As Promised

Quite a while ago I promised my mom a new Daily Dose of David. But I thought I should make good on my promise. It's the least I could do after all she does for me. And then maybe I'll get my butt in gear & catch up on 4 months of back-blogging! This is a start, at least.

David: Hey Rachel! How do you spell your name?
Me: What do you mean how do I spell my name? How long have we been married, and you can't spell my name?!!
David: I'm just having a brain fart, and I can't remember how to spell it.
Me: Well, I'm not helping you 'cause you should know how to spell my name by now!
David: I just need to know if it's "ael" or "eal."
Me: .............It's neither, David.
David: Huh?

What's that, Mom? You want another? David was bathing the boys while I was chatting on the phone with my mom. This is what she heard.

David: Rachel, I need your help.
Me: Just a minute. I'm on the phone.
David: Hurry, I need your help NOW!
Me (stomping into the bathroom): WHAT? I'm busy! What do you need?!
David (pointing to the alphabet stuck to the walls above the bathtub): I'm trying to teach the boys the alphabet & counting, but they aren't paying attention!
Me: ..............*rolling eyes, walking away*

Happy Birthmonth to You

This butt turned 29 today. It celebrates not only it's birthday, but also it's birthmonth. That would be a month long celebration of the month of it's birth.

And this is the face that belongs to the butt that celebrates all month and deserves the Happiest of all Birthdays!

Happy Birthday to a wonderful, talented, funny, creative, kind, generous, beautiful, and all-around amazing sister!!! May you get absolutely everything you wish for. And may you be 29 forever. Who am I kidding? I can't wait until you're 30. :)

Fair Fun

This weekend we were happy to see a little fair setting up with lots of kiddie rides. We missed it last year, and I was really excited to be able to take Lance this year. I couldn't wait to watch his little face & see his reaction to the rides. And I was definitely not disappointed.

He loved all the rides. Except for maybe Dizzy Dragons, and it was David's fault that Lance didn't like that one. David rode with him & spun the dragon so fast that poor Lance laid down on the bench & waited for the ride to end (which surprisingly didn't stop David from continuing to spin). All the other rides were big hits with the little roller coaster being his favorite. He smiled & woo hoo-ed more than he ever has. And he cried his little eyes out when he couldn't ride the big "fweens" with Daddy. He tried with all his might to climb the barrier to get on the swings.

I just carried Luke from ride to ride to watch Lance (and sometimes Daddy). It was super windy, and Luke was pretty fussy the whole time. He perked right up, though when we ate hot dogs & candy apples. Which we ate extremely fast because Lance was itchin' to get on some more rides. And for two days after the fair, the crook of my arm was stiff & sore from carrying around my lump of Luke--he's a big boy!

Lance rode all the rides a couple times before we carried him away kicking & screaming. I'm sure he would have ridden rides & played & danced until they kicked us out, but Mom & Dad & Luke were all tired. I did manage to get a few pictures, and we all had lots of fun. But none so much as Lance.

My two big boys riding their buckin' broncs.

Cars--it's a boy thing, & it starts young. :)

The slides were another favorite.

Engineer like Grandpa.

It looks like he's mid-woo hoo here.

My biggest boy needed help getting buckled into his "fween."

There, all safe.

Awwwww, How Sweet!

This is one of those posts that David thinks is completely lame. And yet, I'm going to share it anyway. It was a rare moment of blatant sweetness from my hubby, so how could I not share it.


The heart was hand-crafted with love out of an apple.

Right before he presented me with this wonderful sandwich of love :) he told me I was hot and said something very nice about my boo-tay. Don't remember what he said. Doesn't matter. All that matters is that it was nice. Don't get me wrong, I have a wonderful husband. But this kind of display of affection? Not to mention he made me a sandwich! And no ladies...he wasn't buttering me up. I had to clear that up before my sisters wrote completely inappropriate comments about my husbands good intentions.

