Two months ago...

My daughter was born. We were surrounded my family and held our new addition with loving arms. She napped all swaddled up was just adorable. Today, she naps spread out on us and is still just a doll! Time is just flying by and loving every minute I have spent with my little darling!

This whole motherhood thing...

Shhhh... don't tell anyone but I actually found a minute today to blog... DURING THE DAY!  KLM is passed out in her glider (I think I tired her out during playtime) and cloth diaper laundry is already going.  To me, this puts me ahead of schedule and I figured lets finally hit up the blog.  I can't even tell you how amazing this summer has been.  For starters it feels like it's lasted a lifetime for me and anything that happened before June feels like a distant memory.  When I was one leave before she came, I went from going stir crazy to being super busy with my pg friends who were due this summer with me.  Now that she is here, I'm consumed with her.  You think to yourself taking care of a little baby who sleeps alot will afford you time to yourself but you are SOOOO wrong.  We thought that and boy were we off in that train of thought.  It wasn't till this week that it's gotten a "little" easier.  Apparently I'm blessed with a very happy and healthy baby who loves to be held or touched in some form or another, AKA you can't put her down.  I can't complain because I love holding her but it is a pain to get anything done.  Usually nothing gets done.  Today is probably a fluke how easy its been to get to nap somewhere not in my arms. 

  The other thing people don't tell you is how much work breastfeeding is.  Yup, I'm blowing the lid off this one.  It is work and you live your life in three hour increments (if you're even that lucky) waiting till she's hungry again.  I won't even talk about the problems that come it like engorment other than to say, OUCH!  But with how hard it is, it is just as good.  I love bf-ing!  I love it because it is KLM time.  I love looking into her little jewel eyes and knowing I'm doing my best to give her the best.  I love knowing what I eat is what she eats.  I love our connection that no one else has right now.  Even during the hardest times of bf-ing, it's been worth it. 

  Now lets talk about cloth diapering... I'm sure my friends thought I was a freak to even consider it but it's been so easy.  Much easier than everyone thinks.  Sure you have to spray down diapers but I read that you should even be doing that with regular diapers.  Washing them isn't hard at all and I love tossing the liners on the clotheline we have while the inserts dry in the dryer.  Oh, any leakage?  NONE!  She had leakage with the disposables but not her cloth, and BOY does she look cute in them!  Totally worth it.  I think if you have a washer and dryer than you should at least consider it.  It isn't for everyone but should always be an option. 

  Sleeping...well, our daughter crashes around 10pm and is out till 8-9am.  Yes she wakes up to eat and diaper change but that's it.  Yes, I'm blessed! 

Overall, this whole motherhood thing has been amazing.  I can't believe it'll be six weeks this Friday.  Life really moves pretty fast, I'm just glad I can stop and look around right now to enjoy it!

Wednesday Ramblings...

• I love being a mommy!  I love the lack of sleep, I love the smiles and even her little tears (even if it does break my heart), I love your scent and I just love love love holding my little cupcake.
• I'm finally feeling mostly back to my old self.  I have just a little more weight to lose before I can feel like I used to feel. 
• Speaking of losing weight, I decided I am going to start the 30 day shred dvd.  I am going to get my @ss handing to me!  I know it!
• We started a photo blog for KLM, if you are interesting in seeing it, email me and I'll send you the invite.  We decided we'll post a photo here and there on this blog but wanted something we can share with our families (who are scattered all over the country) to see how our little one is growing up.
• On the menu for tonight, Chicken Kabobs!!!  
• I am soo not a summer person, this heat it KILLING ME! 
• Only 4 more weeks till Laughlin!  I love our summer family trips there!  This year we are celebrating my parent's 45th wedding anniversary!  They were great examples of what married life should be like. 
• I do not miss work at ALL!  If only I can figure out how I work from home and never go back!!!  Chances of that happening are the same as winning the lottery. Uggh!
• I have 5 thank you cards to write...must write them today. 

Well... it finally happened...

There I was, minding my own business while leaving the doctor's office on Wednesday and wham... contraction. 

Well, one led to another and wouldn't you know it, at the end of the contraction rainbow was my little pot of gold.

Did you know that fewer than 5% of the population are born on their actual due dates?  My daughter is one of them, I guess she had a plan all along and doesn't like to be late, just like her momma!

