So...I don't have to share this with you all (but I do need to tell people in general about this stuff since it is a BzzCampaign), but I thought I would let you know about my experience with this hair product anyway. You are all dying to know what keeps my hair looking like a hot mess all the time, right?
The good folks over at BzzAgent sent me not one, but three bottles of this stuff! I sent two of them off in Mother's Day gifts to two other Mommies in a couple of my mommy groups on Facebook. I hope they like it, or find someone else to pawn it off on...
I got a chance to use it a few weeks ago when my Mom was visiting. She baby-sat for us and we went out for a "date night" to a place with other adults and I didn't have to wear my hair up for fear of a baby grabbing hold and never letting go until he had successfully pulled it from my skull by the roots (he does that). I was less than impressed though...the powder comes in a small "can" that is roughly as big around as a silver dollar (gold if all you know is the "new" coin money) coins and about as tall as a roll of quarters, maybe a little bigger. It is a super fine powder that you squeeze into your hand, rub between your palms, and then work into your roots.
It left my hands feeling very sticky, even after several washes (with soap). To make matters worse, it left my hair feeling just as sticky! Ever time I would touch my hair, I had to go rewash my hands because they would be immediately sticky feeling again. It was an unpleasant night fr my hair.
I never saw any "volume" either...it did manage to make my unruly hair appear even more unruly though.
Overall, this was not a good product for my hair...I don't know if it's just me or if it works poorly for most people, but I do not recommend this stuff! (But, if you like it, I have a coupon to share...)
Time for another review of a product sent to me by BzzAgent! This one came around the same time I dropped off the low-carb diet again (I just didn't have a good support system in place and was struggling anyway and then had the issues of going dairy-free for a while on top of that), so I was happy to try these "chips"! Of course, the Zesty Cheddar ones do have dairy in them, but by the time the box arrived on my doorstep, we had ruled out a milk allergy for the little guy.
I'll start with the Zesty Cheddar flavor since I've already mentioned them. They are good...shaped a bit like Doritos, but don't expect these to taste like a Nacho Doritos, you will be disappointed! None the less, they are good and I would probably buy these again if I weren't going back on my diet as soon as possible (next week)! After several chips, I did notice a "vegetable" taste to them, or rather an after-taste, but I liked them.
The Sweet Potato chips I was really looking forward to! I had tried a version at my Mother's house that were actual sliced sweet potatoes and they were excellent! These are not...these are made out of sweet potato (and regular white potato) powder! They didn't taste like a sweet potato at all either. I received a full-size bag and several "snack bags" of this flavor. After trying one of the snack bags (you know, the single serving size you can get out of a vending machine or at Subway type), I took the larger bag in to my hand therapist's office and let them all share it. The assistant that does a good portion of my therapy treatments told me the bag was gone by the end of the work day! I also left all of my coupons for this campaign there so they could buy more if they liked them or wanted to try the Zesty Cheddar flavor.
Overall, these were good, but not great. Fir the price at Walmart ($1.98 for the full size bag), I might buy them for the kids, but at Kroger pricing (almost $5 for the same bag), I'd skip it and get them something better for them anyway.
I was given the opportunity to try Nescafe Memento coffee drinks, free of charge, in exchange for my honest opinion. I was given a box (each box holds 8 servings) of each flavor; Mocha, Cappuccino, and Caramel Latte.
Mocha tasted very chocolatey, but like a watered down chocolate, it was semi-disappointing to have such a "watered down" flavor. Frothy, yes, but I don't think I would purchase more than one box of these if I were trying them out on my own. Mocha is normally a favorite flavor in my house too!
Cappuccino, otherwise known as "Coffee flavor", was the least sweet flavor of the bunch. It did taste like a good, strong, cup of coffee and had a ton of foam on top! I wasn't impressed by the flavor, but when I got to the bottom of the cup, there were spoonfuls of foam left that I had to dig out with my spoon! I love a good foam...in fact, I think it's the best part of an "ordered" cup of coffee (a latte from a major coffee house chain...)! But, I would need to add some sort of flavoring to this one, it just wasn't "sweet enough".
Lastly, the Caramel Latte flavor! I actually tried this one out first and it is the only flavor I would purchase again, if I were to purchase them again (more on this in a bit). To me, it smelled and tasted a bit like buttered popcorn...but I'm still a little stuffed up, maybe more like Caramel corn (which would make more sense). By far, this was my favorite flavor.
