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?

5 Favorite Things of the Week - 3/15/13

Ugh. I woke up sick today. It's not all that bad, but I worry about how bad it will get before I get better. Plus, you know how it is when you're a mom: you don't get a day off. It doesn't matter that I'm sick. I still have to feed the boys, make sure they're not destroying the house, etc. I don't get a "day off" (unless maybe I'm lucky enough to have the grandparents take the boys for a day, which is wonderful when that happens).

So anyway, here are my favorite things of the week:

1. Papa Murphy's Pizza. So I think in the past I was not all that interested in Papa Murphy's Pizza, but lately, because of circumstances, we've been having it more often. Since we've been going more, I've noticed some advantages:
• You can pick up hours before you plan on eating (assuming you can stick it in the fridge in the meantime). This is great if I'm out and about in the afternoon and I don't want to run out right before dinner. And we're just too cheap to have pizza delivered because we don't want to pay the tip :P.
• You don't have to worry about the pizza getting cold before you eat it.
• Every time you order (at least for our local Papa Murphy's), the instructions sheet comes with a coupon to upgrade a medium to a family size free (which is like $3 off). 
• They have dessert pizzas (so good!) that are only $3 (at least here locally).
• Since they aren't cooking the pizza, it doesn't take more than 5 minutes for them to make the pizza, assuming it's not overly busy when I go.
2. My new HP laptop. This year we got a decent tax return and I decided to replace my laptop. The monitor had gone out on it and it was really huge and bulky. I wanted a smaller one that was more portable, so I got an HP laptop from Best Buy. It's been a great investment and it's so light, I can take it with me anywhere (right now I'm typing from the living room arm chair instead of my desk). Oh, and did I mention the battery lasts about 4 hours? My last laptop only lasted 1.5 hours or thereabouts.
   
3. Having two awesome sisters. I was lucky enough to grow up having two sisters 6 and 8 years older. They've always watched out for me and are there for me. When I was younger, they would often take me out to lunch or buy me candy. Despite the difference in age, we're close and even now, they call and see how I'm doing and help whenever they can.
4. Warm weather. Today it's supposed to get up to 70 and even when I've had to slip out at night to slip something into the garbage can, it's been so warm. I haven't needed to rush back in because of the cold air. The boys have been playing outside a lot and we've all enjoyed going places without having to bundle up. It's supposed to cool down this next week (highs in the 50s), but it's been so nice enjoying the warmer, sunnier weather.
5. White noise machines. Earlier in the week I wrote an article all about white noise machines. These really are awesome, whether for you so you're not woken up by other members of your household or whether for your kids so they can sleep undisturbed (especially for naps). We use ours every day!

What were your favorite things about this week?

5 Favorite Things of the Week - 3/8/13

Wow, is it just me or did this week go by fast. I feel like I've barely had any time to think or breathe. So now that it's Friday once again, here are my favorite things of the week:

Via MarieClaire.com

1. Warmer, sunny weather: Woohoo! Who's with me? It feels like spring is just around the corner and I'm ready for it. I wouldn't say that this winter was especially cold, but it's been so cloudy and going outside today and finding the bright sun was so rejuvenating. Where have you been all winter, my friend Sun?
2. As mentioned earlier in the week, I love Pandora. It's an awesome way to get your jam on, have a dance party with your kids, or provide soft music while relaxing. 
3. Karrie, from HappyMoneySaver.com. She's a great friend of mine and came over this week to help me learn more about this blogging thing. Maybe one of these days, I'll get the hang of it. If you haven't checked out her blog, head on over there and see how she can help save you money.
4. 
   Cuddling with my 22-month-old. I think that me and MW have a lot of things in common, and wanting to cuddle is definitely one of them. He's such a sweetie and will often ask me to pick him up and hold him. Gotta take the time to cuddle now before he finds out it's not "cool." :P
5. Friends who are in your heart no matter the distance. There's something special about a friend who continues to think about you and wants to know how you're doing even when it's been months since you've seen each other. I have a few friends like that right now, including one who is halfway around the world and one who I left behind last year when I moved. I'm so glad that with the way technology is, we can keep in touch.