I'm just very thrilled to share the news with you and will be taking a week off from all blogging.  I have a few reviews to post, type up my little birth story, and some other random blogging to do.  For now though, I'm going to go back to our room and stare at my little cupcake!  Life is good! 

closing in on 40...

I just noticed on my google home page we only have 4 days till we hit our due date.  Funny thing is regardless of the contractions and that number, it still seems a world away that any day our daughter is going to be born.  My dad made a comment to us this past weekend how relaxed we were.  I think all the grandparents are more stressed than we are about it.  I do wonder if there will come a point that I too will get a bit freaked out.  For now, I'm not and just enjoying these last few moments before our lives change once again. 

In the last few weeks since being off work I've been keeping myself busy with lots of yoga, spending time with my new friends (all with bellies like mine) and doing random chores in the house.  I've prepared meals and even read most of the magazines that I've held off from the past few months because well, I had no need for ab workouts.  :)  The garden is blooming beyond belief finally and our flowers are brightening up our mundane backyard.  Things are in place you can say, now it's just a matter of adding that extra puzzle piece that's baking in my belly.  She'll come soon, maybe tonight or maybe on 4th of July.  For now though, I'm just happy. 

Overhauling the house... CSN preview review

You'd think that the closer we get to KLM's arrival the less we'd be thinking about the house.  It seems like it's just the opposite.  The closer we get, the more we want to do with the house.  Part of it has to do with being home for so long.  Right now, all I can think about is remodeling our bathroom and backyard.  We have this vanity that just doesn't cut it for us.  It's modern but not very compatible for two people.  Then the shower toilet area, uggh... way to small.  After sitting down and starting to crunch time and numbers, we decided that this was going to be a job for 2011 for us and for now, try to do our best with it and focus on the backyard more.

  When CSN Stores contacted me to do a review, I had the opportunity to do another review from one of their 200+ stores.  This time I decided we'd get something for the backyard.  Something that would help us utilize our space and have fun at the same time.  We decided that we wanted to get a game set like this one:

Link

  It seems like it would fit perfectly on our small lawn and something really fun when we have guests over.  Something we'll be having a lot of when KLM finally decides to come around.  I can't wait to test it out!  I know the hubby will be excited to try it too!

Milestones...

During the pregnancy there were always milestones that I enjoyed hitting.  First there were the one where I finally made it out of my first tri and was able to share the news with you.  Next was feeling KLM kick (happened during an u/s so we knew it was her).  Then we found out KLM was a girl (found out before 14w).  We moved on to when the hubby finally felt her move around, then it was when we started classes.  Now the milestones are ones that my mom set up...as to when she had us.  I have 4 older siblings and they were ALL EARLY!  Today I'm hitting milestone 1 -- my oldest sibling was born 6 weeks early.  I'm passing that one up and with each week that goes by, I pass more.  I was the only one that on time.  :) 

  Last night a friend asked me if I was nervous at all and I felt very happy and able to say no.  I'm not.  I wonder if I used up all my nervousness at the beginning when I was worried about if she was okay and healthy.  Now, I'm just excited.  I know it will be painful when the time comes but really, what's the point of worrying about it?!  The closer to D-Day the more introverted I get.  I'd rather spend these last few weeks just enjoying some peace and not deal with others.  Is that weird?  Maybe it's my subconscious getting myself ready for it all.  Who knows... but when the time comes to hit that final milestone, it will be amazing. 