Now for what I really didn't like about these...the sugar content! Each serving of this coffee flavored beverage has an average of 18 grams of sugar/other carbohydrates! This is what will keep me from purchasing these. Since I eat on a low carbohydrate diet (25-30 grams net a day currently), one of these eats up more than half a day's "allowed" carbohydrates! Yes, I drank 3 of these yesterday...I was having a bad day due to a sick infant and I said "To heck with it, I'm going to test these out and get back to the losing weight thing tomorrow", but my blood sugars were not happy with that decision and neither was the rest of me!
Overall, these were pretty good, just not my "thing". I would recommend them to someone not worried about the nutritional end of things, I just don't think I know anyone that falls into that category! My other half will enjoy the other 21 packets of these that I have (23 actually, I got sent a sample pack in the mail of two of them as well) floating around in the kitchen (in the boxes, put away in the cupboard)...or I will probably offer them to anyone who happens to wander up for a visit!
Time to write another review for a BzzCampaign! This time around I was given a $10 gift card to go shopping at Kroger (Fred Meyer for all you West Coasters) and pick up some Greek Yogurt, CarbMaster Yogurt, and CarbMaster Milk!
As you may know, I recently went back on the low-carb eating plan (and am down 12.8 pounds in my first two weeks back), so this campaign could not have come at a better time! Sadly, my Fred Meyer does not sell the low-carb milk(s), so I was unable to try those, though both sounds really good and I am in love with Hood's Calorie Countdown (called Carb Countdown in other parts of the country)...so I had big plans for the milk that I didn't get to realize.
Nice and thick Greek yogurt...
The yogurts however are a different story, they have a huge display of them! I ended up trying four flavors of the Greek Yogurt (they also have a lite version, but I did not purchase any of those) in Peach (not sweet enough for me), Honey (tasted like Plain Yogurt), Pomegranate (tasted kinda "meh"), and Black Cherry (my favorite by far). I love the thickness of the Greek yogurts, but the flavors are less than stellar in my opinion.
I have always loved the CarbMaster yogurts...this round I tried a few new flavors, Black Forest (has big bits of cherry in it), Cinnamon Bun, Key Lime Pie, and Strawberry Colada (my absolute favorite of everything)! All of them were worth buying again, but I will probably not get the Black Forest too often as the Cherries were too big for me. The low-carb yogurts are just as thick as the Greek yogurts and at 4g net carbs per container, they make a wonderful snack in the evening before bed (when I have the carbs leftover at the end of the day) or as a light breakfast (served with an egg and some bacon or other breakfast meat, it makes a complete meal)!
Until my store starts carrying the milk, I will stick to a new found favorite as my "milk" drink...Blue Diamond has an Unsweetened Vanilla Almond Milk that is excellent to drink by the glass full and it's 0g net carbs!
Another day, another BzzCampaign review! This time, Campbell's Go Soup, I received a pouch of Spicy Chorizo & Pulled Chicken with Black Beans. According to the packaging, it serves two people, but it's only enough soup for one of my soup mugs...I ate the whole dang package myself one day for lunch (and had to eat something else to fill up)!
Nutritional Info (per serving, 1/2 the package):
Calories: 210
Total Fat: 7g
Total Cholesterol: 20mg
Sodium: 710mg
Total Carbs: 25g
Dietary Fiber: 6g
Sugar: 5g
Protein: 11g
It was a good tasting soup, just not hearty enough for me. It was also very spicy! But, this is also 19g net carbs per serving, so I won't be buying it again any time soon. Sadly, since the pouch was such a small serving size, that I ate in a rush between the baby's naps, that I really don't have a ton to say about it! Give this one a try if it fits into your diet...email me if you'd like a $1 off coupon to give it a try too! I have three coupons left to give out!
For this campaign, I was given a coupon for a free box in my choice of flavors, I chose Grillers California Turkey, which has bits of Avocado and Tomato in them. They were really good! Since I didn't have any buns in the house, I used regular old white bread with a little mayonnaise on it and I added a slice of Sharp Cheddar Cheese too.
These are a quick fix item, just a few minutes in the microwave, which makes them perfect for grabbing a quick meal while the baby is sleeping! I devoured my box (4 patties) over the course of lunch two days in a row, then I wished I had another box, they were that good! Of course, my time away from the low-carb lifestyle was short lived (in the grand scheme anyway...I was off the diet for 12 months), so I did not buy any more of these. Going meatless, even one day a week, I could see how these would make a good substitute for the real carnivores in your family! I never really have understood why these sorts of foods exist though...if you are choosing to not eat meat, why would you want to replicate the flavor of meat? Just eat meat I say. Or don't eat meat...I would think this sort of product would make you crave meat though.
Bottom line, if you are on a restricted calorie diet, these would be perfect for you (at only 90 calories per patty), as long as you have enough self-discipline to not eat the whole box in one sitting! Now that I have taken a good look at the nutritional information (here), these are only 2g net carbs per patty too!
