Category Archive
The following is a list of all entries from the Uncategorized category.
A Free Giveaway!!!
“For first-time moms without time or inclination to dally in stores comparing various items for their babies, Maclean and Schultz have compiled a handy baby-gadget buying encyclopedia.” Is how the Baby Gizmo Buying Guide is described. This mommy has to agree.
How I wish I had something like this when we were just starting our family. With the vast amount of baby products out there getting lost is easy. What do you need and what do you not need? Heather Maclean and Holly Schultz have attempted to take their years of baby buying and basically give you a cheat sheet. The sheet just happens to be 457 pages long.
The length would be my only complaint about this book. It makes it seem as intimidating as buying the actual products themselves! However, if you view it as an encyclopedia or reference instead of a book you read from beginning to end the size should not matter, but rather encourage you! For instance if you are interested in buying a new stroller simply turn to chapter 25 and get the low-down.
Special extras in this book are a special section on safety, growth charts and milestones, a registry list, a section on the perfectly packed diaper bag, a baby brand pronunciation guide, a money saving chapter, and the top 10 things they wished they knew when they were having children. The extras alone could be their own book!
After seeing this book I can definitely saymlvi1.gif
Now here is the fun part!!!!! I have 3 copies to give away for free! All you have to do is enter @ www.doesmommyloveit.com and make sure your email field is filled out. You have until April 11th to enter. Spread the word. It is appreciated but not required for you to mention this contest on your own blog and link to this post.
Game on!
TAGGED by my friend, Cara…I’m It!
I got blog tagged by my writer/editor friend Cara, so here are the rules and my list.
The rules:
1. Link to the person that tagged you.
2. Post the rules on your blog.
3. Share six non-important things/habits/quirks about yourself.
4. Tag six random people at the end of your post by linking to their blogs.
5. Let each random person know they have been tagged.
————–
With that, here are six non-important things, habits, and/or quirks about me:
1. I’m addicted to anything citrus…oranges, lemons, grapefruits, pummelos, citrus-scented candles, citrus-flavored gum, and the list goes on!
2. I play the saxophone…I was first chair in junior high for my jazz lab for 4 years!
3. I love dark chocolate. The darker they are, the better it is!
4. I watch cooking shows but never cook.
5. I only use pens that have black ink.
6. I have to have hand cream 24/7. Dry skin esp. the hands drive me nuts!
Tag — you’re it!
Misi, MommyZabs, Stephie, Jackie, Leta, and Wonki
Does Mommy Love It? Group Writing Project #1
Welcome to the first Does Mommy Love It? Group Writing Project! Go to www.doesmommyloveit.com.
If you are not familiar with what a Group Writing Project is, let me explain what it is and the perks of participating!
A Group Writing Project is a writing activity/contest that allows you to share personal stories and experiences based on a specific topic that is presented to you (by us, of course!). The topics are pretty general and you, as the writer, can share whatever you want within the topic…it can be humorous, serious, dramatic, and etc. The Group Writing Project occurs over a specified span of time (usually monthly, but subject to change). It’s a fun way to express your creativity of everyday life and even practice writing!
Here are the many perks in participating in a Group Writing Project:
1. More exposure to your own blog(s) and gain a broader readership audience.
2. Discover new and interesting blogs of others and make connections.
3. A chance to publish links to other’s posts and get links back to yours.
*If you are familiar with blog world, you know having links back to your blog are quite advantageous. I encourage everyone who participates to publish either a list of their favorites or even the whole list on their blog at the end of the contest.
4. Find out about the latest parenting trends, get advice on family issues, updates on new products, and meet other moms, dads, & families!
5. Lastly, you have a chance to WIN A PRIZE!
Okay, drum roll please, now for our first Group Writing Project…
Topic: A Family Product I Cannot Live Without, is…
This could be anything (a baby product, a child toy, or a website or book, etc.) that has helped you in your everyday family world. Please explain how it fits into your definition of what a “family product” is.
The post must contain a link back to this post. In using Mr. Linkey, make sure that you link back to your specific entry post and not your blog URL. You are welcome to take the banner from this post and use it in yours!
Deadline: Sunday February 24th, Midnight Eastern Time Zone.
PRIZE: $20 Amazon.com Gift Certificate – This will be chosen at random of all the entries.
What about those who want a chance to win but have no blog?