Our One Warm(ish) Day

We have had weeks of clouds, thunderstorms, rain, & wind. For the most part, the temperature stays in the 50's & 60's. It's really my kind of weather, since I hate the heat (and the heat will be here soon enough). But it's not great for taking the boys out to play. And the forecast shows nothing but them same in the near future. I'm sharing some pics that were taken a while ago. They were taken on a rare sunny day where the temp was in the 70's. We made the most of the day with some fishing on the little lake behind our apartment and a swim in the pool that is literally steps outside our back door. Oh, and a little play time at the playground right next to the lake. Talk about convenient. I love where we live. Let me clear that up. I love the location of our apartment. :) See that tiny speck? That's David & Lance in the tiny raft.

Here's David & Luke. He took the boys out one at a time. And didn't get much fishing in at all. He spent most of his time with Lance trying to keep him from jumping into the lake. And Luke is just so grabby that there was no way to keep the fishing pole from him. But I think they all had fun.

While David & Lance were out on the lake, I thought I would lay out a blanket for me & Luke & I could read. But as I've already mentioned, Luke is so stinkin' grabby. There would be no reading for me, but we enjoyed the sunny day relaxing on the grass. And funny enough, Luke hates grass as much as his big brother did. Put him on a blanket in the grass, and he's goin' nowhere.

Later we took the boys to the pool. David wanted to see how well the life jackets worked (just to be certain). Lance loved "fweening" in the pool with his life jacket, but Luke just kind of lay there unmoving. He was very unimpressed by his personal floatation device. His face in the next picture shows just what he thought. And if you can't tell...he's showing me his irritation (working up to mad). Lance, on the other hand, crawled aboard the S.S.Daddy because that's what dad's are for.

And can you tell from the pool pictures that our rare moment of sunshine had already passed by the time we were at the pool? But I'll take what I can get. :)

Corrections...

...to my last post as per David.

Last night David started reading over my shoulder as I finished up my post. He NEVER reads my blog. Has no clue what I blog about. He's not even interested. But last night when he caught a glimpse of his name, he decided he should know what I was writing about him. This brought about some discussions about what he thinks I should not blog about. I've taken his thoughts into consideration & decided to make a couple corrections.

In my last post, I mentioned a little scuffle over who got the TV remote. This made David's jaw drop open & eyes pop out of their sockets. Apparently, he thinks this would give people the idea that we watch TV. His exact words, "Now everyone is going to think we watch TV! We are not TV watchers! That makes it sound like all we do is sit around & watch TV! Oh, the horror!" Okay, he didn't say 'oh, the horror,' but he was dramatic enough that he might as well have said it. So to correct my previous error, *ahem* we would,um...never take advantage of the free cable (even though this is the only time since we were married that we have had TV), and we certainly would never, um...waste our precious time on watching TV. Nope, not us. Never. We were only fighting for the remote because, um...we were. That's all. Oh, and I should add that we, um...NEVER EVER sit on the couch. Who would do such a thing?! Yeah, in our spare time in the evenings before bed, we like to, um...do calisthenics & stuff. And I guess I should clarify that I, um...never sit down at the computer to blog. No, I would never do that. In fact, I, um...run in place while I type. Yeah, sure, that's what I do.

As for David at a spa? I don't know what I was thinking. He would never go to a girly spa. He's way too macho & masculine for that. Silly me. He would, um...never go to a spa for a relaxing massage, and, um...never sit around in a robe afterward in a room with a bunch of women all lying around on chaise loungers, some sleeping, some chatting, all drinking expensive bottled water. Why, even as I type that, it sounds way to, um...girly for David. Besides, even if he were to do that, he probably would have been so relaxed that he would drool on the sandaled foot of the masseuse. And that would be way too embarrassing. He would NEVER do that.

Whew! I feel so much better having cleared that up. ;)

Memorial Weekend - What a Dinger!