This with a good salad would make a great lunch or dinner (or even a breakfast if you served it with an egg on top), assuming you don't react to anything in the ingredient list of course! 7g carb, but 5g are dietary fiber...yup, only 2g net carbs! These are way better than I had assumed they were. Looking at the carb/protein/fat ratios, it's pretty darn good too, assuming a 20-25g carb diet (oer day), you get 10% carbs (2g), 40% protein (9g), and 50% fat (5g), if you track that sort of thing (I do not, but I try to keep the pie chart tipped more in this fashion). These do have a lot of wheat in them though, and the main ingredient is TVP (texturized vegetable protein), so these are not a good choice for the gluten-free crowd!
Overall, this is a good tasting product that I would buy again. But, only as a treat when I really need a break from the "same old" foods that I tend to eat every day.
I have been using regular old dish soap (Dawn Hand Renewal) for my baby bottles and other feeding "accessories" since Gabriel was born. Lately though, I have become super frustrated with the film it's been leaving on the silicone pieces and how it sometimes doesn't work to get the breast milk off the dishes.
So, while at Babies R Us the other day, I came across Babyganics, it was on sale (buy 1, get 1 free) so I picked up the foaming dish & bottle soap and the tub & tile bathroom cleaner ($7.99 & $5.99) to try. I tried the soap first (I do dishes daily...I don't clean the tub that often) and was instantly in love with it! The clear silicone on my nipple shields was clear once again, instead of the foggy white from the other dish soap! The directions for using this soap say to put it on a sponge and not in a sink full of water, so I simply partially fill the small side of my sink with enough water to soak my bottles in, squirt a bit on the sponge end of my bottle brush, and get to work. I usually only need 1 or 2 pumps for all my bottles!
On to the bathroom cleaner! Before Gabe's bath last night, I needed to give the tub a quick cleaning. An even spray down and a wipe with a clean, dry, rag and I was done! If you haven't noticed in the photos, both are fragrance free! The bathroom cleaner really is totally free of fragrances, there was no smell at all! The dish soap does have a clean smell to it though. They do offer a citrus scent version as well. Cleaning has just gotten faster and easier, just what any new mom needs! Even though I did have help when I took on the tub, if I had been alone, Gabriel would have been just fine to play on his own while I cleaned, it only took about 2 minutes total!
I was lucky enough to be invited to host an Atkin's House Party for House Party! Well, my party kit arrived a few minutes ago and let me tell you what....it was better than Christmas!
In my package I got, 9 boxes of Atkin's bars (3 each of a Meal, light snack/breakfast, and treat bars), plates, napkins, utensils, a cool water bottle for me, grocery pads with a magnet on the back for my guests, the new cookbook, reusable grocery totes for my guests (I hope they don't mind slightly used totes, I think I may need them when I go buy the 16 frozen meals for the party!), an apron (for me), and a starter kit! Also, 16 coupons for free frozen meals for the party and $1 off coupons for my party guests! The starter kit you can get by going to the Atkin's website and signing up for one. It comes with 3 snack bars (a meal, breakfast, and treat bar), a carb counter guide book, a small recipe book to get you started, and a coupon for a free frozen meal! They have revamped the whole package since I started low-carbing life a few years ago!
I've been off my low carb diet for almost a year now due to pregnancy, breast feeding, and finances (we just haven't gotten back to being able to "afford" eating all that protein)...also convenience...it is so much easier to have Garrick cook up a couple boxes of Mac & Cheese for dinner while I nurse! I will get better at this though and we will be going back on our diet soon! Hosting this party gives me no excuse to not get back on the diet...I need to lose baby weight and get back on track with the weight loss I was enjoying before Gabriel came along! I love him to death, but I really want to get back out of my size 22 pants...I had just hit 18's last February!
Stay tuned for more details...we party January 26th (or as soon as Garrick gets home from his business trip that evening...I had to plan the party around going to get him...and then I leave town, so it'll be late by a few weeks...but will still be spectacular, lol)!
Yet another BzzCampaign to talk about, 2013 is a banner year so far for campaigns that I am participating in! Redbox Instant is like Netflix or Hulu, it allows you to stream movies to your computer and the monthly service fee of $8 a month also comes with 4 DVD credits (each credit is 1 night for 1 movie). These can be used at any Redbox kiosk.
