Anniversary Bummer

I'm super bummed out! Shawn just told me today that he wasn't able to get off of work or our anniversary weekend. I was really looking forward to surprising him with our trip to skibowl.

I told him about what I had planned and he said that it seemed like something he would really enjoy. It was sad because there really isn't another weekend that we will be able to do it. It's about to get cold on the mountain and the adventure park will close down and the ski area will open up. Plus, Oktoberfest is only that one weekend.

Hopefully, we will be able to find another weekend to go away together. I really want it to be soon, but that means it will be more of an autumn/winter get away. I'm sure I will be able to think of something, but I would prefer it to be something Summer. Maybe I am still in Summer mode. Perhaps Shawn would like to go snowboarding this year instead. That would be a pretty good surprise.


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Buttpaste

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of Boudreaux's Butt Paste. All opinions are 100% mine.

When I was pregnant with Caleb, I asked everyone for advice. I asked one friend to count how many diapers she used in one day with her infant, I asked another to write down her son's nap schedule, and I asked everyone for reviews. I had people suggested everything from shampoo or toenail clippers.

When it came to health care and hygiene items, I went straight to the experts. Pediatricians and Pediatric nurses. One thing that was the same across the board, no matter who I asked was that Boudreaux's Butt Paste was the best product for the diaper area. It was recommended to me by my pediatrician, the nurses in the maternity ward, and even by my midwife. They all said the same thing, "The name is funny, but you'll love it because it works!"

"It works" was the clincher. Every person would throw in their own 2 cents of course. "It doesn't stink," "I saw it on Oprah," and "It cleans off easily" were pretty common. But the one thing that every person said without fail was, "It works".

When it comes to your little babies most sensitive areas, you want to know that the product you are using is going to work to soothe and heal them, and you want it to work FAST! Boudreaux's Butt Paste does just that, it works and it works fast. Not only did it sooth and heal diaper rash, but it helped to prevent diaper rash as well. If Caleb drank a lot of water before bed, I would smear it on him at bedtime. That way, if he filled his diaper in his sleep and didn't wake up, I knew that his skin would be protected through the night... of course he usually woke up and let me know all about his wet diaper!

I also used Boudreaux's Butt Paste on hot Summer days. I could only just imagine what it would be like to be a cute, sweet, innocent little baby on a 100 degree day. That diaper is meant to hold in moisture and they don't seem to be very breathable. I would put Boudreaux's Butt Paste on Caleb to protect him from heat rash or diaper rash from sweat.

Long car rides is another time I would use Boudreaux's Butt Paste. If he had to sit in the car seat for a long time, I was worried that he would sweat or get uncomfortable in his diaper. I would usually change him every hour or so, even if his diaper was dry, just to freshen him up. The idea of sitting around in a diaper sounds very unpleasant to me, and I wanted to keep him as clean, fresh, and comfortable as possible. Boudreaux's Butt Paste helped me to do that effectively.

Christmas On My Mind

You may not realize it, but Christmas is right around the corner! Retail stores start counting down the weeks until Christmas around August and in September they begin the battle plans. I figure that I should probably get a jump on things as well. Caleb's birthday is in December as well, so that means that I have to save up even MORE money.

I have been looking into some different sales that are going on and Ikea is having a couple of 1 day, 1 item type sales coming up this month. September 4th, they have duvets for $9.99. There are only 3 types to choose from, but I think that I am going to get one for myself and one for Caleb. Then, on Sept. 11, They have dish sets on sale for $4.99. My brother's girlfriend is going to be moving from her mom's house into her own apartment soon and I know that she will need some of those.

Toys R Us is also having quite a few sales recently. They sent me an email saying that all of their electronics were on sale on their website. That didn't pertain to me very much since Caleb is not really at the electronics age, but it's good to know for nieces and nephews.

So, I am going to be keeping my ear to the ground and seeking out these sales. You can get info on them as well if you sign up to receive emails from Ikea and Toys R Us. Ikea is pretty good about not sending you junk email, and they only send out regular mail if they are having a sale, or once a year for their catalogue. Toys R Us, on the other hand, bombards my email inbox several times a day, so beware of that!

I Work With a Cop

So we hired this guy at work a couple of months ago and I thought he was pretty cool until I found out he's a cop. Don't get me wrong, I like cops. I call them when something goes wrong. I use their services, is what I am saying. What I don't like are cops that are off duty... I believe they call them "off-duty police officers"; yeah, that's right.