It's 10:30 pm, all the boys are sleeping, and have been for a couple hours. I should be sleeping, but instead I'm sitting at the computer enjoying absolute silence. Ahhhhhhhh, it's wonderful. So what better way to spend my oh so quiet time than blogging?

I have so many things to blog that I'll probably never catch up, but I guess I can start with our Memorial Day weekend. It was pretty much fishing, fishing, & more fishing. David can't wait to camp every weekend, but since it's still too cold to camp here, it's fishing every weekend--and some days after he gets off work. Lance runs to the door when Daddy gets home & starts getting his shoes on, all the while saying, "Go fissing. Get pole. 'Mon Daddy."

It has rained every day here for about 3 weeks, and Memorial weekend was no exception. But that did not keep my avid fishermen from enjoying a few days at the lake. The first day, I stayed home with Luke who had a fever & let the two big boys ;) go alone. It poured that day, and David put out a tarp. The two of them laid under it & waited for the bells on their poles to jingle. They would run to reel in their catches, throw them back in the lake, and run back to their shelter. Lance caught his first fish. He was extremely excited to reel it in, but would absolutely not touch it.

The next day, I made David take me with them. We drove about an hour & a half to a lake we'd never been to...only to find out there wasn't a place where you could fish from the shore. David tried to fish, but with no success. But we had fun roasting hot dogs & marshmallows. Lance played in the dirt, pretended to eat marshmallows--taking bites & spitting them on the ground, and tried to feed Luke rocks. I really only turned my back for half a second when I heard, "Here Wukey, eat wock!" I turned around to see Lance trying to shove a rock in Luke's mouth. It was a good thing Luke refused to open his mouth. Usually he eats anything in front of him.


The highlight of the day? Why that would be when I backed the van into the truck! Oopsie. And all because I was throwing a fit (which was David's fault). It was muddy, cold, windy, & rainy, and we drove an hour and a half to a lake where we couldn't even fish (David's fault). He made us take two vehicles because it's squishy in the truck, & he didn't want to go in the van (David's fault). And he picked a dumb camp site where the vehicles were parked super close to each other (David's fault). Being the mature adult that I am, I told David that he picked a dumb place, I was cold, & I was taking Luke home. Got in the van, and....David's fault. You can clearly see who's fault it was, right? Of course, I'll just let him keep thinking it's my fault. ;) Check out that dent! It actually looks much worse than the pictures show. It's a real dinger. And after all that? I had a really great time with my three boys in the cold & mud.

I know this is a really long post, but I've had some requests for a Daily Dose of David. Apparently I'm not the only one entertained by my ridiculous hubby. So what shall I share tonight? How about his nifty new neck brace?

He had a kinked neck for 3 days. He walked around as if he was seriously wounded. He got out of helping with much of anything because he claimed to be in great pain. He used ice packs. He took hot showers. He did stretches. He even went to a spa for a deep tissue massage. And when none of that helped--and when I refused to buy him a neck brace (come on! it's only a kinked neck! we've all had them & lived to tell about it! without neck braces! big baby! whaaa whaaa!), he used the handy dandy rolled up towel tied around the neck trick. And behold, a miracle. Where he could hardly move before, he was now able to jump off the couch & wrestle me for the remote! Can I get a hallelujah? :)

Just Some Pics

I've got plenty to blog, but how about some pictures of a couple cuties until I get around to a new post? :)
I can't believe my little Lukey is 9 months! Time goes by so fast, and babies don't stay babies for long.
Lance & his "kickies." Give him a sheet of stickers & he's happy for a long time.

Best buds! These two love to play with each other. Their favorite game is when Lance runs out of Luke's sight & Luke crawls to find him. Then they both laugh hysterically. And the game continues.

One of the few sunny days we've had since moving here. I'm really wishing for some more.

Oh, look he's sharing with Daddy. The picture I didn't get was Luke screaming when David took a bite of his licorice.

But as long as he doesn't have to share....happy baby!