Wednesday Ramblings

• Six or so weeks till D-Day!  YAHOO!!!!!  I can't believe the end is getting so close!  I wonder if she'll come early?  Late?  Right on time?  What do you think?
• Only two more classes till we're done with our birth class.  At first I was a bit apprehensive about taking it, thinking I wasn't going to learn anything but seriously, it was COMPLETELY worth it!  You can learn stuff in books but it's totally different when you have an instructor going through it and sharing experiences with you. 
• Brace yourself people... The Side Patio has been stained.  YES!  Now it's just a matter of getting it sealed and we're good as gold!  I hope this weekend we can get the rest of the furniture for it and complete it.  Talk about checking something HUGE off the list!  
• I almost threw the biggest fit this morning.  Yes, the kitchen is mostly clean but since I've resigned myself to being a spectator to putting stuff away nothing is in its place.  Now, I said I almost threw a fit.  I calmly made a comment to the hubby about it and tonight, operation kitchen will take effect so this fit I'm trying to keep in will not leap out of my mouth.   
• This weekend is our maternity photo shoot.  Yes, I fill finally post a few photos here once we get them.  I still don't know if I look huge yet.  Somedays I think I do, others, not so much.  I'll let you decide.  
• Looking forward to Sunday... Sunday means I can nap!  
• I love love love when they do 80's songs on Glee.  Just makes me feel like a little kid again!  Oh and Puck?  DROOL....  sigh!  :)
• Indian food today for lunch!  YEA!!!  Almost makes me as happy as 80's Glee songs!  
• The creature inside is stirring.  Lately she's been getting her feet stuck in/near my ribs.  OUCH!
• Did you know I'm actually very shy?  If I had it my way, I'd be helping in the kitchen during parties instead of mingling?
• I want to share with you my all time favorite quote and a very good way to live.
           I guess what I'm trying to say is, I don't think you can measure life in terms of years.  I think longevity doesn't necessarily have anything to do with happiness.  I mean happiness comes from facing challenges and going out on a limb and taking risks.  If you're not willing to take a risk for something you really care about, you might as well be dead.  --Northern Exposure

Wednesday Ramblings...

• I didn't blog yesterday... well, more like I didn't publish anything yesterday.  I wrote two posts but they didn't make sense so I didn't post anything.  Oh well, at least I attempted it so to me that isn't breaking this streak I'm on.  :)
• I have two more thank you cards to write from last weekend's shower.  Why is it the last few are the hardest to get the motivation to write?
• So we finally made a HUGE dent on the garage.  After the last few boxes go up in the rafters I can park my car in it.  HOORAY!  It feels so good to have it organized (aside from that set of shelves with random nuts and bolts on it).  
• We got all of KLM's stuff washed.  All her newborn clothes, all her diapers and wipes.  If she came tmw, she have stuff to wear!  HOORAY!
• Don't tell anyone but I have this new fascination with getting coffee in the morning at 7-11 now.  It's decaf so don't be all "you shouldn't have coffee."  It's so tasty.  Maybe it's cause I drink it out of a straw?! 
• Another Wednesday another appt.  This one should be interesting.  Have lots of questions and from what I read, everything is going fine.  Just need to make doc aware of it all.  Not to worry, nothing scary or yucky... just home stretch pg stuff.  Oh the joy.
• Speaking of home stretch... how CRAZY is it that I'll be full term in 30 days?  WHOA!
• We're as menacing as Muppet Babies... LOL... love Glee more than words!!!
• I need to garden... Lettuce is ready to start harvesting.  My tomato bush never grew... boo!
• May was suppose filled with slow weekends... nope, every weekend is COMPLETELY FILLED AGAIN!  Uggh... Hopefully June will have at least one quiet weekend.  Fingers crossed!

Project 12 - May

New month, new project. This month is all about organization. Time to simplify your life by cleaning out your closets and drawers, tossing 9 year old bills that you had in the back of the shelves.

• Organize the kitchen. I hate to admit but my lovely clean panty is not longer lovely and clean. Don't even ask about me about the cabinet near the sink...it's where big items get tossed. Time to change all this!


• Take back the garage. Since the holiday season I haven't been able to park in the garage. This needs to change. It once was nice and clean. Now... not so much.


• Organize KLM's Room. I have this feeling with all the clothes she's gotten by loved ones, she probably won't wear anything twice. With that being said, she has a TON of clothes and it's time to figure out how to organize that. Her closet is now getting filled with stuff and before she comes I'd feel a lot better knowing things have a place and not just stuffed in there.


• Side garden area. There is an area on the side of the house where we kinda toss all the gardening tools, dirt, supplies. It's a mess and it needs to change.


• Organize our schedules. The hubby and I have about a million appts now, either it being doctor appts or fitness classes, work trips or dinners. Time to figure out what we are really doing and not play the game, "what did we just forget to do?"

Do you have any area in your life that needs some organizing?

What a weekend!

