5mo and it still fits him great and has held up. If I had no budget I would shop there for all of Henrys clothing needs.
HINT: Biggest lesson I have learned since having a baby, DON'T skimp on the important things- you get what you pay for. If you buy cheap clothes, you get cheap clothes, if you buy a cheap diaper bag, it WILL fall apart.
Gerber: Im not such a big fan of their clothing line, or really anything from them. It feels cheap, very thin fabric, it stretches when you dont really want it to and they run really small.
TOYS
Fisher-Price: They ended up being the only brand we use and we didnt even realize it. We have a swing, play mat and jumperoo from them. Our high chair is from them, our bath tub as well. They just ended up always have the best products and we didnt realize it until they were all in the same room together.
We like to go to BRU with Henry and test out the products. There have been times where we would go get something and he didnt adjust well to it or like it so we ended up wasting money and time. Also there are toys that he doesnt like because the colors are not bright enough for him to make out yet. His favorite color is red but he also still favors black and white patterns. He reacts to Kevin the most because he has thick black rimmed glasses and really loves them. When my mom was here she couldn't get any kind of reaction from him, no laughs, no giggles. But the second she put on her readers, he thought she was the coolest thing since sliced bread.
First Years: We use their bottle products such as their bottle warmer, and bottle drying rack. I like the simplistic style and no fuss of their brand.
Medela: Go big or Go Home. They are the most expensive but worth every penny. My breast pump was $300 but they do go on sale once every season for about 20% off. I use my breast pump about 6-7 times a day for around 20 minutes. And with out it I wouldn't be able to feed my child. So I have used it roughly 1050+ times since Henrys birth and it still has the most powerful suction EVER. The quality is out standing and the pump comes in a great tote bag. Didnt think I would need the bag but omg its right next to the diaper bag in the essential department. So all in all the pump paid for itself after only a few weeks worth of use. And regardless if you are breastfeeding solely you will need a pump, for when you are away from your baby or if they didnt eat all that you had produced etc etc. And no, its not so simple to just manually pump it off- who has time for that!?
Munckin: LOVE LOVE LOVE this brand. They are good on the 'feeding' front. They have good sack mesh feeders, they have great feeding spoons, they have great closet organizers- which was Henry's 'closet' for the first 3mo of his life. They have great diaper organizer-which I LIVE BY! They have an 'OK' bottle basket for the dishwasher, i dont LOVE it because my Medela bottles dont fit too nicely in it. But everything else I have bought from them is super dee duper sweet.
Boppy: Get one, and you will have a wonderful life :D
Bumbo: Our child has the worlds fattest thighs, so he doesn't enjoy sitting in it too much because he gets stuck or it squishes down on his thighs and he gets un-happy
Evenflo: They are ok, I only have one product of theirs, a travel system. I love my stroller, it is bulky but light weight and has lots of compartments and cup holders and a big basket and big shaders. I would die w/o my travel system but I also wouldn't mind a jogging stroller, those things are niiiiice :)
Can't think of much else, if i do i will update!
LC
As I sit here folding laundry I realize I should just type this up while it is on my brain.
Clothing:
Carters: is cute and the outfits with the animals on the butt are sweet, BUT they do run a bit small. They were great when Henry was a newborn, the NB size was pretty accurate and fit him for about a month, but once he got to about 1mo old he was wearing 3mo size clothes from Carters.
Koala Baby: LOVE them! This brand is sold mostly at BabysRus, it might even be BRU brand, I am not sure, but the fabric is soft and comfortable. Comfort is a huge thing with Henry, he fusses if you put itchy acrylic fabric on him or polo fabric like Polo Ralph Lauren. I have two outfits from Koala Baby and they are his favorite.
Janie and Jack: Expensive but the quality is the best I've seen from all other brands. If you hold in your hand a Carters onesie and a Janie and Jack onesie you can feel and SEE the difference. Ive had a onesie from them since Henry was 2mo old and he is almost 5mo and it still fits him great and has held up. If I had no budget I would shop there for all of Henrys clothing needs.
HINT: Biggest lesson I have learned since having a baby, DON'T skimp on the important things- you get what you pay for. If you buy cheap clothes, you get cheap clothes, if you buy a cheap diaper bag, it WILL fall apart.
Gerber: Im not such a big fan of their clothing line, or really anything from them. It feels cheap, very thin fabric, it stretches when you dont really want it to and they run really small.
TOYS
Fisher-Price: They ended up being the only brand we use and we didnt even realize it. We have a swing, play mat and jumperoo from them. Our high chair is from them, our bath tub as well. They just ended up always have the best products and we didnt realize it until they were all in the same room together.
We like to go to BRU with Henry and test out the products. There have been times where we would go get something and he didnt adjust well to it or like it so we ended up wasting money and time. Also there are toys that he doesnt like because the colors are not bright enough for him to make out yet. His favorite color is red but he also still favors black and white patterns. He reacts to Kevin the most because he has thick black rimmed glasses and really loves them. When my mom was here she couldn't get any kind of reaction from him, no laughs, no giggles. But the second she put on her readers, he thought she was the coolest thing since sliced bread.
