Vision Checkup

Even though I barely have two cents to rub together, I got new glasses yesterday! The catch - they were FREE! Well, I guess I technically did pay for them by paying my insurance premium. With my vision insurance, I got a free exam, a pair of frames up to $130, and free lenses (as long as they didn't have too many extra fancy things like anti-glare or tint). My vision has definitely gotten worse after having two children, partly due to natural wear and tear and party due to hormones, so I was due for a new eye prescription. Naderah slept so nicely for me in her stroller, I even wandered into the mall for a moment (Sears, specifically, since I got my specs from Sears Optical). Weird, Sears is kinda like the throwback store. Who shops there anymore? (Sorry if I hurt your feelings, Sears.)

I found the perfect sweater. I mean, beautiful cabling, it fit, and was just what I wanted in terms of drape and style. Purrfect. It was 50% off, but still out of my budget, especially since my budget is nil. R had given me reign over his debit card (well, $20 worth) to enjoy the last day of my maternity leave. But it wouldn't be practical to use that money for a sweater. (I ended up using it to buy groceries instead.) However, I did go over to the register to make sure the sweater did not have any further discounts. The cashier convinced me to apply for a Sears credit card. Hah. Me and credit? Hah hah. The cahsier, too, was the most ancient cashier around. He was throwback too. Mr. Ellis.

My credit application came back denied, I wasn't surprised. Mr. Ellis, though, let me down in the most interesting way. Instead of just telling me I was denied, he said that they needed to look at my information more closely and would get back to me in a few days. He was reading from the receipt that had printed, which he stressed I should safeguard. When I read the receipt it was the typical "we are unable to approve your application at this time" statement. I was amazed though by Mr. Ellis' tact and compassion. Was it naivete'? Well, as old as he is, I'm sure he's been around the block and has had his share of shoppers with bad credit. I'm just impressed with the respect and humanity he showed me. It was pretty sweet.

Meanwhile, the sweater is still in the back of my mind. It's on my wishlist for when I get my next (last) disability check. Purrfect.

The First Overnight

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of Hiltons of Branson. All opinions are 100% mine.

Valentine's is coming up and Rahim and I could definitely use a break! At this point, I would pay someone to watch the babies so we could have a night off on an overnight trip. Send in the troops! We might get our tax money by then, too, so we could afford a romantic getaway. I found a website that describes such a getaway in Branson, Missouri, the so-called entertainment capital of the Midwest.

I have the trip all planned out, just in case my MIL feels sorry for us the night before Valentine's Day and offers to watch the baby. We would start off at the Hilton Branson Convention Center Hotel or the swanky Hilton Promenade at Branson Landing. These hotels offer luxurious rooms, with chocolates on the pillows and a whirlpool bath with jets. If we arrived in the evening, we would definitely relax in the hot tub, under the stars. One package they offer is a "bed and breakfast" weekend, with lots of pampering and special touches. The hotel is located very close to historic downtown Branson, the famous Payne Stewart Golf Course, activities at Table Rock Lake, and a vibrant theatre district.

Doesn't this picture just say it all? Relaxing, romantic, and fun. Any offers to babysit?

Now Presenting

The Amazing Smiling Baby!
You can see some of these pics on my Flickr badge, too. I can't believe how much time has passed. I'm lucky that I got to spend so much time with her, getting to know her, caring for her, and capturing these precious moments. Going back to work will definitely be hard.

She was 7 weeks in this picture. Amazing!
Here she is smiling with her eyes! And that dimple!
She has a face that could launch a thousand ships!

The Thrift Life

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of Allison Maslan, author of "Blast Off!". All opinions are 100% mine.