Here's the rest of the information provided to me by BzzAgent for this campaign:
You don’t have to be a Verizon customer to sign up for the service, but you do need high-speed internet access to use it
You can weigh in on what would make Redbox Instant even better and report any service issues via the Help Center at redboxinstant.com
Instantly stream Hollywood mega-hits to any internet-connected
device, including smartphones (iPhone and Android), tablets, computers
and Samsung Smart TVs and Blu-ray Players
The Redbox Instant by Verizon app is limited to certain devices, but is not needed to stream content
You can buy and rent movies digitally without a subscription, including today’s newest releases
Browse Redbox locations and reserve movies at the box of your choice using the app, too!
While I have a 30-day free trial that goes until February 2nd before I'll be charged the monthly service fee, I don't need the full 30 days to know I will not be resubscribing. While I realize that it is in Beta-testing and they may not have all of their movies available just yet, they just don't have enough to keep my interest! I probably watch more streaming videos than the average person because Gabriel and I watch streaming shows and movies while he nurses, but I watched everything that interested me on the streaming video list in a single day! I loved getting to watch Thor and finally getting to see Transformers: Dark Side of the Moon, I think they may be the only movies on the list that are nearer than the mid-1980's!
I will continue paying my $7.99 a month for my streaming Netflix and using Hulu (the free version with commercials). I don't need the "hassle" of having to go "rent" movies from the kiosks, no matter how conveniently located they are (I don't go to the store everyday, so it would require a special trip out, not easily done with an infant).
Another campaign is coming to a close, this time for Covergirl's Blast Flipstick Lip Color. What is it other than lipstick though, you might ask. First, it is double ended, two colors per tube! Both shades can be worn alone (one is shimmery and one is matte), but they can also be combined for a whole other effect! My favorite is Vixen, both shades are in the red/pink family. I also received Stunner (too orange for my skin tone) and Minx (a dark brown with a gold toned shimmer side), but neither of them really work well with my coloring and style.
Here are some factoids I received with the lipsticks...
Ultra blendable formula allows you to mix shades, just like a make-up artist
Dual ends let you create the current "ombre" trend on your lips!
Dual-sided stick features a creamy color on one end and a shimmery shade on the other
Created by expert make-up artist, and COVERGIRL Global Creative Design Director, Pat McGrath
13 colorful, complementary and expertly matched shade duos
Moisturizing formula mixes perfectly without feeling heavy or dry
Available in most groceries, drug stores and major retailers
I haven't had much use for lipstick since the baby was born, mostly because I don't leave the house much and when I do, it's with him in tow and usually in a rush anyway...I also don't want to get lipstick on his handsome little face! But, when I do hve the chance, this is my new "go to" lip color! Though I do still prefer the Neutrogena lip color I reviewed back in June, these are handy for a color change on the fly.
Another BzzCampaign is coming to a close, this time it's Green Mountain Coffee Fair Trade. I received 3 single serving packets of this coffee to try out and so far, I have only managed to choke down one packet. Normally, I can drink anything if it's coffee, but this one...maybe it's the "new mom" hormones I have going on now, but I just could not finish the pot (yes, I usually drink coffee by the pot)!
It really isn't "bad" coffee, but if you normally drink a more expensive brew, you won't care for the flavor of this one. My "go to" coffee brand is Folgers, I think of this as a "mid-grade brew", for the price, it's pretty decent. My favorite brews though are Gevalia, the online/by mail stuff, I haven't tried their "for sale in the grocery store" stuff yet...the mail order stuff is all very finely ground for use in an espresso machine (or you can buy most flavors whole bean and grind yourself)...I love their dark roasts, but back to this brew!
To me though, it tastes like the swill you get at Les Schwab (tire store for anyone not located in the Pacific Northwest) while you wait...you know the stuff, it's been sitting there for hours, sometimes days...and the pot hasn't been washed in months if at all this year! I worked in a gas station with a mechanic's shop attached to it when I was in high school (my Dad was the mechanic, so I spent my fair share of time there even when I wasn't working), this coffee brought back memories of choking down the coffee we always had going in our "break room" (the walkway between gas station and machine shop)!
There are good points about GMC too, first, they sent me free coffee! GMC is also a Fair Trade Certified coffee. What does that mean? They help the farmers get a fair price for the beans (I'm sure Folgers undercuts when/where they can to cut costs), they help to improve working conditions (I'm guessing they mean politically...I don't think they can control the weather), they support community development (new schools, roads, health clinics, safer drinking water...) in the communities of the farmers. Healthier growers and better working conditions mean "safer" beans for us, right?
I mentioned earlier that I received three packages of coffee, I still have two of them...I may keep these for an "emergency" when I'm out of coffee (I have a large container of Folgers Black Silk, another of Folgers Decaf, half a package of Gevalia Royal Vinter Spice, two more packages, 1 lb each, of Gevalia, and half a box of Gevalia "pods" in the cupboard)...but more than likely, I'll give these away to my coffee drinking "people"! I also have 10 coupons that came with my BzzCampaign package...$1 off anyone willing to give the Fair Trade Coffee a try, just send me an email with your name and address and I'll get one in the mail ASAP! They are only good until 12/31/2012, so act fast!