This weekend was my second shower. My friends are just utter angels and did a phenomenal job with it all.  Once I get those photos uploaded I can't wait to show you but in the mean time, I'll just ramble on about it.  They choose Bedtime Stories as their theme and every table was a made to look like a little bed with it's own theme.  The food was amazing italian food that I chowed down on and the cake... well, the cake was just spectacular.  It looked like read books with a little baby crawling underneath a blanket.  :)  It was soo yummy, I even had a piece of it last night!!!

 It was so nice to have family and friends around to share in the celebration of KLM's upcoming arrival.  We played games and and laughed, all the while basking in the beautiful weather we were having.  Very nice contrast to the days before where it was gloomy and cold.  Later that evening I headed off to the Spa with my mom to get a little pampering, and then off to dinner just the two of us.  Something that never happens.At the end of the evening we opened all our presents with the hubby and just overwhelmed by the generosity from our loved ones!

  On Sunday, we woke up to the coolest thing in the world.  You could feel KLM's little heel pushing out near my ribs.  We're not talking kicks here people, you could actually FEEL her little heel near my rib!!!  Yup, she's already in perfect position even though she has a little more than eight weeks to go.  After we poked and prodded her to make her move more we did our usual Sunday morning routine, church and breakfast at our local cafe (they know our orders by heart! heehee) and then got my Mom ready to head home.  I spent the afternoon trying to organize KLM's room, and after two hours in there, I maybe got 2% done.  I finally did my first load of baby laundry.  It was the onesies from my first shower.  We wanted to rewash them to make sure they don't bleed on the other clothes later on.  I even got to use our clothesline that we put up too!  In the evening, another childbirth class.  Every class gets so much better and it's really nice to see how it isn't about me, but what the hubby will be doing and helping with during it all.  

  That pretty much is the weekend we had.  We were busy from the beginning to the end and the entire time I was just in bliss. 

Hope y'all had a good weekend too and hopefully this week will be a great one!

Seventh Generation Product Review

A few weeks ago, I contacted Seventh Generation because I wanted to learn more about their products for the house and for our upcoming bundle of joy. They were very kind to let me test out a plethora of products from cleaning supplies to diaper supplies. I was really excited about this because I loved their eco-friendly philosophy. This is a company that is trying to not only create natural and good products but also teach us how to make this world a better place. Now onto the review:


Cleaning Supplies (Disinfecting Multi-Surface, Disinfecting Bathroom, Disinfecting Wipes, All Purpose): I really loved all of them! Not always a big fan of disinfecting wipes because I feel like I waste them fast but they came out really handy when I cooked and got some raw meat on the counter top. I decided to hand over the Bathroom cleaner and All Purpose Cleaner to the hubby so he can tidy up before company came over. He loved the smells and it cleaned the surfaces just as great as products like Fantastik. Same goes for the Multi-Surface cleaner. This is my go-to cleaner when I'm cleaning my kitchen counters!

Baby Products (Diapers, baby wipes, and detergent): We finally did our first load of mini clothes with the detergent! The colors stayed strong and no complaints at all. Because KLM is still baking away in my belly, I gave some diapers to one of friends to test out on her daughter. She was using Pampers before and was a bit leery of changing it up with her newborn. After two days, she sent her husband out to buy these she loved them so much! As far as the wipes, she said they did their job and didn't notice a difference and because of that, she's be changing to these as well since they don't have chlorine in them. All in all, she dubbed it a success and would recommend them!

As far as the Paper towels, well, I'm keeping my word on not using any this month so they are sitting there but I think these will come in handy when KLM is born. We'll be keeping them in her room to help with random things. You just never know when you'll need them and well, they are 100% recycled so I don't feel bad when I use them and toss them in the recycle bin. :)

We've used other natural products before but I have to say Seventh Generation really blew the other ones out of the water! Thanks again 7thG for the opportunity to test them out!

Stay tuned on how you can get a chance to get these products too!!!

Seventh Generation provided the product for this review. Little Miss Planner did not receive any monetary compensation for this review.