First Years: We use their bottle products such as their bottle warmer, and bottle drying rack. I like the simplistic style and no fuss of their brand.
Medela: Go big or Go Home. They are the most expensive but worth every penny. My breast pump was $300 but they do go on sale once every season for about 20% off. I use my breast pump about 6-7 times a day for around 20 minutes. And with out it I wouldn't be able to feed my child. So I have used it roughly 1050+ times since Henrys birth and it still has the most powerful suction EVER. The quality is out standing and the pump comes in a great tote bag. Didnt think I would need the bag but omg its right next to the diaper bag in the essential department. So all in all the pump paid for itself after only a few weeks worth of use. And regardless if you are breastfeeding solely you will need a pump, for when you are away from your baby or if they didnt eat all that you had produced etc etc. And no, its not so simple to just manually pump it off- who has time for that!?
Munckin: LOVE LOVE LOVE this brand. They are good on the 'feeding' front. They have good sack mesh feeders, they have great feeding spoons, they have great closet organizers- which was Henry's 'closet' for the first 3mo of his life. They have great diaper organizer-which I LIVE BY! They have an 'OK' bottle basket for the dishwasher, i dont LOVE it because my Medela bottles dont fit too nicely in it. But everything else I have bought from them is super dee duper sweet.
Boppy: Get one, and you will have a wonderful life :D
Bumbo: Our child has the worlds fattest thighs, so he doesn't enjoy sitting in it too much because he gets stuck or it squishes down on his thighs and he gets un-happy
Evenflo: They are ok, I only have one product of theirs, a travel system. I love my stroller, it is bulky but light weight and has lots of compartments and cup holders and a big basket and big shaders. I would die w/o my travel system but I also wouldn't mind a jogging stroller, those things are niiiiice :)
Can't think of much else, if i do i will update!
LC
June 21, 2011
How is ur new place? All settled in?
The new place is wonderful! The floorplan is a mirror image of the one we wanted so i am still adjusting to not getting what i really wanted :( It is GREAT that we have a bed/bath for all of our guests and that Henry has his own room where he can sleep peacefully through the night.
We are pretty much settled in, just some decorating that needs to be finished
June 06, 2011
New Horizons
So many things happening for us lately. We are moving out of our first family home this weekend. Bittersweet. We have been wanting to get a bigger place ever since we moved in, finding out 4 days before we moved up to Akron that we were expecting. After already signing our lease on a modest 1bd/1ba. Now that it is here, I am extraordinarily sad. This is where Henry was when he was 5 weeks old, until the day we brought him home from the hospital. The home where he slept in his first crib, he rolled over for the first time, the only place he has ever known. Yes, I know we are speaking of a 4 month old. But never in my life have I wanted to stay in the same place, until now. Now I get it. Now I know why people move, why they want a house before they have children, why they want their home to be one they live in for many many years. :(
Regardless, the new place is bigger, better and holds a brighter future for us all. Henry will have his own big boy room, Pappa Clouse will have a place for his home office, I will have a sunroom for my reading, and tea drinking. It will be so great for our budding family.
Kev's career is taking off for him, and I am so very happy for him, I have settled into my nook of being a momma. Henry is growing like a weed, rolling over, trying to talk, standing up, trying to walk, trying to crawl, blowing bubbles, everything! He is such a big boy. We have met some new friends, things seem to be bright for us. We are finally getting our heads above the water. It feels great!
I have been perused after for jobs as well. Something I am considering at a distance. It would have to be a great opportunity, I dont want to let another one go again, so timing is everything. I am warming up to the idea. I would still like to wait until Henry is 1 year old, not breastfeeding and his cows milk allergy is under control. I want him to be walking and more mobile. I have a few interviews set up in the next few weeks. We will see how this all pans out. No rush for sure.
I just felt like typing a quick update while resting during packing. Boy wont I be glad when we are done packing and unpacking! My lil bugger just woke up from his daily afternoon nap, I must go get him and make up a bottle :)
CIaO
LC
Regardless, the new place is bigger, better and holds a brighter future for us all. Henry will have his own big boy room, Pappa Clouse will have a place for his home office, I will have a sunroom for my reading, and tea drinking. It will be so great for our budding family.
Kev's career is taking off for him, and I am so very happy for him, I have settled into my nook of being a momma. Henry is growing like a weed, rolling over, trying to talk, standing up, trying to walk, trying to crawl, blowing bubbles, everything! He is such a big boy. We have met some new friends, things seem to be bright for us. We are finally getting our heads above the water. It feels great!
I have been perused after for jobs as well. Something I am considering at a distance. It would have to be a great opportunity, I dont want to let another one go again, so timing is everything. I am warming up to the idea. I would still like to wait until Henry is 1 year old, not breastfeeding and his cows milk allergy is under control. I want him to be walking and more mobile. I have a few interviews set up in the next few weeks. We will see how this all pans out. No rush for sure.
I just felt like typing a quick update while resting during packing. Boy wont I be glad when we are done packing and unpacking! My lil bugger just woke up from his daily afternoon nap, I must go get him and make up a bottle :)
CIaO
LC
May 30, 2011
May 27, 2011
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