Baby's Toddler's First Haircut

2 1/2 years old.

First haircut.

I know, right? Hannah was bald until she was 1 and her hair has been slowly growing since then. It wasn't until she was about 18 months old that I could put a (small) ponytail on the top of her head and about 21 months when we could get some small pigtails in.

Her hair is still pretty thin. Which is weird because my hair is thii---ick!

My mom's cousin offered to do a small trim, just to cut some dead ends off and help her hair to grow a little.



She was a little nervous at first.



After a few snips, she let out a few whimpers.



Gave her some thin bangs. (Which was sooo important to me. I'm not a fan of really thick bangs that start way back on the head... don't ask me why, just not into it.)


But overall, she did excellent!



I actually can't wait for her hair to grow long. I think little girls with long hair are so cute. But until it thickens and starts to grow grow grow, she'll remain just as cute!

Working Mommy Wednesday

I've been asking some bloggers out there (who work outside the home) to tell me a little bit about their lives. I've come to realize.... It's not just me! There are tons of Moms out there who work full-time, then come home and work full-time again. And they all said how much they would love to have a resource for working Moms to help them get through the day, organize, plan ahead, have some "me" time, de-stress and heck, even post on their blogs once a week! Lots of you Mommies out there said, "Yes, my blog takes a back seat because I just can't find the time."

In fact, I was just talking to a Mom of one of the athlete's where I work, and we had this same conversation. We go to work, come home, dinner, laundry, cleaning, groceries, etc. etc. She said, "I feel like I never have any 'ME' time!" And you know what kind of "ME" time she wanted? To be able to get to the gym for a half hour to workout and lose 30 pounds. Is that too much to ask?

I encouraged her by telling her she had to schedule it into her day. If you just say, "Well, I'll get to the gym after dinner if I have time." Chances are that something is bound to come up. She needs to schedule it into her week. Set that time aside just like it's work. Ask her husband for a half an hour twice a week to watch the kids so she can get to the gym.

(What's funny, is that I realize as I'm typing this out, that I am guilty as charged. I've always been able to workout at least 3 times a week. My new job schedule is a little different and makes it more challenging to workout. But I NEED to put it into my schedule. If that means leaving 30 minutes earlier than I normally would so I have time to workout, so be it. I mean, I work at an athletic performance center, for Pete's sake!! Sheesh!)

But I digress....

So, here I am. Your guide to helping you do it all. I'll be the firs to admit... I am not a perfect Mom and I certainly don't have it all together. But I will share some things with you on how I manage, what my days are like, making time for yourself and feeling just a tad bit less stressed about it all.

My normal day. A typical day for me is, while different than most normal jobs, is a full, jam-packed day. I work Monday through Friday, some Saturdays (for a couple hours) and thankfully Sundays I have off.

What do I do? Well, I'll tell you! I work at an athletic performance company of sorts. We work with young kids up through college and even adults. We use athletics, fitness, and performance enhancement to develop kids and athletes on a personal level.... building confidence, self-esteem, teaching them leadership skills and being successful in life. So, yes, the athletic performance part is our main thing, but we use that to build the child up.

What kind of hours? Like I said, this job is different than my other job. With most kids in school now, I work mostly 1:00 -9:00 (sometimes 2-9, sometimes 1-8, but you get the idea.) Wednesday mornings I do work from 9-11 too. While I do have some flexibility, I'm still not used to the later evenings and not putting my kids to bed.

What other hobbies do I have? I'm so glad you asked. I scrapbook, make cards, and sew and crochet on occasion. That stuff has really taken a backseat lately. I also (obviously) love blogging, reading my friends blogs and working out.

Take yesterday, for example.
6:30am - wake up because Noah is awake.
7:00 - feed Noah
7:30 - Hannah wakes up, get her breakfast
8:00 - pour a cup of coffee for myself and make breakfast
8:30 - get the kids dressed, get myself dressed, teeth brushed, etc.
9:00 - Hubby goes to the gym for an hour and a half. I stay home, play with Hannah and put Noah to bed for nap.
10:00 - Sesame Street or movie for Hannah, I catch up on blogs and emails. This is also the time (since she is watching TV, that I might fold laundry, do laundry, pay bills, or just do random things that need to be done.)
10:30 - Noah wakes up, change diapers, play
11:00 - feed Noah. Once he's in his high chair, I get Hannah lunch. Once those two are eating and sitting down, I fix myself lunch.
12:00 - play, go for a walk, etc. If the kids are playing well by themselves, I try to get more stuff done.
1:00 - This is usually when I go to work. I won't bore you with the details, but usually very busy. I maybe check my email once while at work.....
9:00 - leave work, come home, grab a quick bite to eat for dinner.
9:30 - shower
10:00 - check email
10:30 - in bed and start it all over again.

