MW Gets a New 'Do

So my freelancing gig is crushing me (that plus I'm still getting over being sick) so I've been a bit behind on my Mommy Hints tasks, that's for sure. I have plenty of ideas for posts, it's just about having the time to write the danged things!

Anyway, for whatever reason, I finally got around to giving MW a hair cut. Being almost 2 years old, the idea of trying to wrangle him while holding scissors wasn't one that I was looking forward to. Alex didn't have enough hair to cut till he was much older (like 3 as I recall), so I never had to deal with this before. My sister recommended cutting his hair in his sleep. Yeah, that wouldn't work with MW. He wakes up when I just go in to check on him before I go to bed (one little movement and he shoots up).

But I decided to go for it, and to help keep him somewhat immobilized, I stuck him in his high chair. At least he couldn't run off.

I don't have a great picture of his hair before the hair cut, so I just spent the last hour or two putting together this little video for you. Not only does it have cute little MW, but you can see how scraggly his hair was before:

And here he is now:

Have I mentioned he's a cutie? Look at that face!

This was definitely a challenge and more than likely I missed some spots, but at least he's not so shaggy :D. 

Where Did the Weekend Go?

I'm not sure how productive I'm going to be for the next few days. I started feeling sick Thursday night and then woke up Friday with a full-blown head cold. Ugh. So I spent the weekend mostly relaxing. I did have to take Alex to ballet on Saturday and we stopped on the way home to get some essentials (milk, eggs, bread, etc.) but other than that, I pretty much chilled.

So there are good things and bad things to that. On the plus side, it was kind of fun to do nothing. On the not-so-plus side, my house is now a disaster and I'm not quite fully recovered. Luckily, my husband and I dug into the kitchen yesterday so at least that is respectable. I think the burst of energy did us in, though, because we're feeling a big worse to day. :(

So what did I do all weekend? I chilled and read on my Kindle. Lucky for me, I have access to an online library which allows me to borrow ebooks (though just like a real library, they only have so many copies and sometimes there are like 70 people on the waiting list). So I got some books on there to read and read all weekend. I can't tell you the last time I did that. It's times like this I'm so glad to have a Kindle!

Anyway, I may be slow in getting posts out this week, so sorry about that. But thanks for your loyal support :D. And as a reward for reading this, a cute picture of my youngest, who rocked himself to sleep on the arm chair:

What was the funnest thing you did this weekend?

Why All Moms Should Be Listening to Pandora

I love music. Which is funny because I wouldn't say I'm a music aficionado. I don't know who the best bands are and I mostly listen to pop music, but I love having music playing whether I'm working, cleaning, driving or playing with my kids.

But I'm a cheapskate who gets tired of listening to the same thing over and over. That's why I LOVE Pandora.

Pandora is a free service (paid if you don't want ads) that allows you to create your own radio station. All you have to do is put in one artist you like, and Pandora will create a radio station based on that artist. If you like a variety of music, you can add more, whether it's an artist, album or song.

Here are some of the reasons I love Pandora:

• It's free. Sure there are ads, but they only come up every few songs for like 10 seconds. Not a big deal.



What I was listening to when writing this post :D

• You can listen to the music you like and nothing else. If a song or artist comes up that you don't like, you can give it a thumb's down and Pandora won't play it again and will skip the song.
• You can have multiple stations. I have a station for Christmas music, soft music (great for if I'm working and want some background "noise"), pop music, Disney (for the kids), and worship music for Sundays. Whatever I'm in the mood for, I have a radio station to match.
• I never get bored. Back when I used to buy CDs and had a collection of music on my iPod, I would get bored listening to the same songs over and over. It didn't matter that I had hundreds of songs (I know, my collection was pretty small). I like variety. Not only does Pandora play the music that you say you prefer, but it will also bring up music similar to your preferences. It's a great way to find new artists!
• It has just about every artist and music genre you can think of from indie rock to Irish folk to Broadway musicals. Whatever you like to listen to, they're sure to have that type of music available. Try to get that from radio stations.
• You can have it wherever you go ... as long as you have a device for it. You can listen to Pandora on computers, smart devices (phones, DVD players, TVs), and tablets. As long as you have internet access or cell phone network available, you can have streaming music.
• This means it's great for road trips — no trying to find a new station in every new area you reach.
• And my favorite thing about Pandora is ... no DJs! I don't know about you but to me radio stations are filled too much by talking, contests, ads, etc. With Pandora it's almost all music!

Music is good for the soul. It lifts your spirits when you're blue. It makes you want to dance and sing (all good things). It can put you in a better mood. If you haven't checked Pandora out, do so!