My Ladybug Shower

This past weekend I was lucky enough to have a shower in my hometown thrown by my amazing Mom! She choose a ladybug shower and did an amazing job with a favor table, lots of great food, yummy ladybug cake and well, fabulous guests. I was so happy to spend some time with one of my oldest friends, talk to a soon to be grandma and hear her excitement about the new addition, family friends and lots of family! We played some really fun games like Price is Right and guess the sex with old wives tales and baby bingo while I opened up presents. And the presents, well, KLM is going to be decked out in the cutest little clothes on earth and not to mention the new blankets that were made just for her.
It was just wonderful, from start to finish! I think the hubby particularly like the little driving toy she got. :) So while I'm trying to wrestle up some photos of the day from my family, here is a shot of a super-cute centerpiece!



It was a wonderful way to share our joy of KLM's birth with everyone and see how excited others are for her to come into our lives!

CSN Stores - Review Boikido Blocks

A few weeks ago I posted how the lovely people at CSN gave me an opportunity to check out their services. About five days after I posted, I received a well packaged box on our doorstep. It was our eco-friendly toys!!!! We opted to get the Boikido Blocks. We opened up the box and it was like we were little 4 year olds on Christmas. The hubby and I sat down and started to play with the blocks right away. You know, to test them for KLM. :)







Even came with a bag so made clean up easy!



All in all, it was great! Would I recommend them? Yes. Prices are great and the quality of product is superb!

CSN Stores provided the product for this review. Little Miss Planner did not receive any monetary compensation for this review.

Giveaway at My Baby Pumpkin!!!

My Baby Pumpkin is doing an April Giveaway! There are a few ways to enter to win a gift certificate and cloth diapers! What I love about My Baby Pumpkin is the quality of inventory they carry!

Here is just a few ways to enter:


• Become a fan on Facebook


• Follow them on Twitter


• Join their mailing list (more info here)

Once you've done one of these things, post a comment under the discussions area in FB and let them know!

For more info on the Promotion giveaway, go here! Best of luck to you!

The alternatives to disposable diapers...

Yes, there is an alternative and yes, I'm going down that route with KLM. Before you get all yucked out about the thought about poopy diapers in the washer, let's talk about some factors on why I choose Cloth.

Money: Did you know that the average cost of disposable diapers is around $1,080 a year? That's about $3,240 for that child's lifetime. If you did reusable diapers, you'd cut that lifetime cost down to less than a third of the cost, even more savings depending on what type of you decide to use. Source Here is a Diaper Calculator to see what the cost will be to you!


Environment: Did you know ONE diaper takes over 500 years to decompose? So basically after your great-great-great-great-grandchild is alive, your own child's diaper is almost done decomposing? EWW! Source

The Yuck Factor: Sure, disposable is easy to use and get rid of but reusable diapers aren't that bad either. For starters, you're already dealing with the poop... sure, you could throw it in the Diaper Genie and go about your business, or you could use a reusable diaper and use a sprayer and your toilet to get the mess off before you wash them in the washer. Yes you take a few more steps, but you get used to it.

So with all that being said and done, will I ever use disposable? Of Course! We know when we travel, it will be hard to wash diapers. We decided in those cases we will use eco-friendly disposable diapers like Seventh Generation, Nature Babycare, or Earth's Best. But for everyday use, we are going with reusable diapers.

Reusable diapers have come a long way... There are so many different options out there, from BumGenius 3.0 where the diaper gets bigger as your baby grows, to the hybrid kinds like gDiapers.

If you want to try them out and keep the costs down, in the March and April issues of Pregnancy, Motherhood, and Pregnancy & Newborn magazines have coupons for bumGenius diapers in them. If you are interesting in ordering them and want to use the coupon (buy one get one free) you can go here.

Wednesday Ramblings...

• The weather has been weirdo lately. Monday I was in a sweater, a cover up, scarf and heavy pants. Today I'm in capris and a flowy top! Gotta love spring.


• I have on my desk another gala apple. Once I finish this post I will commence eating it. :)


• I start my bi-weekly appts today...getting close to the end! YEA!!!


• Last night I was teaching the hubby how to work reusable diapers. Our helper was our little puppy Ringo. He acted like the perfect toddler, wiggle-worming around while we put one on him. We quickly took it off but it was hilarious!


• The Side Patio's floor paint is 95% complete. To be honest, I don't think we are going to finish it ourselves. I think we might get someone else to get that 5% because you know what they say, the last 5% is always the hardest.


• Okay I lied, I already started eating my apple.