I have been wanting to read In Cold Blood by Truman Capote for a few months now. I couldn't get to the library for a while with the baby and sharing one car (and owing a $20 fine!), so I ended up downloading a pdf version of the book. But it's not the same as reading a real-life copy of the book. I've read other books on pdf, but the eloquent and imaginative prose of Capote just wasn't meant for a digital screen. I needed the yellowing paper, the scent of an old library, and dog-eared pages. When I did get out and got to shop at a few thrift stores, I purposefully looked for a copy. I thought a dollar or two wouldn't break my budget. I didn't find In Cold Blood but I did find:

• War and Peace by Tolstoy
  
• At least a dozen titles by Stephen King
  
• Every book written by Dean Koontz, Nora Roberts, Tami Hoag
  
• The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger (in my top five)
  
• The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini
  
• White Fang by Jack London
  
• and countless other classics, including many Shakespearean plays

But no copy of the book I wanted. Well, I finally paid my fine at the library and requested a copy there. I guess it's a popular read because I'm 11th in the queue!

Another book I'm interested in is Blast Off! by Allison Maslan. Luckily, this book is available on Amazon at the low price of $24, well within anyone's budget. The book launched on January 19th of this year, making it available at most major bookstores and online. Ms. Maslan helps individuals become fulfilled in their careers and lives. Lately, I have felt less fulfillment, probably due to post-partum issues, being broke from unpaid maternity leave, and living in my MIL's basement. After my hormones finally leveled out (I hope they have, at least), I stopped crying everyday and feeling like my life had no point. It was pretty black there for a few weeks, without my being able to distinguish between the stress of new motherhood and hormonal imbalance. With the support of someone like Ms. Maslan and the advice she offers in her book, I could work on some of these issues and make a plan for success.

In the meantime, living the "life of my dreams" seems more possible with my blossoming and healthy family - especially Ishmael and our newest sweetheart Naderah.

Sellevision

If you have Direct TV cable, you might understand my dilemna. Channels that are solely for paid advertisements. This is highly aggravating and excessively ridiculous. When you look at the guide to find out what's playing, you have to rummage through and avoid accidentally selecting one of these advertising channels. While looking for episodes of Criminal Minds or Ghost Whisperer or the latest installment of Project Runway, you run across programs called:

Your Baby Can Read (no wonder my MIL bought this!)
Goodbye Belly Fat
Get Ripped in 90 Days
Back Pain Relief
Live Jewelry Auction
Not Eating Enough Fruits & Vegetables?
Stop Memory Loss
Insanity
7 Tools in 1
Clean with Shark Steam
Carve Abs in Bed
The Byrds, Kinks, Moody Blues
Free Money "They" Don't Want You to Know About
Sonic Crafter

Oh, I could go on and on. At first, it was really weird being bombarded by all of these channels. Now I know how to avoid them. Nevertheless, they are very annoying. Marathons of Gordon Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares keep me going.

Dreamscape

I've been wanting to make a banner (or bunting) for Ishmael since he was born. Luckily, I have some time now (for about another week!) and the inspiration. He already has some name art in his room, so I decided to put the word dream on his banner instead. I think it turned out swell.

I found a great tutorial at Vanilla Joy, though I did a lot of things differently. I started by cutting out a triangular template from a cardboard box - which we had plenty of after moving. I traced the shape onto the back of my fabric using a black crayon and cut it with pinking shears. I printed and cut the letters I needed for the banner on plain copy paper. I pinned this to craft felt and cut the letters out carefully.

My scissors are pretty dull, so the cutting process pretty much sucked. I bought some Heat-n-Bond, as Vanilla Joy suggested, but I just hand sewed the letters on instead.

When Baba saw the dream banner in his room, he said "Wow!" and "Oh!" That just about burst my heart. I'm now working on a name banner for Naderah.

Top Ten

Top Ten Things to do while on maternity leave:

1. Enjoy time with new baby!
2. Listen patiently but ignore a lot of advice from a lot of people (post about that later).
3. Fret about balancing amount of time off work, amount of time without a paycheck, and amount of time baby's not in daycare.
4. Watch tv, tv, and more tv.
5. Clean and do housework like a young June Cleaver.
6. Make elaborate, delish meals for hardworking husband.
7. Craft, make, and invent.
8. Blog, surf, and try not to buy too much online.
9. Eat lots of junk food, pledging to give it up as soon as maternity leave is over!
10. Make lists and cross things off.