Thursday Thirteen - Edition "S"

1. Shelley - You know what's really funny? I didn't think of this one, until I was completely done with my list!

2. Scatter-brained - This is why I almost didn't think of my last name for this week's Thursday Thirteen.

3. Sweet - All of my teeth are sweet teeth. You know when people say something is too sweet? I've never experienced that. Really, I haven't.

4. Sleep - What I LOVE but haven't gotten enough of since having Mr. Lukey (I think he HATES sleep).

5. Strange - Definition of strange: David Shelley :)

6. Sonic - Where I like to go to get my two favorite things--coke & chocolate. A chocolate coke to be exact. It's the drink that makes my crazy days better.

7. Silly - Definition of silly: Lance Shelley. This boy doesn't know what serious is. But he seriously makes me smile.

8. Second - I'm the second child of six.

9. Smart - What I am constantly trying to tell my hubby that I am. His world would be a whole lot better if he realized just how smart I am.....and if he just did what I said. He could also refer to last week's Thursday Thirteen (I'm always RIGHT!).

10. Shit - It happens!

11. Superficial - I hate superficiality. Yes, it's a word. I know that because I'm so smart. See number 9. :)

12. Snugglebug Bowtique - I know I've posted this link before, but if you haven't checked it out, you definitely need to. It's my sister's website. She makes the cutest hair bows. I've looked at lots of other sites selling hair bows & headbands, and I really do think hers are the cutest. snugglebugbowtique.com

13. Stephanee - Last but certainly not least is my sister-in-law, Steph. She is so sweet & so fun to be around. She's pretty much awesome!

To join the Thursday Thirteen fun, click the button below.

Thursday Thirteen - Edition "R"

Okay, so I've missed a bunch of weeks of the Thursday Thirteen, but there's no way I could catch up with so many letters. I'll just continue with today's letter. Here goes!

1. Rachel - My name. A.K.A. Rachie (or Rachie Poo), Rachel Ann, Ratchet, or Rawhaw. I have no idea how my little sis came up with that last one.

2. Russell - My Dad & little bro's name.

3. Rowdy - What my 3 boys are. Yes, that includes David. He's the rowdiest.

4. Renting - I can't wait until we're done moving around & don't have to rent anymore!

5. Raft - We just bought a small raft for fishing on the tiny lake right behind our apartment. I can't wait for nice weather to try it out.

6. Rex - My parents' crazy, three-legged dog. I know it sounds sad. But having only 3 legs does not slow him down one bit.

7. Read - I LOVE to read. It is so easy for me to get lost in a book. I can tune anything out to read, and usually end up staying up most of the night when I start reading. Just wish I had more time to read.

8. Real - What mine are. But after nursing babies, I wouldn't mind if they were fake one day. ;)

9. Rich - You probably think I'm going to say what I wish I was. But I don't wish that. Having no debt would be wonderful, but I don't need anything more than what I already have. I'm incredibly happy being wife & mommy. I'm already rich.

10. Right - What I always am. Hahahaha!!! No, but seriously.....

11. Reload - My siblings & I used to fight over who got to help Dad reload shotgun shells.

12. Rebel - What I'm not. Nor have I ever been one. That would be my husband's department. Me, I'm the goody-two-shoes. I don't know how to be bad. :)

13. Rugrats - I love my little guys more than anything. They are the best thing that has ever happened to me. I'll take them just the way they are--even if they are rugrats.

If you want to join in the Thursday Thirteen fun, click the button below & head on over to Izzy 'N Emmy to sign up.

Potty Training...Sucks!

I'm sooooo tired of changing a gazillion diapers every day. We've tried potty training Lance, who will be 2 1/2 in just a couple days. He can hold it for HOURS (no kidding). We'll put him on the potty all day long, sometimes every 5 minutes. And wouldn't you know it...he pees in his underwear the second he's off the potty. This happens over & over & over. I get frustrated & go back to diapers for a couple days because I'm all worn out & tired of the fight. Go ahead & judge me. I know I shouldn't go backwards & go back to diapers, but whatever--what's done is done. I was pretty happy that we've never had a poopy underwear accident. Which is why I got brave & just said no more diapers.

