Thursday, March 31, 2011

monitor Issues cont.

Okay have to do an extension on this post! I called cust. service on my monitor hoping it was still under factory warranty.... guess what it was, I just made it!
They are sending me a brand new monitor replacement for free, and they don't need any original packaging or anything, just all the parts of the old monitor!

I have a ton of stuff from summer infant, and I'm gonna keep buying it, because that was the EASIEST cust. service call I have EVER made!

Highly highly recommend put it on your registry or buy it for someone else its worth the money!!

Okay now im done with my review, more interesting posts to come later!

Wednesday, March 30, 2011

Drunken Bunny

Ever notice when a baby starts to walk they all look like drunken sailors?
A-bunny is now walking around 75% of the time, and she looks like she's 2 bottles in all the time!
It is the best when she tries to run, the poor thing get so excited her balance slowly starts to go, and she moves her feet double fast to compensate, and she winds up side winding until eventually dropping.

She is also very strong and thinks she is a lot bigger then she is, she will pick up her 2 heaviest toys, one in each hand, (one is more then half her size)and walk across the room with them, looking like a little baby hulk! Most of the time she stops mid walk because she can balance with them ( then the angry hulk comes out)
If she has to stop mid walk she starts yelling with her little angry face and complaining... if i try and help her she drops to the floor and starts yelling at me.... very independent this one!

I cant wait till she gets a better hang on it, she's going through the stages real quick, it was about 3 weeks ago she took her first few independent steps, now she's walking on her own more then half the time... when did this all happen?! I swear it was  only last month I was pregnant!


oh and a quick follow up on the "tough crowd" blog, I'm back on my game 2day, despite a huge lack of sleep last night & a raging headache when I first woke up, I have got a running start today... I have been very productive so far and its only 10:30! Just have to keep the momentum going! ;)

Tuesday, March 29, 2011

Tough Crowd

Ever feel like your just not doing a good job?
Some days I feel like freaking super woman, I do all the dishes, 3 loads of laundry, vacuum, mop, dust, sanitize, cook all while taking extra special care of A-bunny!
Then there are some days when i just barely have the energy to keep up with a-bunny do the dishes once and cook dinner.... I call those my "rough days"

I'm pretty hard on myself about them, wish i could work up the energy and get a little more done during the day, but no amount of coffee or napping helps on these days, I cant find anything to help!

I don't get it sometimes, I mean I worked in a highly demanding goal oriented sales position for 5 years, handled millions of dollars in business and paid incredible attention to detail with everything I did in the office! I had thousands of clients and if you ask any of my old supervisors I could tell you the details on 90% of my accounts just by hearing their company names, I was REAL good at that job!

Now my job is much less detailed, but more demanding physically & emotionally! And i feel like I am falling short some days ( I DO NOT like feeling like that!) I am a perfectionist, I like to be the best at what i do and I thrive on that!

I am 80% of my problem, the other 20% is my big boy! Constructive criticism was never something I took in stride, and my big boy does not like giving it because of that.... But every once in a while when i have my "rough" days, he points out the painfully obvious to me in comments like "didn't get to the laundry today honey?" or "are the dishes in the dishwasher clean?"
or the even more annoying passiveness of going around and tidying up A-bunny's toys or putting the dishes away without saying anything before he goes to work..... it feels like a jab (like i said I like being the best at what i do) It really isn't one, most of the time he'll help me pick up the slack on a bad day( I got me a good one), but when he's working, Its all on me!  I expect it, Its my job now!


I think part of the problem is I have a pre-conceived notion that I am now in charge of the condition of the house, I want the challenge and I am trying to hit my goal ( the career girl in me)
I haven't figured out a system to keep my energy levels up consistently to attain these goals EVERY day. Like creating a commission structure for a quarter or a daily volume chart.

The other part of the problem is my "supervisor" I have had some tough managers before, but this one tops them all!
Not only is it more important to me to please him ( make the pressure higher) but sometimes his "expectations" just don't seem attainable.
 You see he's a bit anal retentive, sometimes i swear he was potty trained at gunpoint! If there is one thing out of place he gets a little perturbed.

In my old job if I had an off day, I would try an make up for it later in the week and pick up that slack of the bad day!
This new career, I'm off one day, things start to get away from me and I feel like I cant catch up!

I also have noticed a pattern develop on when these off days happen!
It is when Big boy is on the crap part of his schedule & hardly has any days off.... When he doesn't have days off, I don't get breaks, I don't get a couple of hours 2 recoup or sit on the couch or in the tub and relax while a-bunny plays with big boy.
When big boy is on days, he's home with us for about 90min-2 1/2 hours at night before he hits the sheets, nights, forget about it, I'm lucky if i get an hour most days.... which means I am a 98% of the time single parent for about half the month, all household & child responsibilities fall on me, which i know is my job, but sometimes i need a break. It is at the end of this stretch when my rough days happen, I'm starting to burn out!