The last remaining holdout for accepting Gabriel into our family has finally "caved"! While Baby still has chosen to sleep under the Dining Room table rather than in bed with the rest of us (the dog sleeps on the floor next to the bed), he isn't stand-offish anymore at all. In fact, his new favorite thing to do is cuddle (or attempt to cuddle) while Gabriel is getting his bottle after nursing. This photo was taken post-bottle while they both got a little cuddle time in with "Dad". Do you know how hard it is to get a cat and a baby to look at you (in your general direction at least) at the same time?
We are officially out of the newborn sized clothes! Look how tight that onesie is! Good thing we only had a few things in NB size, lol. He is outgrowing the 0-3 stuff too, but only the really "short" ones.
I mentioned in my last post that I was working on a Mei Tai (tei?) style carrier, I finally got it done! I've had a few set backs that I never had pre-baby, like needing to care for a baby...also, I screwed up the tension on my machine and spent an hour trying to figure out what was wrong. Then, I ran out of thread! I have thread now, two spools even, but time is something I haven't found any more of. So, I have one top strap complete (I am making them twice as long as the pattern says because I want to know it's going to fit me well) and am working on the decorative top stitch on the second one. The rest of the carrier is not getting the decorative top stitch, just a straight stitch... It took a week or so to finally get it done, but once I got the decorative stitching done, the rest went together extremely fast! Pardon the messy hair and room.
We went on the 1st of November and had Gabriel's first photo session that didn't involve a cell phone! We missed out on getting any newborn photos because he was born on a Friday and apparently, the photographers that work at Sacred Heart (they contract out to a studio) don't work on Fridays or Saturdays and the one that was working on Sunday didn't have the time to take his photos and never called to schedule an in-home visit, not that we were home in that first week anyway. Anyway, we had his first visit to the WalMart Portrait Studio at 3 weeks old for his "1 month" photos! I'm hoping to get the time to go in this evening or tomorrow to pick them up (they were ready a couple of days ago).
Little man has started smiling when he's happy (or rather, "when not pooping or farting")! In the photo above, Garrick was tickling his cheek and making him grin...he almost laughs too.
Now that he's almost 5 weeks old, he's finally put on enough pounds (ounces) to fit into our pocket diapers! Now, if we can just get them to stop leaking... You can see it a little bit in the photo, the white part poking out is the lining for the diaper, it wicks moisture into the inserts and away from baby's skin. Except in this case, the parts that are poking out are wicking the moisture (urine) into Gabriel's clothes and away from the insert! The issue we are having is in the leg area, the elastic specifically. The elastic is rolling funny and pulling the interior to the outside. We went through 6 pocket diapers in one afternoon because he kept leaking out of them and soaking his clothes too!
Don't worry about the upset baby...he just doesn't like to be naked!
Medela Symphony (Medical Grade Pump)
We rented a medical grade Medela pump one month ago today (the other day anyway, it's taken me a few days to get this written around baby). So, we had to either return it or pay for another month this morning. As much as I love the medical grade pump (I was getting 5 ounces per pumping session overnight last night), we just can't afford the $100 a month price tag to continue renting! So, my sister gave us our Christmas present early! She (and her husband) gave us the money to buy a really good pump! I still need to call the company and get a refund on the First Years Mi Pump...it just does not work and from talking to the lactation consultant about it, she has only met a handful of people that it works for (flaws in the design make it not very useful for most nursing mommas, big boobs don't go well with the tiny "funnel" part).
Our Christmas Present!
I can honestly say that I love the Medela brand though. Expensive, yes, but well worth the money after having used several of their products since Gabriel was born (breast pads, hand pumps, (double) electric pumps, custom fit parts, bottles...). I usually go for the "best for the price", but in the case of something to torture your boobs with...I now believe in getting the "best" and worrying about "price" only as far as "how long do I need to save to be able to get the best"! So, with the money in my checking account (and a 20% off coupon in hand), I went and picked up the "next best thing to the medical grade" pump. If I could have afforded it, I probably would have spent the money to get a medical grade just because it is "the best" as far as suction goes and can be programmed to use the same suction level every time without fiddling with the controls...but those run in the $1500 to $1800 range! If we had triplets or something, I might have considered it more, lol. At Babies R Us (the baby version of Toys R Us), they offer four different Medela double electric pumps and a single pump option as well. The most expensive is the Freestyle pump, it takes a whole different set of parts, but does offer the same digital features that the Symphony pump has, plus a timer (I use an app on my iPhone to do the timing on). The Freestyle is also a "hands free" model, but no one I know that has this one has been able to figure out how to actually use it hands free (Mommy groups are so awesome)!