By no means am I saying that I'm the busiest woman on the planet. Shoot, it might not even sound that busy to you. But for some reason, some days just fly by, filled with tons of stuff and before I know it, it's bed time.

So, how do I find the time to do other things or have "me" time or have time with my husband? I'm so glad you asked. I'll be sharing more about that later.

But for now, what is your working mommy day like? How do you find time? I'd love to hear it. And I know my readers would too. If you're interested in being featured on my blog as a Working Mommy, please email me at jladewski at hotmail dot com with Working Mommy Feature as the subject line and I will get in touch with you. Ok?

For now, sit back, take a deep breath and be thankful it's Hump Day!

What do your kids eat?

Being in the health/fitness/athletic field, I know my fair share of myths, gimmicks and false advertising. I've seen it all. From people trying to sell a huge piece of equipment that only works your abs claiming to get you a 6-pack in 6 weeks to a "nutrition expert" giving you the "new healthy foods" that are suddenly good for your body (Hello, berries have always been good for you... and they're not new!)

So, when I see articles about health and nutrition stuff, I read it carefully and take most things with a grain of salt. What I read doesn't change my life or my mind to whole new level. I might learn a few things that I think are useful, but it's never the be all, end all.

I saw a recent article somewhere on MSN.com about the 20 worst kid foods in America.

Ok, I thought, this will be interesting.

And of course, it was. There are definitely some things that I say, "Well, no duh it's not good for you!" And there are some of their "substitutions" that just seem off the wall.

Worst Cereal -
Cap'n Crunch - loaded with sugar (16g to be exact!) Main ingredients are corn flour, suger, brown sugar and coconut oil - nothing very nutritious at all. Very few vitamins and lots of food colorings that are linked to irritability and behavioral problems in kids.
Recommended substitution - Cascadian Farms Clifford Crunch - tons less sugar and made with lots of organic whole grains.
My opinion - It's a great substitution. Overall, just look at the label and check the sugar content. Even better if the first ingredient is a whole grain!

Worst packaged snack-

Austin Cheese Crackers with Cheddar Jack Cheese - lots of calories, yes, but loaded with yucky trans fats. Two days worth! We all know trans fats are bad and companies have learned how to make their products without trans fats. Why this company hasn't is beyond me.

Recommended substitution - Laughing Cow Mini Babybel - fat, yes, but no trans fats. And it's real cheese.

My opinion - great choice for a substitution. That kind of cheese is more of a natural product than the fake cheese on those crackers.

Worst Beverage -

SunnyD Smooth Style - at only 5% juice, this drink is tainted with sugar water. Yuck! Same amount of sugar in a dozen chocolate chip cookies!! Remember, this is not orange juice.

Recommended substitution - Capri Sun Tropical Fruit Roarin' Water - only 9 grams of sugar compared to SunnyD's 60 grams.

My opinion - I'd rather my kid drink straight water (which starts young... if you only feed your kid juice, they'll never like water), organic milk (with meals) or real juice. Good 100% juice. Even better if you juice it yourself!

Worst Prepared Lunch -

Oscar Mayer Maxed Out Turkey & Cheddar Cracker Combo Lunchables - even though Lunchables seem convenient and 'healthy', they aren't. And the Maxed Out version is just that... maxed out with fat and sugar.

Recommended substitution - Hillshire Farm Deli Wrap Ham & Swiss Wrap Kit - half the fat and a LOT less calories.

My opinion - We shouldn't really be feeding our kids prepacked lunches. Is it ok once in awhile when you have no other options? Of course, but you're better off making a nice homemade sandwich!

Worst Burger -

Ruby Tuesday's Kids Turkey Minis & Fries - Apparently these things have as much calories as a Wendy's Baconator Burger - over 800 calories!