NO WORRIES! Simply use our contact page and copy/paste it in there, and we would be happy to post it for you. Or what’s even better, you can create your own blog using wordpress, blogspot, xanga, and etc.
New Web Venture
Hello Everyone!
My wonderful and good friend Elizabeth and I partnered up to create a new website for mommies. Our website features practical and fair reviews on all different kinds of products pertaining to baby, toddlers, families and parents. Our intention is to build a consistent readership audience and communities for mommies- new, experienced, grandmothers, and even friends of moms! Plus, we would love your comments on our products (i.e. whether you agree or disagree) as well as any feedback on our website itself. Please help us in spreading the word to others. It would be greatly appreciated.
Check it out at www.doesmommyloveit.com! We are in our initial launch, so let’s build this together!
Thank you!
I’m grateful for my child…(Mamablogga group writing project)
I’m grateful for my child for his ability to make me laugh. Boy, does he light up my life! By nature, I am a very serious person, introverted and very pensive. I think, think, think all the time about everything. Jaden, almost 3, lives life so simply. He’s carefee, loves to have fun, makes most of his play and learning time. He soaks up his zest for life by the little things we take for granted. As a witness, to this, he shows me I need to laugh more and enjoy challenges and the unpredictable circumstances that happen. I now, run with him through puddles and play with his trucks and trains with him. I feel as though I can endure anything life throws at me.
Where’s the balance?
So, it’s been quite a while since my last blog. To be honest, it’s been incredibly busy at work. My manager resigned 3 weeks ago and thus, in two months time at L’Oreal, I’m pounded with a ton of work. Reports after reports for upper management, getting used to all the systems, learning the business, I’m bogged down. For the last 3 weeks, I’ve been coming home at 7:30pm-8pm every night. It’s seriously not fun. I’m exhausted. Pray for me. It’s really weird to reconnect back to NYC life. People who stay at work till 8pm and go out afterwards for drinks and such.
For me, finding the balance is still a work in progress. I know I’ll find it soon!
I’ll write more later.
Another year older!
HEY ALL!
TODAY IS WON’S 28th BIRTHDAY! PLEASE WISH HIM MANY BLESSINGS AND LOVE thru email, phone, blog, and etc.!
Update
So, it’s Friday…and it’s summer hours at work, so I got home by 2pm. The weather here has been intolerably hot, way into the 100’s all week. We are going to a barbecue tomorrow, it’s going to be hot, but it’ll be fun. My first week at work was good, and training has been pretty intense. My supervisor showed me all the knicks and crannies of our systems and reports. A little complicated, but with time, I’ll get used to them. L’Oreal is a great company thus far, with an amazing load of benefits. I do feel a little out of the loop with the whole NYC thing. Now that I’m a mom, it’s very different. The VP and Director of my department are in their early 40’s, married only for 3 years and don’t have any children. I mean, they were shocked when they found out that I was a mommy. They had the look. It’s so rare to be a mommy so young here. I can tell it’s going to be a challenge for me…they will not understand why i can’t work late all the time and such. Yikes! God’s really showing me how precious Jaden is…how treasured our kiddies are. I know if I tried really, really hard, I can be a full-time stay at home mom, teaching the alphabet, showing them how to do crafts and such, but things like that are hard for me on a daily basis. I tried it for 2 years. The reasons for me working, isn’t b/c I want a lifestyle where I can buy anything, keep up with the Jones’, run in the rat race, or that I’m building my value/identity in performance. God’s worked thru those issues and is continuing to. I just enjoy work…I believe it can be that simple. Seriously, I don’t believe that I worked at Chanel or even now at L’Oreal, these top companies on my own merit. I firmly believe God wants to use me as a vessel for women and beauty. A training ground. We’ll see. God has been really good and it’s deeply left me thankful and humbled. Through work, Won met a Christian woman, Shaunice, who has 2 children and is a full-time working mom. She invited us to a barbecue and I was able to chat with her and she has been an incredible blessing and someone who I can relate to. Right now, at our church, we have been going through a series on intimacy with the Lord. Our pastor really feels that we should always delve deeper in intimacy, being honest. Along with this, he spoke on slander/power of the tongue especially again each other in Christ. We should instead learn and practice and renew our mindsets to be genuinely happy for one another. Have a sound mind…our lives all look different, learn similar lessons through different circumstances, BE GOOD and HAPPY for each other. Gal 5: 25 writes, “Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. 26Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other.” Why is that so hard in the church?