The other three double electric options are all the same pump, the Pump In Style Advanced, the only real differences are in the style of the bag and what comes with it. The Metro Bag is slightly more expensive because the pump "guts" are removable from the bag, so you don't have to clear the whole counter/table/whatever to set it down. The Backpack has the pump built in (though they are removable so you can wash the bag) to the bottom of the pack and a zipper around it to open the front of the bag to use it. The-On-Go Tote has the most storage space for the lowest price (for the DE pumps) and is the option I went with after staring at the comparison chart on the back of the boxes for a good 10 minutes in the store! The pump takes up about one-quarter of the bag and it came with a little cooler that holds four 5 ounce bottles (also included)! It also came with a standard feeding nipple, so you can pump and feed without having to pack around "feeding bottles". I was a little worried that I wasn't going to be able to get as much pumped with this as I was with the medical grade, boy was I wrong! Friday morning Gabriel only ate off my left side (for 45 minutes and then fell asleep), so I pumped the right side while he napped...I got 4 ounces off that side and another full ounce off my left! I only pump for 15 minutes at a time and can usually "empty" pretty well in that time, after feeding him, I never get a 5 ounce pumping, but during the night when we bottle feed and pump to shorten the amount of sleep we lose, I am now getting over 5 ounces in the 15 minute time frame! The PISA pumps also take the same parts as the Symphony, so if you have had to rent a pump, you can still use all your parts (except the hoses, but save those to use with the hand pump that came in the kit)!
If you only want a single pump, though honestly, you might as well get a double, they can be used as a single as well, you have two options. The Swing Pump is the electric version, it has different parts than either of the double pump options... There is also a hand pump option, the Harmony. I have two of these! I like it and keep one in my diaper bag for on the go pumping and one in the bottle cupboard for when I need to pump one side while he's eating! I got mine at the hospital though, I did not pay $40 for them. I also have two of the Symphony pumping system kits (all but the tubing in one kit) from our hospital stays and from renting the pump (they forgot to tell us it didn't come with parts and we, Garrick, ended up going and picking one up from Labor & Delivery late that evening).
Other products...the Hydrogel breast pads are awesome for sore nipples and I am wearing the heck out of a set right now! I picked up a 4 pack (2 sets) at Wal-Mart for $10, but I have also gotten 3 more sets from the Lactation Consultant too! Just remember to keep the clear harder plastic card they come on for storage during a shower and if you haven't totally destroyed them during use and are not sore anymore. I have lots of options when it comes to breast pads... Cotton reusables, these are good, but I can run through all three sets in a morning if I'm having a day where I don't get to pump. Disposables, I wear these 24/7! They are "reusable" up to a certain point and I have been known to wear the same set for a couple of days if I haven't been super leaky. These are also good for wearing "out" because if you have an emergency "baby needs to be fed right now and you are in the middle of Wal-Mart trying to hurry up and shop because you both thought you could get the shopping done before the baby woke up and was hungry, but you were oh...so...wrong" moment, then you lose your pad for the side you quickly whip out under your udder cover. Yup, so nice to not have to go searching the floor of the store for your expensive breast pad when that happens... (As a side note, I don't condone "littering" in the store and I did, in fact, find the pad wadded up into a tiny ball waaaaay under my boob in a corner when we got home.)
And then there are the "funnels" (Breast shields)...The hospital kits come with two sizes, 24mm (medium) and 27mm (large) and the pumps from the store come with the Medium size only. I started out in the Large size and have gone up to the 30mm (X-Large) size after pumping became very painful from the shield rubbing me funny because it was too small. They also come in 36mm (XX-Large), which is awesome if you have gigantic nipples! I paid $17 for a set at Babies R Us, Diapers.com sells them for around $15.
And a little glimpse of the newest project I have floating around in my head... Using the framework of a Super Scrabble board as a background (and as the color scheme), I am working on making a "Names Quilt" for Gabriel...I'm guessing this will take me a while since I haven't even started looking at my fabric stash to see what I have to work with, so this will probably be a birthday present for Gabriel when he can read, lol. It has all of his relatives (up to Grandmas and Grandpas) and general words like "family" and "cousin"...that sort of thing. I'm even toying with the idea of applying the letter value to each tile too, but haven't figured out if I will or not just yet. As you can see in the upper left hand corner of that screenshot, Jef is spelled without the second "f". When I first met Garrick's brother, this is how he spelled it (and may still when not using it professionally), he has since added the second "f", but I couldn't fit his name in the squares with two f's!