Do you have a top ten list? If you're reading this, you're tagged! Leave me a comment and I'll add a link in this post!

Check out:
Meg's Top Ten Things I Didn't Like About Troy
Sunegrl's Top Ten Things a Person Should Know About Mystery Shopping
Tony's Ten Horrific Things that Happened on her First Date of the Year

Second Size

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of Pexagon Technology. All opinions are 100% mine.

Back in the day, a product that said 'One Size Fits All' usually did fit most people. As fashion models, celebrities, and cultural norms of "beauty" trend towards very skinny, 'fits all' has become 'fits most'. I think you might know what I'm talking about. Stretch jeans are more like a second skin, like personalized Apple & BlackBerry cases will hug all the curves and ridges of your cell phone. A lot of clothes nowadays are fitted or slimming. I guess tight means it will make you appear slimmer! I know that a soft silicone or plastic cell phone case, with your name, nickname, or favorite saying engraved on it, will make your phone calls even cuter! I mean, you'll look cuter while you're making your phone call. People will be less likely to roll their eyes at you when you're chatting away at a store's cash register, loudly having your phone conversation in your favorite conversation, driving like a 7 year old who's boosted his grandpa's ride (except it's usually an SUV that weaves and has too many blind spots), or you're writing epic text messages while driving in the rain.

Put your favorite logo or your own cool design on your cell phone case, while saving a few bucks too. Instead of the usual retail price that those hawks in the mall try to seduce you with, you can get these personalized cases for only $5 with free shipping. I think a nice purple blackberry would be cute design for a blackberry phone, a nice metaphor for the sweet and tart emails and web updates you read using your phone! I'm sure, too, you could use an iPhone app to purchase one of these cases. If there isn't one yet, there will be by the end of the week! By personalizing your phone, you're making this accessory a size that fits YOU!

The Photo Shoot

A face (and hair) worthy of any Gap ad!
It might be time for a haircut, though!
Here's an action shot of Baba throwing a ball.
I love this outfit!
I need a new word for "cute" to describe this kid!
Finally, the future Calvin Klein model!

Cutie On Demand

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of Charter. All opinions are 100% mine.

Naderah is certainly not the only cutie around these days. Ishmael had some kind of growth spurt right when I had the baby and was in the hospital. He was staying at his grandma's during that time and I didn't see him everyday. When I got home, too, R's mom and sister watched him more while I recovered from the c-section and took care of the baby. In a matter of a couple weeks, Baba had learned so many new words and behaviors. R's sister was really into teaching him things and playing different games with him. She spent a lot of time taking photos, too, to send to talent agencies, since we all think Baba should be on television or catalogs. Over the holidays there was a Gap commercial with little girls dancing and doing a row-boat thing at the end. Baba saw that commercial and spontaneously started rowing across the carpet. Too cute!

With Charter cable service, we have free access to On Demand. So we can watch thousands of movies and shows anytime we want or have the time. I don't use the tv as a babysitter, but there are a few programs that I think are okay for Ishmael to watch, especially when I'm trying to stay sane with the baby and a two-year old at the same time. So just because it's 7pm, it doesn't mean we can't turn to Hip Hop Harry or Sesame Street or Go, Diego, Go! It's the next best thing to a digital video recorder. As Ishmael gets older, I know we'll appreciate accessing kid-friendly movies, instead of paying ever-increasing box office prices. We'll be able to watch Shrek or Finding Nemo over and over again on our big screen, with just a press of a button. As Ishmael enters the terrible two's (and eventually the terrible three's), his patience for getting the things he wants is pretty short. "On Demand" is the perfect phrase for this time in his life! Even "high definition" is a funny description for our frenetic, energetic afternoons and evenings.

I was able to learn more at charter.net/ondemand, which gave me clear instructions on how to access the shows and movies we wanted. And as I mentioned in my earlier post, this works well with my FB addition, since I can get updates and fun extras on Charter’s Facebook page. I continue to daydream, too, about Ishmael being in one of those commercials or shows. But isn't every mom thinking their kid is the cutest?