It seems to me like a cop can never turn off his "cop mode". They are always scanning the room, enforcing laws, and instructing you on what's leagal and what's not. Well, I have to say that this particular cop has showed me that I am not always right... Yup, it hurt me a little to say it.

It isn't that I ever looked at cops as being inhuman. Like in Reservoir Dogs when they are recapping who was killed, they count the cops and then someone says, "No real people?" I know cops are real people, I just also think they are real sticks in the mud!

So, anyway I am giving this cop a chance and he seems really cool. We left work at the same time a few nights ago and he didn't imediately pull me over for having a head light out. He is also good for helpful information when I need to know how much the ticket for talking on your cell phone and driving is ($140.oo by the way).

Everything I Needed For My Baby I Bought Online

The Author of this post is Sally Dejesus

As soon as I found out that we were going to have a baby I started making plans. I called my family, my husband's family, and all of our friends to tell them the good new, and then I started shopping. I used the internet we got with a CLEAR and DirecTV package to get online, and started book marking baby websites. If the site has advice on being a new parent, or really cute merchandise, I bookmarked it.

A few months later, we found out that we were having a girl. I then went back to those bookmarked sites and started shopping. I had UPS, FedEx, and the USPS working overtime. They delivered a beautiful white wooden crib, pink baby bedding, matching curtains, a white wooden rocking chair, and tons of clothes. Everything I needed for our bundle of joy I bought online. I saved money as websites are always having sales, I saved time by not traveling from store to store, I saved gas by ordering from my living room, and I saved my husband's back by making the delivery guys bring in my packages.

Slumber Party!

A few days ago I promised Caleb that we would have a slumber party in his room tonight. He has been asking me to sleep in his bed with him for the last couple of days and ever since I promised that I would this weekend, he has been mentioning it every night. Each night when I would tuck him in this week, he woud count down the days until Friday.

Well, Friday is finally here and we are just finishing watching Sesame Street Dinosaurs. Next stop is sleepy town, but I have a feeling that he ill be way too excited to sleep. After all, he's been looking forward to this all week.

I'm really going to enjoy snuggling him to sleep tonight, but I don't think I can stay in bed with him all night long. Caleb still sleeps in a toddler bed and there just isn't enough room for a mama in that size of bed!

Dog Breath

Chopper has had the most ridiculous dog breath lately. BLECH! I love getting puppy kisses from him, but recently it smells like he's been eating live frogs in the backyard. I was worried that maybe his whole mouth needed freshening. If you don't take care of your dog's teeth, it can cause all kinds of health problems including heart failure. My sister brushes her cat's teeth, but the last thing I want to do is be elbow deep in my dog's slobbery mouth.

I decided to pick up a mouth-cleaning treat for him. I buy his dog food at Costco and so while I was there recently, I picked up a bag of NUBZ. Nubz are a little treat that help to clean dogs' teeth and gums, while promoting fresh breath and
good health by cleaning away tartar and plaque. There are lots of products out there that claim they can do the same thing, and there are even several different treats at Costco that say the same thing, but there was one important selling point for me... They are made in the USA.

Yes, I am patriotic. Yes, I prefer products that are made in the USA, but there is more to it than that. Dog treats that are made in other countries have been found to include deadly ingredients, most notably formaldehyde. Shawn and I have always been very careful to always buy dog treats that are made in the USA and I encourage all dog owners to do the same.

There are a few more reasons that I went with Nubz byNylabone. First off, they are gluten free. Many dog foods and dog treats will use wheat products as fillers. This isn't particularly good for dogs, b ut my dad's dog, Lilly, is gluten intolerant and if we want to share treats with her, we have to be conscious of her allergy. Also, as opposed to rubber toys, the Nubz are made of real chicken, are highly digestible, and safe for dogs to eat. It may seem obvious, but there are several rubber toys out there designed to clean dog teeth that end up being eaten by dogs... namely, Chopper. So far he has been able to pass all of without incident. Luck for us! I'm not going to temp fate again. From now on it is food items all the way, and it has to be something that his body can break down easily after he eats it nearly whole.

I heard a rumor that there was a coupon available for the Nubz treats at Costco, but I didn't know about it when I got mine. Hopefully, you'll be able to find the Costco coupon because I think it saves you over $3!