He's a wonderful husband, he helps me with alot of things a lot of other husbands wouldn't, like when he's off or on day shift he give A-bunny her bath at night for me. And on his days off he'll help do the dishes & put away the laundry i had done, he'll even do some laundry & pick up around the house! (like I said he's a little anal retentive) He is a wonderful help & the dream hub...... when he's home!


Maybe if I take an hour everyday to just do stuff for me, or nap daily or take a bath.... something maybe it will re-energize me to go through the stretch of the schedule where he's not home so much.
I have got 2 figure something out, because this whole not being the best at my job thing is not for me!

Monday, March 28, 2011

Bar Blue's

Every once in a while I get a little reminiscent of my old lifestyle! So much has changed in the past 20 months it catches me off guard sometimes.

Don't get me wrong, I knew what I was signing up for, and i don't regret it one tiny little bit.... but just the same every once in a while, mostly on a random Friday night, I have this little voice in the back of my head that starts saying "i wish i could go meet S-sue or RyRy or R-baby out at the bar"

For a long time every Friday night, & sometimes Saturday too (with an occasional thirsty Thurs) with no notice other then a phone call and 1 hour to get ready, i was meeting some of my faves out at the bar, and hanging out until 2 or 3am.

Those days are gone, If I'm going out I need 2-3 days notice 2 get a sitter & those 2am nights are not even a possibility, I'm out of there by 12:30 the latest! Because no matter how much fun I am having, A-bunny does not care, she's still waking up same time, and mommy needs 2 be on her game!

I realized after this last time though its not the going out I miss so much, its the people i went out with, some of the nearest & dearest to my heart..... but like I was told by so many before i got married, everything changes when you start a family.
Single or Dating or (non-married) Friends don't have as much in common with you anymore when you become a parent ( unless they are one as well of course) even the married pairs tend to drift if they don't have kiddles too.
Your priorities change immediately, and then before you know it instead of talking about my "big commission check" or "the new coach bag i treated myself to for working my butt off" You are talking about "the trip to the pediatrician" and the " new stroller your looking at for the baby"

I'm no longer the fabulous person I once was with my expensive cloths & shoes  ( who am i kidding yes i am) I just don't have the same things to talk about, I chat & brag about my A-bunny , I'm a proud momma ! 

Its hard for people to stick around and chat as often when they aren't on the same page, if you don't have a teething baby, or know what it is like to sleep train or wean, then the conversation can get pretty boring for them.

Don't get me wrong, I am not knocking my friends, trust me, i love them, and completely understand what happened! It just stinks on those rare days when i sit and think "i really wanna go out to the bar with --- fill in the blank--"
because its not really wanting to go to the bar, its wanting to get some friend face time like we use 2.



Monitor Issues

So my father purchased this monitor for me right before I had A-bunny, I'm in love with it, I call it my baby surveillance!
Unfortunately for me, its starting to have some charging issues, my charger is now only working if I play around with it for 10 min to get it to sit properly and start charging.
That said I now need to purchase another one, because i cant picture not having it, Its my security blanket, I love being able to look at the screen in the middle of the night and see if she is just "complaining in her sleep" or actually up and looking for me!
 Saves me from getting out of bed when i don't need to, and gives me a nice little warm n fuzzy feeling that I don't have with my regular monitor for downstairs!
I really hate the idea of having to spend the money, but its worth the investment... but its not in the "current" envelope budget.... I really hope it lasts another week or two so i can juggle some things around!
This is m newest hiccup with the envelopes ( i keep having to make more!) its not really the systems fault, it is mine for not being aware of what i spend my money on! So in a sense its working better i guess, now i am at least able to track where the money goes, i never knew how much we were spending on A-bunny gear until now! Its enough to make a separate envelope! (go figure)

But if anyone is out there looking for a real mom recommendation, this would be mine, its my little security system!

Sunday, March 27, 2011

No Nap Days

A- bunny is  creature of habit, she likes her schedule, and she needs to stick to it!
That said, she ALWAYS has a morning nap, if she does not take any other naps throughout the day, her morning nap is consistent at least, usually between 90min to 2-1/2 hours depending on how she slept the night before, or how she's feeling.
Today we had a no nap day!
We went to church this morning, and church starts at 10am..... 10am is when a-bunny's nap happens!
Lovely right!:?

Well, she played and socialized and had a pretty good time considering her de-railing from her routine!
we came home, she had lunch and we both tried 2 nap..... well this is where the fun begins, A-bunny took 45min to fight falling asleep before actually giving up, then as i finally got to drift off.... the phone!
not only did it start ringing.... it didn't stop for an hour, finally waking A-bunny up, and thus.... 1  total hour of napping throughout the entire day, that's 30 min less then the minimum on a regular day.

Now my daughter has fallen asleep an hour before her normal bedtime, which means she will be up an hour earlier tomorrow, and it'll be like daylight savings time all over again!