So, if I had hurt anybody through my words, gossip and actions…FORGIVE ME. Please tell me too. I am in the continuing process of maturing and coming to the light of Christ. As I look back or as God continues “grow” me, I realize how dense I am sometimes. Just like an artist, God defines the very lines of my profile, etching my mindset, and repolishing my character. I’ve always felt that one of my quests in life is this: 1 Thess. 11-12, “Make it your ambition to lead a quiet life, to mind your own business and to work with your hands, just as we told you, so that your daily life may win the respect of outsiders and so that you will not be dependent on anybody.”
Well, it turns out Jaden is doing relatively well at daycare. The first day was a bit rough…crying spells her and there, but he perservered. Then, the crying became less and less. He plays, paints, glues, draws, reads books and goes out walking. He is in a classroom of only 5 other kids his age..he’s the youngest though. Miss Annette, his teacher, has a lovely British accent and fills out a very detailed sheet of his daily schedule. Plus, they offer lunch! Thanks for the prayers everyone!
Now that I’ve started work, the idea of an attempt to penetrate into the world of working mom seems more overwhelming. But, a compelling desire to infiltrate the NYC pulls me closer to its midst. So, pray for me!
Here’s a recent pic of my little booger. Enjoy.
Are you listening?
L’Oreal offered me the job! So, they called me about 2 weeks ago and asked me to come in for another interview…my 5th and I met with everyone I will be working with and a couple of hours after my interview, they called and offered me the position. I am working as a Sales Analyst for the Luxury products division, which include Kiehl’s, Shu Uemuera, Garnier, Giorgio Armani cosmetics, Ralph Lauren and etc. I am super excited! It’s located in NYC, so I will be back in the Fashion Capital of the world. Primarily, my job entails a ton of mathematical formulas and Excel spreadsheets. I am analyzing sales trends for our products, doing transfers, sell-thrus, and research our competitor’s business. I love doing reports! It’ll be another huge transition after being out of the workforce for about 2 years. Won and I are working out some options regarding Jaden (daycare, nanny, etc) and having family near is soooooooo helpful. I’ll let you know how everything turns out. My start date is August 1st. God has been so good to us through all of our many and sudden changes.
Pray for me b/c being apart from Jaden will be extremely difficult if not excrutiatingly painful. He’s won me over completely! I’m not sure if many mommies will understand, but I truly believe that God has put a deep heart for the corporate world in me. Yes, motherhood is truly amazing and is a huge piece of who I am, but God has also put a smaller yet significant call for me in the workforce as well. I feel as though I will learn how to balance that during this season… I have to trust that if He’s truly called me to work that God has also shaped Jaden to adjust to that without traumatic effects on his life. Who knows…maybe I’ll discover motherhood got to me and has become my sole purpose? I have to at least give it a try!:)
On another note, I believe Ravi Zacharias is one of the greatest Christian thinkers of our time. (I have to say that Rev. Tim Keller of Redeemer church in NY, John Piper, and Dr. Joel Hunter of Northland come very close.) I’ve always enjoyed messages when speakers refer to other posthumously renowned thinkers such as C.S. Lewis, F. Bonhoffer, St. Augustine, B. Pascal, Watchman Nee, N.T. Wright, & etc. A while back, I read his book, Cries of the Heart, and it challenged me in a myriad of ways on the state of our human hearts. Each chapter leaves you with gnawing questions to soulfully probe and comprehend our own state of mind and truly coming to terms with it in our being. He covers topics such as knowledge of God, a guilty conscience, a reason in suffering, faith, a freedom in pleasure, loneliness, God for His people. This book definitely reassures that God is consumate answer to every heart cry. Ravi is an intelluctual genius, an apologetics genius, I should add. It’s an amazing read…please read it, but beware, it’s one of those books that every chapter is so enlightening and thought-provoking that you need a certain amount of time to assess and digest it. I’m not certain why enjoy reading books that challenge me and even at times, that make me feel uncomfortable. It’s odd really, I hate physical lifestyle changes and have such a strenous time adjusting to them yet at the core I truly indulge myself in a quest for growth, which in fact happens through change. I guess changes are good…even the bad ones b/c you gain the experience and learn from them. I firmly believe who you are at the core determines the kind of life you live out for God. My hope is that my life is a daily reflection of my core and it pleases God. All I know is that all of us are on this journey and it’s so awesome to have generous people and insightful resources to help us along.
