Tommee Tippee Bottles

I won't make this a habit, but I'm going to endorse these bottles.

You can find them on Amazon here.

I bought these bottles with the hope that they would:
A) not cause nipple confusion
B) that Cookie would like them and
C) that Banana would actually be able to get Cookie to eat using them. (She won't take any pacifiers.)

While I can't say for certain that Cookie likes them, the other two options are definitely true.

Cookie goes back and forth from the bottle to the breast with no issues. (Although, she won't take formula from them which I'm ok with since I'm pumping anyway.)

The last two types of bottles that I remember using were Avent and Playtex nursers (the kind with the drop in bags that you put the milk or formula in). The Playtex I used when I had never tried to nurse the child so I wasn't worried about going back and forth. The Avent I used after the baby was a year old and nursing was well established by then.

So, all in all, my point is that these bottles have definitely been worth the money so far. And, no, I haven't been paid to endorse them.

Meet the Family - Mom

So, last member of the family is me! I'm Mom. 

This is a picture taken a couple years ago by Dad for the program of a couple shows I was working on at the time. He's really the only person that takes decent pictures of me, I think.

I work in the theatre industry in many ways. I'm a stage manager, assistant production coordinator, a lighting tech, sound board operator, light board operator, and backstage tech. I've worked at the largest community playhouse in the US, one of the last free Shakespeare festivals in the US, and one of the largest (Top 5) children's theaters in the US. If you want info on theatre tech, shoot me an email, a tweet, or a private message. I'll be more than happy to answer your questions.

I like to write. I am an expert crocheter and a beginner knitter. I enjoy sketching, drawing, doodling, and painting but I have no delusions about my talent there (It is mediocre at best.) 

I am a dedicated book lover and reader. At any one time there is a huge stack of books that I am reading on my dresser. I tend to read multiple books at one time (and yes, I can keep the story lines straight).

You'll find little bit of all of these coming up I am sure.

Well, anyway, that's me. Welcome to my blog & I look forward to getting to know you all!

Meet the Family - Dad

Ok everyone, only two people left to meet; Dad & I! So, here is my honey, the love of my life. He's in Denver right now visiting his parents and even though he's only been gone 16 hours, I miss him a lot.

He's a USMC veteran and was active duty when we met and were married, 20 1/2 years ago (nearly).

Dad is a gamer through and through. He runs Transcendere Gaming and plays more games that I can keep track of really. But the ones he's been playing a lot recently are The Elder Scrolls Online (along with me & several of the kids; we all got beta invites), Day Z, Battlefield 4, Arma 3, and Altis Life.

He loves Mexican food, Chinese food, remote control cars and helicopters, and spoiling me rotten.

I'm forgetting something... what am I forgetting?... Oh, yeah! He, too, loves the Broncos! (The picture is kind of a clue, huh?)

He and I make a great team. We do that thing that people who haven't been together forever find really annoying; the whole reading each others minds bit. Ok, maybe not reading each others minds literally, but we know each other well enough to know exactly what the other one thinks on most (99%) of subjects, so it seems that way.

He's my sweetie. And I can't wait until he's home again! I love you baby!

Valentines

I've been asked a couple times what we did for Valentine's Day and my answer, "Nothing." has surprised & shocked some people.

My husband and I did not go out for Valentine's Day.

Instead, my honey, Dibuja, Mario, Smokey, & GF left for Denver after work last night. They'll get to spend some time with the grands before coming back on Monday. Dad hasn't been home to see his folks in at least a year, so this is a nice little get away for him, even if he is taking some of the kids.

I spent Valentine's Day here, with the rest of the kids and my folks, watching Mythbusters on Netflix while snuggling Cookie.

Yes, we spent Valentine's Day apart, with the exception of an hour or so before work & an hour or so after work. No, this is not a problem for us. We will go out for dinner sometime next week to spend time together but not on Valentine's Day.

After all there will be fewer crowds and the wait staff will less stressed. We won't have to wait for a table or make a reservation 6 months in advance.

In the end, it's only a big deal to miss Valentine's Day if you make it a big deal. We love each other. We know we love each other. We spend time together every week making sure that each of us knows that the other one loves us. So, it's not a big deal.

DIY - Valentines

I have decided to do a Do-It-Yourself of some sort every month. This month, it will be about Valentine's Day.  I looked at many, many items on Pinterest until I was just about ready to pull my hair out.

Should I crochet something?

Do something with the kids?

Draw?

Paint?

Stand on my head?

Ok, not really on that last one. I'm tired.

I decided to do something for my co-workers. They've had to pick up a bunch of my job while I've been out on maternity leave. So Karen, Candy, Terri, Amanda, & Courtney, if you're on here, don't look! You'll get your presents on Monday! (Yes, I know it's after Valentines, but I don't go back to the office until then.)

Everyone drinks something whether it's coffee, iced drinks, or water. So I'm making them cup cozies. Amanda likes hot coffee.

Karen likes Starbucks Energy Drinks.

Terri drinks iced coffee.

Candy drinks pop but hasn't been since New Years', so I'm hoping she'll still use this!

And Courtney drinks coffee, too.

None of these are my patterns. They are combinations, additions, and alterations from these websites:
http://littlemonkeyscrochet.com/valentines-day-mug-cozy/
http://www.bhookedcrochet.com/2014/01/30/magic-heart-free-pattern-and-tutorial/?n-and-tutorial/
http://www.redheart.com/free-patterns/crochet-can-cozies
And this one by Jonna Ventura but if you want it you'll have to join Ravelry.
http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/frayed-knots-15-min-coffee-sleeve

Meet the Family - Cookie

And here is our little Cookie! You've seen numerous pictures of people holding her, but, finally, here she is!

No, we did not pose her. Banana was holding her and she did this all on her own. 

Her favorite activities are snuggling with Mommy, swinging in her swing, and keeping Mommy up most of the night. We are not sleeping through the night yet, obviously.

Oh, and did I mention, cute as a bug's ear?

Meet the Family - Pookie

Say "Hello!" to my little Pookie! She's 6 years old now and in first grade. This picture was taken at her Christmas party at school last year. Sorry it's fuzzy but she was super excited about the cookie she had just decorated.

She's is definitely a girly girl when it come to clothes and her favorite colors but she's rapidly becoming less so and has been swiping Mario's clothing to wear to school. So one day she'll wear a frilly white or pink dress and the next she'll be wearing jeans and a Angry Birds t-shirt.

But, she HATES dolls. That's capitalized for a reason. She absolutely abhors dolls. She's never liked them, never played with them, and, she wants me to tell you, she never will!

But she loves her baby sister, Cookie, although, I think it took Cookie arriving for her to believe that babies aren't born knowing how to walk, talk and play.

She has the most beautiful curly hair and is smart as a whip. She enjoys video games as much as her older brothers especially Luigi's Dark Mansion, which she got for Christmas.

Her favorite thing is to watch My Little Pony videos or Ihascupquake videos until she runs my phone battery until the phone shuts off.

"Hi Pookie!"