(And if you're wondering, no this is not a sponsored post. Just getting out the word because I love Pandora that much!)

Do you have a music app that you love? Tell me all about it. I'd love to find out what other music streaming apps are out there!

What Valentine's Day Means to Me

Image via Flickr by Illusive Photography

When you think of Valentine's Day, what comes to mind? Is it Cupid and his quiver of arrows? Red roses, boxes of chocolates, heart-shaped jewelry?

These things certainly are associated with Valentine's Day, but to me today is more than just about showing your sweetheart how much you love them. I'd like this day to be about showing everyone how much you love them.

There are many types of love that exist in this world. There's the romantic love you feel for your sweetie, the parental love of a child, familial love of a sibling or parent, and friendly love of a close friend. 

How My Mother-in-Law Shows Love

Image via Flickr by butterflysha

All of us love receiving fun mail—a card, a letter, a package. Something that you can open and enjoy reading rather than just junk mail or bills. This was especially true when I was a kid before the prevalence of computers, the Internet, and cell phones. It was exciting ... especially if there was a present or money inside. 

Since we got married almost 11 years ago, that's not so expected. With email and texting, most of my communication takes place electronically. No need for stamps. No delay for the recipient to get what you sent. And yet on almost every holiday, in the mail I find a card from my mother-in-law wishing us a happy birthday, a merry Christmas, a happy Valentine's Day, and even a happy Thanksgiving (yes, they make cards for that. Who knew). 

I always thought it was kind of a waste. A waste of money for the card. A waste of stamps to send it. But after being married over a decade, I realize that this is her way of showing she cares for us. It's the time she takes to pick out a card, pay for it, write a message inside, and send it with enough time to reach us before the holiday. It tells us that she's thinking of us and loves us. Sometimes she'll include pictures from our last trip or pictures of her and her husband. It means a lot to her to send those cards, and it means a lot for us to send some back to her. 

It may be a little thing. We may just throw the cards away after reading them (and we may not). But she uses it to connect with us.

What Love Can We Show on This Valentine's Day

Is there something we can do on this Valentine's Day to show our love? Not just to our one true love, but to everyone? It may be too late to send a card this year, but even just a quick text to say, "You are a dear friend. Thanks for being there for me" may just lift the spirits of a friend who is feeling unloved. Writing on a Facebook wall, "Hey, friend. How are you? Let's make plans for next week" may help someone feeling lonely. You never know the impact of a quick message of love.

Share Love Freely

Image via Flickr by vmiramontes

What I've found over the years, though, is that we should share love and admiration for others freely. Don't be reserved thinking that the other person will be put off by that expression or think you strange. It's possible, but that shouldn't stop you from sharing. Nine times out of 10, their hearts will be lifted by what you say. Your friendship will grow and you'll both feel a little more joy. 

With family, saying I love you to your family members is great, but you know what means more? Saying why you love them. For Valentine's Day this year, my husband took nesting boxes and put my gift in the smallest one. On each box, he took a sticky note and wrote a reason he loved me—one for each year of our marriage. Opening a present is wonderful, but knowing things about me that made him happy he married me meant more than the present alone. I can keep those sticky notes and read them again and again. I feel much more loved today than I did just from the present.

Take the time to share with your siblings, parents, and children what it is about them that you love. What qualities do you see in them that you wish you had? What things about them make you smile and make you want to be with them?

What about your friends? Often we take friendship for granted. Why not tell your friends why you're so glad you know each other and what makes them a great friend. Don't be afraid to tell a friend you love them. 

Share Love with Everyone ... Even Those You Don't Know

Via Desktopas.com

It's easy to share love with those you know and love dearly, but what about those you don't know? In Matthew 22:37-39, it reads, "Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself."

So who is your neighbor? Anyone you see and come into contact with. According to Jesus we should love our neighbors as we do ourselves. I think "thyself" could be interpreted to mean your family. Do you love your neighbors like you do your own family—your own household? If not, what can you do for your "neighbors"?

It could be simple as a smile. It could be paying for someone's groceries behind you. It could be dropping cookies off at a neighbor's house that you don't know. 

When it comes to loving those around you, for me it's about treating others how you want to be treated. The typical golden rule. It's not treating others how you are treated. It's not treating others like you're worried they will hurt you. It's about finding Christ's love and showing it to those around you.

"Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:

"For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in:

"Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me.

"Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink?

"When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee?

"Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee?

"And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me."'

Matthew 25:34-40 

Via GregOlsen.com

So for this Valentine's Day, let's share more love into the world. And if I haven't told you lately, I love you!