• I'm really digging the new show, Food Revolution. It's really interesting to see others' fears about changing habits and how others just don't get enough information about what is out there. If you haven't caught it, please check it out on Hulu!


• Speaking of TV, SIX DAYS till GLEE!!! YIPPIEE!!!!


• Have Pilates tonight. Can't wait to get a little work out in since I totally skipped Yoga last night.


• I'm stunned how much I've been blogging lately. I have to say I really did miss it. I hope I can keep this up at least till KLM is born!

CSN Stores seem to have it all -Product preview

I recently came across CSN stores via Silly Little Mischief's giveaway earlier this year. When I was on their site, I realized they had EVERYTHING! With a little one on the way, I spent the majority of my time surfing kids bedding, Toys, and all the other fun stuff that comes with having a rugrat. The one thing that caught my eye was their area of eco-friendly products. When a person from their company contacted me to do a review, I jumped at the chance because I really wanted to check out their eco-friendly toys.



With her just a few short months away, we've really gotten on the band wagon on looking at how her life will effect the enviroment. The toys we've choosen are everything we wanted, something that will broaden her imagination, make her think and all around, just have some fun. We can't wait for them to arrive to test them out!

Wednesday Ramblings...

• Had my another appt today. KLM is measuring over 2 and a 1/2 lbs and ahead of schedule! Looking healthy as can be! Less than three months to go now! I can't wait to meet her!


• Still watching the hubby work on the side patio. I wish I could help but boo to chemicals! We hope to get the paint off by the weekend so he can finally stain it.


• I talked him into buying more patio furniture. More as in we already are buying a dining set outside for the back area, now I want an outdoor living furniture. I know, I'm crazy!


• What's my lunch for today? Honeycomb cereal in Light Vanilla Soy Milk. Paired with a gala apple and string cheese! I bet that left you just drooling over your keyboard didn't it! :P


• Not looking forward to tomorrow. Tomorrow means a new quarter and a new month. It also translates to I will be swamped at work till April 9. Uggh!


• Not sure if I mentioned it but we've been dealing with some disciplinary problems at home with the puppies, AKA accidents. On the downside, two of our rooms smell like vinegar (to help deter the dogs) but on upside, we haven't had an accident in 5 days.


• I kinda feel guilty for not putting up any Easter decorations this year. I bought some daffodils and they are in a vase on the table but that's it. Oh well, it isn't like I'm ever home anyway.


• So the stalker in me found out where the Biggest Loser house is. I kinda want to go snoop around there considering it's just 15 minutes from our house.


• I got my other shower invite the other day. I'm just super excited with both of the themes, one is ladybugs, and the other is storybooks! Too cute for words!


• The closer I get to my due date, the more I think about summer afternoons at Malibu Winery when I can finally drink again!

Wednesday Ramblings... just a day late

• The time change really kicked my butt. I'm trying my best to go to bed and wake up early but at the moment I'm not winning the battle.


• I finally finished my portion of touch ups in KLM's room and the hallway. Now all that's left is the ceiling. I have a feeling I might be doing that part too.


• I want to learn how to make a swaddle blanket. I found a site online to buy organic fabric for it. Now it's a matter of getting a hold of a pattern. Hopefully my mom can fix my sewing machine (AGAIN) so I can attempt making it.


• I already raised my share for the Ronald McDonald Walk I signed up for. Thank you Apryl, Robyn and Frank for donating! I'm still accepting donations! :)


• At the moment, I'm really enjoying work. I know all I do is play with data and it's utterly geeky but for some reason it's so much fun! Shhh, don't tell my boss I'm having fun at work!


• We finally put in the garden. I have the sun burn to prove it. Now all I have to do is write about it on Learning to Sow.


• We have the sofa people coming out to clean our new sofa. Apparently one of the puppies had an accident on it. Well, we tried to clean it but didn't work. Now it's time for the professionals to do it. Fingers crossed they do a good job and get rid of the problem.


• I went to my first prenatal yoga class this week. Can you say killer? It was soo good that I even felt sore after! YEA!!!


• I need to start walking more.


• I can't wait to BBQ this weekend. I keep going back and forth what the first meal will be outside. Must be a big one since we have family coming over. Off to surf the nets for ideas!