Which brings me to yesterday. I'm really tired of Lance taking off his own diapers. I always freak out thinking that he could be taking off a poopy one & we'd have a big mess. So...I decided to just put up with the accidents & tantrums & just say no more diapers. We were accident free at about 10 am (but still no pee in the potty). I put Lance in the bathtub and ran to get Luke to bathe him as well. I was gone for mere seconds when I hear, "Mommmmy!" And then because I didn't respond quickly enough, "Wayshel!" Yes, he called me by my first name--little stinker! I rapidly return to the bathroom to find him standing in the tub and.....ewwwwww.....a couple floaters......so gross.....yes, poop in the bathtub. And Lance says to me, "Peed on da gwound." No son, Mom would actually be okay with pee on the ground. This is definitely not pee on the ground!

It took me a while to clean up the mess, re-bathe Lance, and disinfect the tub & every toy in it. While I was cleaning, Lance peed his pants. He brought me new underwear, we got him changed & everything cleaned up, and we both plopped down at the table--Lance for a snack, me for a break. Seconds, and I do mean seconds, later, he said, "Uh oh," and I followed his gaze to the chair where he was now squatting over a puddle. I crossed my fingers & silently pleaded, "Please let it be water, please..." nope, it was pee. I half sighed, half growled and resisted the urge to scream. By now I was praying that Lance would get tired very soon, so that I can put a diaper on him & put him down for a nap. I know, not the best move. Maybe Lance has a strategy. Maybe he knows he can wear me down if he has enough accidents. He had one more accident--on the suede couch--before nap time. And then I had a blissful 2 accident free hours while both boys slept.

I'll spare you the afternoon accident details and just jump forward to this morning when I got out of bed because Luke was awake & crying. Let me just say that I had no idea Lance was awake & up & about already. But as I walk down the hall to the boys' room, lo & behold there is a little toddler walking back into his bedroom. With sweat pants on his head and a bare butt. Where did this kid come from? I laughed for about half a second until I realized that his little naked bottom meant he had taken his diaper off. Hmmmm....and what was that I smelled? Oh yes, if you guessed poopy diaper you were right. He had taken his poopy diaper off & was in the process of finding some underwear & pants. And he must have been sidetracked by his own hilarity with his pants on his head and all.

Okay, now I am definitely POSITIVE that it is time! I have been trying not to make potty training an unpleasant experience for him, but whatever...that is all out the window now. Now all I'm thinking is that this kid better learn to use the potty soon!! And wouldn't you know it he pooped in his pants right away. So being the mean mom that I am, I made him sit on the little potty for about half an hour--him screaming the whole time. I knew he was holding it, and I also knew that his crying might distract him. And it worked!!! He was distracted enough that he began peeing. On me! But I was so darned excited that I didn't even care. I helped him aim, and we were both so pleased with the pee in the potty.

There was much clapping & dancing & hugging! And treats! He can have whatever he wants. I know I'm going a bit over board, but again...whatever. I am so thrilled that he peed in the potty. And now he's waking up from his nap, so we get to start all over again. Oh, the joys of potty training.

Moving

We're almost done packing, & we'll be moving this weekend. I'm so sick of packing moving that I'm ready to either sell everything or throw it all away! At least this move will be to a fully furnished apartment (since it's a short stay), so there will be no moving in or out--hooray! And moving stuff into a storage unit much easier. Goodbye computer (for just a bit), and hello, Vail...again. Ugh!! Have I ever mentioned how much I do NOT like Vail and how it is the one place neither of us wanted to ever go back to again? Oh, well. I'm officially making a giant effort to find reasons to like it this time. Wish me luck. :)

Thursday Thirteen - Edition "M"

1. Mommy - I love being Mommy more than anything!

2. Melissa - My wonderful & talented sister (who is as awesome as Lynette--from the "L" list). Check out her SUPER cute hair bows at the Snugglebug Bowtique (www.snugglebugbowtique.com).