Recommended substitution - Ruby Tuesday's Chop Steak & Mashed Potatoes - half as many calories as the burger and better choice of potatoes since fries are, well, fried!

My opinion - Eating out is tough as it is. If you don't do it often (and by often I mean once a week), then every once in awhile isn't going to hurt. But you could also use this as a great opportunity to teach your kids about healthy, good choices! If you do get fries, split them between two of your kids, or your kid and you. Saves you both some calories.

Worst Pasta Meal -

Romano's Macaroni Grill Fettucine Alfredo - With two days worth of saturated fat for an adult, this is certainly not a good choice for kids. And when they offer you a free kids ice cream... ouch!

Recommended substitution - Macaroni Grill's Cheeseoli - half the calories and a third of the fat. Much better.

My opinion - Never had the Cheeseoli, but red sauce is always better than any creamy sauce. And pasta servings are always HUGE at restaurants. Try splitting with someone or saving the other half for the next day's lunch.

Worst Pizza -

Uno Chicago Grill Kid's Deep Dish Pepperoni Pizza - 70 grams of fat.... 70 grams of fat! Yikes.

Recommended substitution - Macaroni and cheese - again, less calories and alot less fat. And kids love mac and cheese!

My opinion - Again, as long as you're not eating out pizza every night of the week. But when you do go out, you can still make a good choice. Choose a thin crust pizza, no pepperoni and try adding veggies. Or even pineapple. Yum!

Worst Finger Food -

Denny's Little Dipper Sampler with Honey Mustard Dressing Dipping Sauce and Deep Space French Fries - comes with nuggets, mozzerella sticks and fries. Ugh! This dinner has over 1000 calories. And for only one kid? Not good at all!

Recommended substitution - Moons and Stars Chicken Nuggets and Moon Crater Mashed Potatoes - Only 430 calories here.

My opinion - Only one fried food at a time. Have your kid choose between nuggets OR fries. Mozzerella sticks OR boneless wings. We know we can't have them eat perfect all the time, but you can have them choose only one.

Worst Drive-Thru Meal -

Burger King's Kid's Double Cheeseburger with Small Fries and Coke - With over 1100 calories, this meal has 18 more grams of fat than the same meal at McDonald's.

Recommended substitution - Kraft Mac and Cheese with Apple Fries, Caramel dipping sauce and low-fat milk - No brainer here. Only 8 grams of fat and they actually get a fruit and dairy serving too!

My opinion - A single/junior burger would do just fine. Again, I would encourage the parent to have the kid choose. "Do you want a burger or fries? We can't have both." We don't eat out often, but if we do get fast food, I will get Hannah some nuggets, but she also gets a fruit we have at home.

And I didn't even list everything that was on the list!! We know it's difficult to eat perfect all the time. If it was easy, we, the parent, would do it ourselves. But you can make better choices when you are eating out. Teach your kid from the beginning about good habits.

"You want fries today? Ok, then let's choose either grilled chicken or spaghetti instead of a cheeseburger."

Child obesity is definitely on the rise. I work with young kids, so I see it. Start with little things. Teach them and they will learn.

Worst Mom of the Year Award

I most absolutely did not receive the Worst Mom of the Year Award a few days ago.

But if I did, these are the events that would have taken place.

(Scene: Me, in the kitchen, talking with my Mom. Kids, one room over, playing with some toys.)

Hannah: "Mom, Mom, Mom, Mom, Mom, Mom, Mom, Mom, Mom, Mom, Mom, Mom..."

Me (with a stern voice): "Hannah! Mommy is talking to Nana right now. Please be patient and wait for Mom to finish talking."

(She obeys, I finish my 10 second conversation with my Mom.)

Me: "Yes, Hannah? What did you need?"

Hannah: "Noah eating garbage."

Me: "Noah's eating garbage?? No, I don't think so."

(Pause. Looking at Noah. Looking at Hannah. Looking back at Noah, who looks like he doesn't have anything in his mouth. Looking back at Hannah.)

Me: "Ok, Noah, open up. Let's see."

(Pull out large piece of paper wadded up in his mouth. Jaw drops. Gasp. Feel guilty.)
Me: "Thank you SO much, Hannah, for telling Mommy that Noah was eating garbage. You are such a good big sister."

(And I am the World's Worst Mom.)

A long overdue leaf-playing post

We had a beautiful day over a week ago. Leaves were falling.