Trust me I know these problems are far from catastrophic.... but this is how I spend my days, sticking to routines, keeping track of how much food and drink is consumed, how many diapers were changed, what milestones have been hit, which books were read, any teeth breaking through today....
so you can see how a glitch like this in my daily routine could prompt me to write about it, got to vent somewhere!

Okay I think im done for now, I now have to go get ready for bed an hour earlier then MY body is ready for, because my A-bunny will be up and yelling for me, whether im ready or not!
I really DONT like no Nap days!

Saturday, March 26, 2011

The envelope game

In the past 11 months Big Boy and I have been trying to figure out the best way to make & stick to a budget, we have gone through a few different methods all which have failed miserably!
Our income should more then cover our bills, expense's and SHOULD still have money to spend and save..... We have yet to work this out!
So a few weeks ago Big Boy came up with the brilliant idea of just handing me all of the money and letting me manage EVERYTHING aside from the bills (which are pre-deposited in their own account.)

I was told years ago by an old work colleague about a money management system where he designated envelopes for every piece of the budget, put the cash in them and that's how he stuck to his budget. ( simple enough, almost stone age like with all the high tech systems out there) So i gave it a shot, thinking if it worked for 20 years for this guy why not!

I have started using this system, and up until this week it has been working very well, nice and smooth!
That said... this week i hit my first hiccup with this system, A-Bunny's birthday party is in a few weeks, and there are a few decorations and supplies that i need to order on the Internet.... Thus my issue, i now have to make a special trip to the bank, to re-deposit the cash that big boy took out already, wait for it to post so i can use my debit card.... it sounds simple enough, but to me its a huge pain in the butt! ( guess thats what happens when you use an old school system in the internet age!)


Other than the inconvenience of juggling the money and extra trips to the bank for those Internet purchases, this system has been quite successful! The only other mini issue i have had is getting gas, if i have A-Bunny with me its a pain to take her out of her seat to go inside for 2 min. to pay cash for the gas! No other issues yet ( stay tuned this may change its only been 3 weeks )

It is best for my grocery budget mainly! I simply take my grocery envelope and I only have that money to spend, there is no  "Ive got plenty of money in the account" to bust my budgeting success!
This system for groceries alone is great! I have now become a "smart" shopper, clipping more coupons, scanning  grocery store sale fliers, and sticking to my list that i map out before i leave.

Its working great all around for me, but if you don't like the idea of having 10 envelopes ( which i do have) then i would suggest you try just for groceries!

So if your looking for a way to try and stick to your budget, this would be my recommendation, its not high tech by any means, but it is working for me!

Friday, March 25, 2011

Grocery-store-phobia

I am a very social person, I love throwing parties and attending events, i LOVE socializing with "my" people.... That said, since i got pregnant and to this day, i have a horrible fear of going to the grocery store.

when your pregnant & showing you have strangers walk up 2 you and start holding a conversation about "when your due" and "how your feeling" and SWEARING " your carrying a boy" (when the ultrasound tech has given you 100% chance of having a girl) I had a woman actually argue with me that the ultrasound tech was wrong and A-bunny was a boy!
Then there were the people who thought it perfectly fine to violate my personal space, enter my bubble & touch my bulging belly..... well guess what folks, it does not stop after pregnancy!

Random strangers guessing how old my daughter is, swearing she is Irish cuz of her red hair & blue eyes ( A-bunny is 1/16th Irish, that's not even a wee bit in my book) TOUCHING my child's hands & face ( sooo not ok, i am a germ-a-phobe) and turning my 30 min shopping trip into an hour because they have to tell me about their kids or their grandkids, or both, or their random friends sister-in-laws niece ( yeah it HAS happened)

All  of this has made me now dread going grocery shopping, or out in public at all for that matter, and it does not help that A-bunny is like the freaking mayor, she waves and says "hi" to almost every little old lady that passes ( they are the worst with the touching & telling me what nationalities we are)

I think i may need to make room in my budget for grocery delivery & save the social encounters for my friends and park days.... i cant help it, it scares me!

Nice to Meet you!

Hello all,
My name is Crystal, For my first submission I am going to give you a little background on myself, a little insight for those people who do not know me, and what you can expect from my blog in the future!

I am currently 26 years old, I have been married close to 3 years, and I am now coming up on my daughters first birthday.
for months now i have been adjusting to my new career as a stay at home mother, my new budget since were living on only one income, and all of the perks and hardships that come along with both.
Ill be talking mostly about my 1st time parent triumphs and blunders, my new found "frugalness" (very new development might i add Im a shopper by nature!)
Its not going to be all sunshine and roses, I plan on posting the good the bad! Mistakes are how we learn and grow & first time wives and parents make a lot!

I have also endured some extreme hardships, more then most people twice my age, and you will probably see more then a handful of posts mentioning my mother, I lost her in 2001 to cervical cancer, one of my goals in the next 5 years is to create an annual charity event in her honor to benefit cervical cancer research & awareness ( we'll get more into that another time)

I look forward to letting you all get to know me, sharing some smiles & laughs, and probably some tears!