3. Movies - We watch tons of movies. When we've seen every good one, we move onto the lame ones. :)

4. Move - We're getting ready to move...again. This will be the 5th move since we've been married (only 3 1/2 years).

5. Melinda - My sister-in-law who Lance referred to as Aunt Dewey (mixed her up with Aunt Julie) all weekend. He even brought her shoes to her & put them on her feet when it was time for us to leave so he could take her home with us.

6. Matrix - Thought I hated these movies until I watched them with David. Love 'em!

7. Morning - I am not a morning person. Morning shouldn't start until 8 am...or 9. If I got up sooner, I would end up with everything done by noon. And then what am I supposed to do for the rest of the day?!!! ;)

8. Mint - I'm eating Junior Mints right now. Mmmmmm.

9. Melon - I hate any type of melon. That includes cantaloupe & watermelon. Yuck!

10. Milford - Tiny little town where I grew up, & I still call it home.

11. Mummy - Lance loves to put "mummy" in his piggy bank, & I'm told it doesn't grow on trees.

12. Milk - We drink a LOT of the stuff--about 6 gallons a week (is that a lot? haha).

13. Mind - I'm losing mind...or I've already lost it...don't know which...what is it we were talking about?

If you want to join in the Thursday Thirteen fun, head over to Izzy 'N Emmy & sign up. Just click on the button below.

Gettin' Their Cute On!!

Are you ready for pictures of some seriously cute, silly, hungry, and jewelry & hat wearing boys? What's that...it's exactly what you've been looking for? ;)

Check out my boys sportin' some Smart Mom teething bling. Lance loves them & is constantly telling me, "I neeeeee a" (said very dramatically, with need being very drawn out and with head thrown back for effect). Yes, folks, he needs it. He says that quite frequently. Apparently, he "needs" many, many, many things. Luke is our resident Moose. He is now 7 months, eats truck loads of food (or so it seems), and can crawl forward on his belly. It's actually more of a slither, but effective nonetheless. Where Lance was a lazy lump of baby content to loll about, Luke is just the opposite--constantly moving & never in one place for more than a few seconds. That baby gets around!! While he does know how to slither, he finds it far faster to roll at super sonic speeds. Talk about steam roller. Outta the way, here comes Luke!

Lance has an obsession with hots. Anything that can go on his head is a "hot." And Mom & Dad & Luke all must wear hots, too. And like Mr. Roger's shoes, Lance changes his hats frequently throughout the day. Like the pink cowboy hat? Well, it's not a cowboy hat at all. It's a cowgirl hat, and it's for my little niece Neeley who desperately needs one. Check out her pony riding get-up on my sister Melissa's site, rowdyrobertsons.blogspot.com, and you'll see why. Lance had to try it out (and wear it in the store...and around town). Ever stylish is the viking hat (courtesy cousin Jase & Aunt Nett). But my favorite is the empty 12 pack soda container hat. Oh, you hadn't heard of that one? It's a new trend--the latest. :)

Another obsession of my firstborn is mummy. He loves to find "mummy" and carry it in his pocket. He then tries to spend it at any little vending machine he sees. Mommy & Daddy tell him to save it for his dino bank, and he puts it back into his pocket until we can get home. When he later rediscovers the mummy in his pocket, he rushes upstairs to make a deposit. And what is better than cold, hard cash (or coins)? Why, cold, hard coins between your toes, of course. We don't know where he got this, but we always find him with his shoes & socks off and putting coins between his toes. Funny kid! I finally got my jumperoo out of storage in Utah, and wouldn't you know it? Luke loves it! He began jumping right away. I guess he just wasn't a fan of the doorway Johnny Jump Up. He used to fall asleep in the doorway jumper after he exhausted himself from all that hanging and twisting ;) but now he falls asleep in the jumperoo after actually jumping. Either way...works for me.

