Ingenue Mom

There are several great toys & things I want for Isis in the coming year! Some may be better once she is 2, but there aren't yard sales in January, so I've made a list now to share with my mom & mother-in-law. I am not a big fan of going to yard sales, but I don't mind reaping the benefits on certain items. I won't take just anything from a yard sale, but toys & things like this, I'm all about getting there!! Here's my list this year! Isis is starting to get more interested in coloring & drawing! At first, she just wanted to stick the crayons & other utensils in her mouth, but now she's gotten interested in coloring with them! We'd love for her to have a little table so she has her own space that is her size to color & draw without worrying about what she gets dirty! I found the one above at Toys R Us . I'd also be happy with a cute little plain table like this one at Ikea ! I'm also looking at one on Craigslist! I'd...

I saw Mumford & Sons perform with The Avett Brothers & Bob Dylan at the Grammys & I've been pretty much all about them ever since then! Here's a video just for you all! Happy Sunday!! Today, I'm preparing for my Annual Oscar Party!! The Oscars are one of my favorite events of the year! I look forward to it all year long! I posted my Oscar predictions on my other blog.

Saving Money. It's an ongoing struggle that everyone faces to make the most of what they have. To even just have what you need can be a struggle. So we all find our own ways to save money and provide for our family. We have been a 1-income family for the last 13 months. I'm working now with my long-term sub position & I will be working full time in the fall, but we also now have student loans and childcare which can really put a dent in your budget. We've adjusted some things on our budget & we are trying to find some ways to save more money in ways that work for our family. The thing about budgeting & spending is that it's going to look so different for each family. Certain things take priority in some families that are easily expendable in other families. Here's where we are at this point & I'd love to hear your tips! 1. HomeBudget iPhone App We bought the HomeBudget iPhone app because it offered the family sync option. We entered our budget i...

Today I started my long term sub position!! It was a really wonderful day! But I'm tired & I'm going to bed early. I just wanted to share this picture of my cute little valentine all dressed up, helping me pick out her summer wardrobe at Old Navy this weekend!! Yay for the Kids & Baby Sale!!! My other valentine is taking me out for a celebratory new job/Valentine's dinner next week!! How did you spend your Valentine's Day?

There are so many pregnant people right now!! It is absolutely crazy!! I'm about to start a long term sub for a teacher who is due on the 18th. My best friend, Diana , is pregnant with her 3rd! Due towards the end of August. My baby guru, Laurel, is pregnant with her 3rd! Due in April. One of my good friends, Ciaara, is pregnant with her 1st! Due end of July. A friend from high school, Allison, is pregnant with her 2nd! Due in August. A friend of mine, Lauren, whose husband works with Lewis is pregnant with her 1st! Due in May. Melissa from Dear Baby is pregnant with her 2nd! Due in May. Adriel from The Mommyhood Memos just announced that she is pregnant with her 2nd! Due in the fall. That is a lot of babies in 2011!! Not to mention all the celebrities! Here's my current list of celebrities due in 2011: Mariah Carey, Pink, Jennifer Connelly, Emma Bunton, Toni Collette, Rachel Zoe, Marion Cotillard, Alicia Silverstone, Natalie Portman, Jewel, Victoria Beckham, Kate Hudson,...

It's so funny, yesterday I wrote this post (scheduled for today) about how Isis isn't walking yet and she's just taking her time and blah blah blah. Well, she also decided yesterday to take her first steps! She did it several times and I caught it on video once. She wouldn't do it if you got close to her. If you get close, she tries to get you to pick her up or hold her hand, but I found that if I sat away from her, she would do it herself. I'm telling you, she is just like me and Lewis - wanting to do things on her own time in her own way. We're in for a fun adolescence. Thankfully that's not for a while, but right now my baby is now a toddler! Crazy!

(This pic is not really related to anything, just thought it was funny. This is what Isis has started doing when you ask her to smile if you're taking a picture.) Have you ever felt like you were stuck in a certain season of your life? Almost like you're taking little steps in a certain direction, but never really getting there? That's how I feel right now. For the last 4 years, Lewis and I have been students. I went back to school in January 2007 to be a teacher. Lewis went back to school to get his Masters in Business (MBA). We bought our townhouse in May 2007 because we just wanted a simple, little place with a mortgage we could easily afford, where we had very little upkeep & could just focus on finishing school with little stress. Well now, here we are 4 years later. I am a college graduate and Lewis has his MBA. We have a 13 month old baby girl & are ready for more when we finally get into the next season of our lives. The next season involves career jobs an...

Melissa at Dear Baby posted a link to this blog & the first post when I clicked was this one about " Dressing the Bump ." I have to say, this girl is absolutely beautiful & her style is so great!! I am all about some tunics & cardigans & she just got me so excited about getting pregnant again!! I've bookmarked this link so that when that day comes, I've got some inspiration! Also, preggo moms, there's a 30% off sale in the Old Navy Maternity clothes !! So go check it out!

THIS POST IS NOT FOR MEN. If you are catching this link on Facebook & you are my dad, Lewis' dad, my brother, my cousins or any other male in my life, don't continue reading. Consider yourself fully warned. Dear Period, The last time you came around for real was April 2009. I can't say that I've missed you. Not really. Yes, I had to go through pregnancy and childbirth in exchange for sending you away, but I think it was immensely worth it.  Then I started breastfeeding and you decided to continue your vacation and I got another 10 months without even a minor glimpse of you. It was really heavenly! But again, I endured some breastfeeding struggles, including Mastitis , in exchange for your hiatus, but I still believe it was overall more than worth it. I was taking progesterone only birth control and so after I stopped breastfeeding, you didn't seem to be able to decide if you wanted to come back for good or not. You'd creep up just barely for about 3 o...

I wrote this really fabulous post yesterday with all my favorite baby names right now, but then my friend Diana reminded me that I have lots of pregnant friends & I don't need to share my names so that no one will steal them!! So I moved on to the next topic on my brain... I was thinking the other day about how I tend to be really loyal to certain things when I find something fabulous that I like! Just for fun, I started trying to think of my 10 favorite things that I use or do or read or watch regularly. The list obviously doesn't include my family or friends because they would top any list of favorites. So using only things , this is the best I could do... 1.Young Adult Vampire Stuff Twilight , Buffy , Vampire Diaries - I love all those! True Blood , I just can't do. So I finally realized I am a young adult vampire fan. I always said I didn't like Buffy for the vampires - it was the satirical & sarcastic humor. I didn't like Twilight for the vampires ...