What were your favorite things about this week? Did it go as fast for you as it did for me? All I can say is TGIF! Thank goodness it's finished. LOL!

Amazon Baby Deals for Moms, 3/5/13

There are some great deals on baby items going on at Amazon.com. Whether you need a baby shower gift or are getting ready for your little one to arrive, here are some items you won't want to miss.

The Fisher-Price Luv U Zoo Crib 'N Go Projector Soother gets 4.5/5 stars from users and is now on sale for $19 (regularly $38). This soother plays soothing music while rotating images that are projected onto the ceiling.

Needing a diaper bag? Check out the Carter's Fashion Tote diaper bag, which right now is on sale for 25% off. Users approve with a 4.4 star rating, and having a bag to carry all your gear in makes trips with the baby so much easier.

The Britax B-Agile Stroller in red is on sale right now for $80 off, making it only $168. Rated at 4.6 stars, this is a great stroller that will last you for years. If you need it to be compatible with infant car seats, a separate adapter can be purchased and works with many brands of car seats. This stroller holds children up to 55 pounds and features a one-hand quick-fold design.

Having a cradle swing is so wonderful when you have a newborn. It saves your arms from doing the swinging and will keep your baby asleep longer so you can take a nap or do some cleaning. The Fisher-Price Cradle 'N Swing is on sale right now for $127, down from $170. Included is an AC adapter so you can plug it in rather than using batteries. Rated at 4.3 stars, you know you're getting a quality swing at a great price.

Remember, prices can change quickly and without notice, so take advantage of these deals while they last. Have you seen any great deals for baby items? Share in the comments.

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!

5 Favorite Things of the Week - 3/1/13

So what are my favorite things for this week? Well, here you go:

1. Scout app for my iPhone. So I moved to Eastern Washington about 7 months ago from out of state and I'm still getting to know the area. The Scout app is free and gives voice turn-by-turn directions to wherever you need to go. This has been great, especially when my husband has a job at a new school and doesn't know how to get there. I've used it to get all over, and it's especially helpful when I need to go from point B to point C and I'm used to getting to point C from point A (i.e. my house) so I don't know how to get there from somewhere else. Other GPS apps often cost money for voice turn-by-turn directions, as well, which means you're constantly checking the screen to see where to turn. Voice directions help reduce distractions while driving. And no one will disagree with free. Definitely awesome.
   
   
2. Having two monitors on my computer. Last July/August, the monitor on my laptop went out and the easiest fix was to get an external monitor. Luckily my step-dad had an extra one lying around that he didn't need. This was great and essential so I could keep working. Then recently I decided to use my tax refund to upgrade my laptop to a new one. Well, guess what? Now I have two working monitors, and having two monitors is AWESOME! I'm often switching between different windows in order to research and write articles, so having the info on one screen and where I'm writing on another is really great.
   
   
3. Ghirardelli Triple Chocolate Brownie mix. If you are looking for the best brownie mix, it's this one right here. We get this at Costco (it has like 6 bags of mix in it. LOL), and it's just the best brownie mix I've ever had -- even better than my homemade brownies. It's so moist and fluffy and it has chocolate chips in there, which means melted pieces of chocolate within the brownie goodness. Yep, I'm pretty much addicted.
   
   
4. 
   Online Netflix. When you live on a tight budget, you look for anything you can cut to save money. One way we save is through not having cable TV. Instead we have the online service from Netflix. For only $8 a month, we have TV shows for the kids and entertainment for us. Sure, it'd be fun to have regular TV too, but for now it works for us and saves us money.
   
   
5. My son, Alex, turning 5! Here's Alex with a bouquet of balloons from his awesome grandma :D. Look at that goofy grin. Who couldn't love that boy! I can't believe I've been a mom for a whole half of a decade now. This will be a year of firsts, including his first day of kindergarten. 

What things did you like from this week? Please share in the comments!