Thursday Thirteen - Edition "L"

Yesterday I asked David what day of the week it was. He told me it was Tuesday. Of course I believed him, so imagine my surprise when I saw bloggers posting their Thursday Thirteen. Really??? Is it Thursday??? It really was a great surprise for me--it was like skipping a whole day in the week. ;) I threw together my list, and here it is.

1. Lance - My handsome and happy son.

2. Luke - My handsome and happy son. :)

3. Love - I love numbers 1 & 2 so much that sometimes I wonder how I can contain all of it.

4. Lotion - Babies & toddlers that have been bathed & lotioned smell so completely wonderful.

5. Laughter - It really is the best medicine. So, I guess David is my medicine. ;)

6. Lemon Bars - Just the thought of them makes my mouth water.

7. Lie - I HATE lies. Do not lie to me. It is so absolutely horrible to find out you've been lied to. I won't even twist the truth or omit things just because I think "it doesn't matter." If it honestly doesn't matter, just say it! With me you get truth & nothing but the truth "so help me God."

8. Lasagna - What I'm making for dinner tonight.

9. Licorice - The favorite treat of all 3 of my boys--and it must be Red Vines.

10. Limeade - I love cherry limeades--or just regular old limeades--in the summer.

11. Lasik - I do not need lasik eye surgery because I have perfect vision (although my eyesight isn't as "keen" as my hubby's--Thursday Thirteen "K").

12. Lint - I love to clean the lint trap in my dryer. Okay, I've always loved to do this. I have no idea why. Weird, I know. But I'm sure there are other lovers of lint trap cleaning out there.

13. Lynette - One of my sisters. I'll bet she thought I forgot all about her (even though we've talked 3 times on the phone today). She's so much fun--the life of the party, and she's so super smart. She's pretty much awesome.

If you want to join in the Thursday Thirteen fun, visit Izzy 'n Emmy's page (click the button below) and sign up.

Mom 4 Life

***WARNING: Extremely long post with my own rave reviews of some great products. Read at your own risk. May lead to shopping--if not shopping, then it will definitely lead to eye strain. ;)

If you're a mom that loves finding new & genius products for yourself & little ones, you definitely need to check out this site. Go to mom4life.com and prepare to spend some time browsing all the mom-invented products. That's right--all the products are invented by moms who had brilliant ideas to make motherhood easier. You've probably seen plenty of the products on other sites, but this is one-stop-shopping. I've also priced things on other sites, and all the prices on Mom4Life are the same or better than what I've found elsewhere. What's better than that? Well, free shipping, of course!! You get free shipping on all orders shipped in the U.S. (no minimums). And yet another perk to shopping on this site is returning customers get a 5% discount on their orders. I know, I know. That may not seem like much, but since you're already getting products at great prices (go ahead & check other sites to compare) and free shipping on everything, another 5% off is 5% better. :) And there are plenty of organic & earth friendly items for you greenies. Go check out the site for maternity, birth, nursing, feeding, diapering, & baby wearing products...along with clothing, playing, sleeping, bathing, & safety products.

I absolutely LOVE this site!!! Here a few of the things I've ordered from the site.

The Dwink Box will keep little hands from squeezing juice boxes & pouches because we all know that no matter how many times we warn our kiddies, they can't help but squeeze (and make messes for mom).

This is teething jewelry by Smart Mom. It's made of a teething material just like your baby's favorite teethers. But you get to wear it--no more looking for teething toys or picking them up off of dirty floors in public places. "What's that baby? You need something to chew on? Well, lucky for me I'm wearing my teething jewelry." :) I have the necklace & bangle in coral, and Luke loves them. So does Lance. Watch for my next post for pictures of how much my boys love my new jewelry.