This always brings to mind this clip from Jeff Dunham and Peanut! Jeffafahhh! This guy is my favorite comedian.
Right before we were headed to the hospital to have our baby, I received a new BzzCampaign item in the mail. All Natural SMARTFOOD Selects...this is pre-popped popcorn and humus chips.
The flavors I got are pretty darn good, but the one I'm most interested in trying is theCinnamon Brown Sugar one! I received a bag of Buffalo flavored though (think the spicy sauce on chicken wings for a mental image of the flavor here)...I'm not a huge fan of hot/spicy and this flavor is most certainly hot/spicy! The Humus chips are pretty good to, but in all honesty, I think the flavorings there are a bit too "jumbled" for my liking...I got small bags of two flavors of these (Garlic Tomato Basil and Feta Herb). The Garlic Tomato Basil taste like the Mrs. Dash with the same name, which is good...but not really a "chip" flavor.
As an alternative to eating potato chips, these are worth trying...at 13 grams of carbs per small (single serve chip bag) bag, you're probably better off eating a stick of cheese anyway (microwave that and toss a little Mrs. Dash on it and you can even have the same flavor! On the plus side, there is no MSG in these, they are Kosher, they claim 0g trans fats (and I don't see any of the sneaky, hidden trans fats), and there are no artificial colors, flavors, or preservatives in these.
The single ingredient I think they need to work on eliminating from these? Brown Sugar! Who the heck needs sugar in a savory chip? It's just adding calories, carbs, and a load of other things to a product that is relatively good for you (there is still all the flours used to create the chip, but sugar is BAD)!
In the end, this was a great snack to have on hand when we were making all of our trips to the hospital that first week when the baby was so sick and I was living off of fast food and snacks people brought me (I never left the room he was in other than to pee when Garrick was there with me...and believe me, I really had to go by the time they returned that first morning after going back to the hospital)! They won't, however, be something I purchase on my own...mostly because they are not part of a low-carb diet and we are going back on that "soon"!
Ten minutes to 5am on a lazy Tuesday when you have absolutelynothing planned until 4pm that day is not when you want to be awoken from a blissful (2 hours) of sleep by a cat! However, that is exactly what happened this morning... Baby, our 7 year old butterball (we think he's a Ragamuffin), decided to get sick at the head of the bed this morning! I was awoken by the sounds of impending cat-sickness near my left ear and shouted, which usually startles the cats enough to get them to stop...I only succeeded in waking up Garrick though! Baby continued making his prep for illness and I finally was able to get him off the bed to get sick on the floor (way easier than cleaning it out of my hair, right?)...or so I thought! While cleaning up the bit of foamy yuck that he left on the floor, we noticed a larger (baseball sized) wet spot with obviously laid in bit of yuck where Garrick's shoulder normally is while he's sleeping. Super yuck! It gets worse though...it getting the sheet off the bed, we found it was very cold (had been there for quite some time) and very liquid-y (I, of course, figured this out by sticking my finger in it). That sent me into dry heaves...making it even harder to get out of bed (luckily I was not alone and Garrick is able to pull me out of bed while I'm trying to not add to the mess)! After we got the sheet off the bed and most of the fluids cleaned up (and by we I really mean Garrick...I was of no use unless the sound of someone dry heaving in the corner is helpful), Garrick went to take a shower (he laid in it, remember) and I went to rinse the bile out of my mouth. Afterwards, we debated putting clean sheets on the bed and returning to sleep, but we were both wide awake and I didn't think that I could lay back down in the bed without getting sick again. So, we got up at 4:50am this morning and have had an extremely productive morning so far (and it's only 7am)!
I have a few BzzCampaigns that I'm involved in right now, Dentyne (see my post about that one here), SmartFood Selects (I'm still waiting for this one to arrive in the mail), and Glade Expressions Collection! For the Glade one, I received coupons to get both starter kits for free. Of course, the hard part about this product was finding a store that had them in stock! What a popular product and after trying them, I see why! At first, I was only able to find the Fragrance Mist Starter Kit in a single scent! Luckily, it was one that I wanted (Pineapple & Mangosteen), so I snatched it up. We've been using it for a few weeks and both of us really enjoy the smell...it smells a bit like a Pina Colada. The scent is very light and it really doesn't take a ton of spraying to scent a large room! I do a quick (2-3 second) spray in my dining area to scent the whole surrounding area (dining room, kitchen, and the whole of downstairs since it's open from up here)!
On the dresser in the Nursery...