Falling fast.



Hannah couldn't get enough.

More leaves. More leaves.



Noah wanted a piece of the leaf pile too.



I love warmer fall weather.



Snow. Please stay away for a little while longer.

Five Question Friday

First time jumping in on Five Question Friday with Mama M. But here goes.

1. What is your dream job? I don't know why this is such a hard question for me. But it is. I think because I tend to think that where I'm at is just fine. I've always thought being an actress would be cool. Yes, I believe that's it. It's probably not as glamorous as it looks, but that's me... always in the not-so-glamorous jobs.

2. What song could you play over and over? Oh, man, close one. I have tons of old school faves. But right now....

I mean, seriously, how can you not just put that on repeat and let it play all day? And that's a live version? And he sounds that good? wow. If someone wants to buy me that album for Christmas, I'll let you.

3. Do you prefer to talk on the phone or text (or email)? Depends. Lately, texting. E-mail for someone I don't know really well. Phone for my close fam and friends.

4. What is your must have beauty product? Beauty product and me don't go well in the same sentence.

5. What is your favorite Michael Jackson song? Probably either "Man in the Mirror" or "Thriller".

Full Time... All the Time

Unlike alot (not all) blogging Mommies, I am a full-time working Mom. I work 40 hours a week and the other bazillion hours I spend with my kids, folding laundry, picking up toys, changing diapers and the occasion Red Box movie with my Hubby. Most blogs I enjoy visiting are (or at least seem to be) stay-at-home mommies. I'm in awe of how on top of their blogs they are, how they are planning months in advance for a cool upcoming event they are doing (planning for Christmas giveaways in August!), and how they just seem to do it so easily.

I love blogging. I love sharing. I love giving things away. Lately, time seems to be getting the best of me.

Are any of you bloggers out there working moms? How do you find time to blog daily (or every other day)? How do you balance that with work, kids, marriage and everything else?

I'd love to hear your story. In fact, I'd love to feature all you working Moms on my blog so you can share your story. Email me at jladewski at hotmail dot com and let me know you're interested in being a Featured Full-Time Mommy!!

Over the course of the next few weeks, I'm going to share with you more about how I do it, why I do it, when I do it, and even when I don't do it.

And lastly, the new Project You challenge will come out this weekend, check back!

Ok, one more thing. Anyone who wants to make me a Project You button for my blog, I would be eternally grateful!! Oh, and I'll exchange you for one of the personalized frames you saw here!

Project You: Winner!

Thanks to all (only three??) of you who took my Project You challenge. I always thought a really great photo edit was a wonderful prize. But obviously not enough incentive to have your picture taken, right? ;) I kid.

Anyway, the winner was The Steele Family! I love a good family photo. I love that it's still fall/halloween themed. And I love that Mom is in the picture too!! Email me at jladewski at hotmail dot com and I will get you in touch with "Pineapple Princess" for your photo edit!

Enjoy!!

And stay tuned for another Project You challenge for the month of November! Another photo edit is to be won!

Saying Goodbye

Have you seen this girl?



If you've ever been around Hannah in person, then you know she can't be far from "Baby". Yes, such a creative name this doll was given. And to make a very long story short, she didn't become attached to this doll until she was about 21 months old. You see, it was around that time that her Binky went bye-bye. She took it like a champ, but we quickly noticed that she began sucking her thumb.

Oh, and this baby magically appeared out of nowhere. Months went by then we began to only let her have baby when she was in bed napping or at night time. Why? Because she only sucks her thumb when she is holding this doll. Don't ask... it's very strange.

Fast foward to now.

She's still sucking her thumb and is, in fact, getting a huge sore on it. Even though she only really sucked her thumb at nap and bed time, her thumb stayed fairly moisturized (wet) alot of the time. We began making Hannah aware that if she continued to suck her thumb, she would get an owie. We didn't lie. She was getting an owie. Her thumb was starting to crack. We put a band-aid on it and over the next few days as it dried out, it cracked more. There is now a whole layer of skin missing at the tip of her thumb. It doesn't seem to hurt her, although she is aware that it's an "owie" and wants a band-aid on.

But no, the band-aid does NOT stop her from sucking her thumb. She sucks the band-aid too. Whenever Baby is around.