One of my favorite finds is the Babeebrite Hands Free Mobile Light Source by Mommy Bee Happy (what a mouth full). Luke is such a light sleeper, and when is awakened in the night, he thinks it's time to be up for good. I have a tiny lamp with a very low watt bulb which was way too bright for Luke. We tried night lights--again, way too bright. The hallway and bathroom lights also wake him up...fully. Then I found the Babeebrite. It is bright enough that I am able to change diapers & breastfeed, but dim enough that it doesn't wake my night owl. This has really been my saving grace at night. Some cool features: 7 minute automatic shut off (so I can fall asleep with it on), an adjustable arm to direct the light, & a clip on the back of it so I can wear it & have both hands free. I now clip it to me as soon as I put the boys to bed, so that I have a light when I check on my sleeping babes or when I get ready for bed (since Luke's crib is in our room). Then when I go to bed, I put it on my nightstand so that it is easily accessible for our nighttime wakings (great for finding pacifiers in the dark). I also love it for our long car trips. I use it instead of the dome light to find things in my purse or the diaper bag. Can you tell I really love this little light?!! I have always used the very thin disposable diaper sacks that have handles to tie (like a grocery sack) because I don't really want to run stinky diapers outside to the dumpster 10 or 12 times a day (and that was before I had Luke!). We even used them to bag diapers before putting them in a diaper pail because we've yet to find a diaper pail that is completely odor free. Here is a great solution to this very stinky problem. Diaper Baggies. While they aren't completely odorless, they are tons better than the other bags. They are made of a thicker plastic and have zipper closure. And they are great for when you're out & about & need a place to put soiled or wet clothing. Mom4Life carries the largest selection of BabyLegs (in a gazillion colors & styles) that I have seen on any site. If you don't know about baby leg warmers :) go check them out. I love them for protecting soft skin when baby starts to crawl and legs get rug burn. If you're wondering, they aren't just for girls. Yes, Luke wears them, and his fat legs are so adorable in them.This next one is my newest acquisition. I'm really excited to use the OnTray. I used to carry little snack containers for Lance when we were out shopping and try to hold onto the container and lid while pushing the cart & shopping. I spilled numerous snacks while trying to do this. And Lance's little hands were always grabbing & knocking stuff out of my hands. Enter OnTray, the tray with the sliding lid that attaches to the cart handle (you can even attach the lid to the bottom of the tray). And it's still small enough for the diaper bag or purse.

Now onto some really genius ideas that I wish I new of sooner. I don't own either of these products but wish I had. First is the Shower Hug by Belmama and Cherub.I really wish I knew of this when I first started nursing Luke and showering was unbelievably painful--you know, from the harsh shower spray on ultra tender nipples. Instead I just did what everyone does...try to dodge the shower while showering. And another brilliant idea that I wish I knew of sooner is the Babykeeper by Mommysentials. This product solves the problem of what to do with baby while trying to use a public restroom. On my 10 hour trips to visit family I always dreaded taking bathroom breaks & would hold it for as long as possible because it was such a hassle to take Lance (before he was walking) into a restroom with me. I mean, how in the world do you hold a baby in one arm while trying to undo & pull down pants? Then hold baby on lap while peeing (myself not baby in case that isn't clear). And finally hold baby in one arm again while trying to pull pants back up (this is the hardest part). And washing hands? I still have no idea how to do that in a dirty restroom while holding a baby. I guess mom's don't wash. ;)

This last one is on my wish list. It's the ShadyBaby stroller parasol. It clips onto a stroller & blocks the sun from any direction. And there are a bunch of cute colors & patterns. Although very cute, I don't want the pink polka dot one.But maybe this one. Or this one.Okay, so there are TONS of other products, but I can only fit so much in a single post. And anyway, those of you that read until the end are probably ready to rest your eyes. Whew! Now go check out mom4life.com!