The Scented Oil Diffuser starter kit proved to be more difficult to find though...these seem to race off the shelves! I did finally find them at Target though! Not only did they have them, they had them in all four scents that are available (Pineapple & Mangosteen, Fuji Apple & Cardamom Spice, Lavender & Juniper Berry, and Cotton & Italian Mandarin)! I prefer the "look" of the Pineapple starter kit for most of the rooms in my house, the decorative panels with the leaf cutouts is wood-grain in a light wood color, while the other scents all come in white. However, for in our Nursery, the white works perfectly! After smelling each and every scent option, I chose to get the Fuji Apple & Cardamom Spice. This one has turned out to be my absolute favorite! In fact, I liked it so much, that I also bought it in the Fragrance Mist as well (in a starter kit because the price difference was very small and I wanted to be able to use both scents without having to "swap" the refills)! I should probably mention to be careful handling these...my Mom had one of my Misters slip out of her hand and the top shattered when it hit the floor (from about counter height). Good thing I bought two starter kits I suppose, lol. Unlike when you break the top of a traditional room spray, these aren't wasted! The mist is contained in a separate canister inside the plastic bottle part! You just unscrew the bottom and out it falls, making refilling the "cute" sprayer easy and more economical (I believe the refills run about a dollar less than the starter kits). The labeling comes off the outside of the kit too, making leaving the can sitting out a little less like "hey, this is what I use to cover up my funk"!
Photo "stolen" from my sister's blog...
The Fuji Apple & Cardamom Spice scent is just as light and easy on the nose as the pineapple one is...since we still keep the baby's door shut to keep the cats out for the most part, the room was getting its own "funk" from being closed up and basically unused. Having the oil diffuser in there has really made it nice in there again! In fact, my Mom has commented that when she goes home, she is going to get the same scent kit for her bedroom (which is similarly closed up all the time)! To me, this scent smells a bit like a fresh baked apple pie...I love it!
I mentioned earlier that today was already productive...since everyone is up now, we have the latest batch of dog food simmering on the stove, Carne Asada meat and Beef Heart strips! I figured it was time for some beef...Rosie has gotten a ton of chicken in the past month and the last batch I made was using Ham (which she absolutely loves...it was way off from my "normal" though). Mom is doing most of the cooking, but from the smell, I should go see if the meat is cooked.
Another day, another BzzCampaign review! This time, Campbell's Go Soup, I received a pouch of Spicy Chorizo & Pulled Chicken with Black Beans. According to the packaging, it serves two people, but it's only enough soup for one of my soup mugs...I ate the whole dang package myself one day for lunch (and had to eat something else to fill up)! 
In my package I got, 9 boxes of Atkin's bars (3 each of a Meal, light snack/breakfast, and treat bars), plates, napkins, utensils, a cool water bottle for me, grocery pads with a magnet on the back for my guests, the new cookbook, reusable grocery totes for my guests (I hope they don't mind slightly used totes, I think I may need them when I go buy the 16 frozen meals for the party!), an apron (for me), and a starter kit! Also, 16 coupons for free frozen meals for the party and $1 off coupons for my party guests! The starter kit you can get by going to the Atkin's website and signing up for one. It comes with 3 snack bars (a meal, breakfast, and treat bar), a carb counter guide book, a small recipe book to get you started, and a coupon for a free frozen meal! They have revamped the whole package since I started low-carbing life a few years ago!
Hosting this party gives me no excuse to not get back on the diet...I need to lose baby weight and get back on track with the weight loss I was enjoying before Gabriel came along! I love him to death, but I really want to get back out of my size 22 pants...I had just hit 18's last February!
While I have a 30-day free trial that goes until February 2nd before I'll be charged the monthly service fee, I don't need the full 30 days to know I will not be resubscribing. While I realize that it is in Beta-testing and they may not have all of their movies available just yet, they just don't have enough to keep my interest! I probably watch more streaming videos than the average person because Gabriel and I watch streaming shows and movies while he nurses, but I watched everything that interested me on the streaming video list in a single day! I loved getting to watch Thor and finally getting to see Transformers: Dark Side of the Moon, I think they may be the only movies on the list that are nearer than the mid-1980's!
We went on the 1st of November and had Gabriel's first photo session that didn't involve a cell phone! We missed out on getting any newborn photos because he was born on a Friday and apparently, the photographers that work at Sacred Heart (they contract out to a studio) don't work on Fridays or Saturdays and the one that was working on Sunday didn't have the time to take his photos and never called to schedule an in-home visit, not that we were home in that first week anyway. Anyway, we had his first visit to the WalMart Portrait Studio at 3 weeks old for his "1 month" photos! I'm hoping to get the time to go in this evening or tomorrow to pick them up (they were ready a couple of days ago).