I’ll leave you with a quote by the author himself, ” When God speaks there are no ploys, no gimmicks. Only life-defining truth. When He speaks we will be soothed by His touch, and we will rest in His comfort, knowing that He has heard our cries and has come near in our need.“
Reassuring. God is good.
I’m still in the process of reading Life of Pi…pretty good…there’s a ton of good, insightful quotes.
Words…and more Words
I’m not sure how many of you know, but I am an avid crossword puzzler. I have completed a myriad of crossword puzzles…ranging from the NY times to New York magazine, my college daily Targum to a number of daily newspapers. I also own a collection of crossword puzzle books, with which one I am currently in the process of finishing, “a set of crossword puzzles to boost your brainpower!” edited by WILL SHORTZ. He’s the crossword puzzle editor of the NY Times and he’s brilliant. I have to say, I have yet to fully complete a NY Times crossword, I get really close but it’s too hard to finish off. My favorite is the New York Magazine crossword because the clues relate to our progressive culture and pop stars. This is my secret habit…love of words and knowledge. Well, my reason for writing this is because there is a new docufilm out called, “Wordplay,” and I’m dying to see it. Check out the link. I also found out that Mike Mussina, my favorite Yankee pitcher, is also in the movie b/c he is a crossword puzzle junkie too!
Well, here’s an update regarding my job situation. So, there is a huge change in the position. It’s being moved to NYC with the rest of my department. So, they are in the process of moving and there are many changes going on in the department, so they haven’t settled on any decision yet. So, here am I still waiting…but I’m just trusting God and living life.
Jaden turned 18 months last Friday and he’s developing fast. His words of the moment are Bear, ball, no, car, dada, buh bye, mama, book, and he’s learned how to sign ‘puzzle’ on his own. He’s so into balls, puzzles, books, musical instruments and trucks. I have to tell you a funny incident. For Father’s Day, we went out for breakfast and obviously, half way thru the meal, Jaden wants to get out of his highchair. As he’s just roaming around near us, he begins to kind of venture out and then we tell him, “Jaden, No, don’t go too far.” Then he looks at us and says, “NO, bye bye!” starts waving and then starts to run. We were in shock. He’s starting to put things together and beginning to understand life especially disobeying. Ahhhhh! It was the cutest thing though.
Recently I finished the Blue Like Jazz by Donald Miller. It was a really honest and mindset challenging book… I have to admit, the writing wasn’t the greatest, but the read was good. I enjoyed the book, but of the honesty of his thoughts and his ability to think deeply in order to relate our inner thoughts to our “living” life. There was this part on relationships and it really convicted me about my motives and the way I view people. Here it is…
“Mr. Spencer then asked us about another are in which he felt metaphors cause trouble. He asked us to consider relationships. What metaphors do we use when we think of relationships? We value people…We invest in people…and soon enough we listed an entire white board of economic metaphor. Relationship could be bankrupt…People are priceless. All economic metaphors. I was taken aback.
…The problem with Christian culture is we think of love as a commodity…I could see it very clearly. If somebody is doing something for us, offering us something, be it gifts, time popularity, or what have you, we feel they have value, we feel they are worth something to us, and perhaps, we feel they are priceless.”
This passage really hit home for me. As it convicted Donald Miller, it convicted me to repent for not understanding love with grace or with equality. We are all selfish human beings. It opened up a new paradigm shift to value people for being people at the core. People cannot be equated with/ or judged by economic statuses. In our culture, we do that…we naturally veer toward people who seem to have it all or people who are established. We’ve perfected our own sense of worth by performing and doing to make ourselves look good or that we have the material possessions people want. C.S. Lewis said, “to love all is to be vulnerable.” To be honest, it’s easier to love people when they do offer back (whether its money or advice, roles) or you do feel a connection. Why do I have the close friends I do? We connect and offer each other something. I don’t think Donald Miller is saying re-assess your relationships and determine your motives in your current friendships, but he’s saying when you see people…How do you see them? In God’s eyes, no one is better the other and everyone is on the same page. We are all sinners and fallen short of God’s glory. I’m not saying that this type of love is going to be perfected here on earth nor am I saying that I can possibly love every single person as God does. I will try…b/c I am obedient.
Okay, too much deep thinking. Right now, I’m reading Life of Pi by Yann Martel, so I’ll let you know how it turns out. I’ll leave you with some pictures…enjoy.
In Central Park, NY…