We decided it was time to say good-bye. I think a small part of me wants her to stop sucking her thumb because I don't want her to be one of those kids. You know, a six year old sucking their thumb. (Not that that's bad. If that's your kid. You know, but not for my kid. Cuz, well, I said so.) I can see it affecting her teeth a little bit, although her dentist said, we shouldn't worry too much about it unless she's still thumb-sucking at age 4. But, maybe, just maybe, if she stops now it might be easier to break the habit than if she's 4. Maybe? I don't know. I've never had to go through this before.

I admit. I do feel bad getting rid of Baby putting Baby in the top dresser drawer. I know she LOVES that doll. It's just the fact that she associates the thumb-sucking with the doll. And that's what we're trying to break. Am I mean for doing it when she's only 2.5 years old?

We took her to build-a-bear yesterday. She picked out a bunny rabbit. And while she denied dresses and skirts and hats for the Bunny, she did pick out a fine pair of shoes. We named her Hoppy. Oh Hoppy, I hope you can help us heal this horrible hurt in Hannah's heart! She loved Hoppy and hugged her the whole way home. Hannah showed her off to her Nana & Papa. We made a big deal about Hoppy. Meanwhile, nothing was said about Baby.



Then, it was bedtime. I dreaded this. I knew this wasn't going to go well. We put her in bed. She asked for Baby.

"Honey, Baby had to go to another little girl's house far away. Another little girl who doesn't have a Baby doll."

"Oh.... ok."

"Goodnight, Sweetheart."

Could it be that easy? Yes and no. She did get up about a dozen times. Strange for her to get out of bed?? Not really. She usually does get up a few times. But not a dozen. But much to my surprise, she didn't ask for Baby. Not once. I still think she was missing her and that's why she go up more than usual. She eventually fell asleep.

I was amazed. I mean, I couldn't believe it was that easy. At least for now. But the night wasn't over.

Fast forward to 5:30am. She woke up crying. I ran upstairs.

"Mommy. I choking."

Her snotty nose (quite possibly from the Bounce House a few days ago) caused her have a bit of a scratchy cough and I think it caught her off guard. I got her a drink of water. She asked for Baby. I told her Baby went to another girl's house and she went back to bed.

She's doing really well so far. She's only asked for Baby once this morning and when we tell her she went away, she seems ok with it. No crying, no tantrums. Thank you, Lord!

Now, we just have to wait and see if the thumb sucking stops. So far, I haven't seen any evidence of it, but we'll see if she does it at nap and bed time. I just don't want that thumb to get any worse than it already is.

So, goodbye (for now) sweet Baby doll. Hannah will always love you. And maybe someday you two will be reunited.

Over the Top

I received an "Over the Top" Blog award from my friend Misty. Thanks girl! Apparently, I need to pass this award along to 5 other bloggers and answer these questions in only ONE word. So, here it goes...

1. Where is your cell phone? purse
2. Your hair? ponytail
3. Your mother? upstairs
4. Your father? same
5. Your favorite food? chocolate
6. Your dream last night? nothing
7. Your favorite drink? Diet
8. Your dream/goal? Family
9. What room are you in? basement
10. Your hobby? Crafting
11. Your fear? Burned
12. Where do you want to be in 6 years? Myownhousewithenoughbedroomsforeveryoneandaspareroomtoscrapin.
13. Where were you last night? Party
14. Something that you aren't? Wealthy
15. Muffins? blueberry
16. Wish list item? House
17. Where did you grow up? illinois
18. Last thing you did? E-mail
19. What are you wearing? pajamas
20. Your TV? playstation
21. Your Pets? None
22. Friends? sometimes
23. Your life? Busy
24. Your mood? Tired
25. Missing Someone? Siblings
26. vehicle? car
27. Something your not wearing? bra
28. Your favorite store? Target
29. Your favorite color? Orange
30. When was the last time you laughed? Yesterday
31. Last time you cried? weeks
32. Your best friend? Hubby
33. One place that I go to over and over? Hannah's
34. Facebook? Fun!
35. Favorite place to eat? Friday's


See, you even learned a little bit about me in the process. And now, the award goes to...

1. Christy @ That's Who I Am
2. Amy @ Our Daily Blessing... Life
3. I Am Mommy
4. Our Life Upstate
5. Hilary @ A Look into our Lives