Heritage Mom!

So, I just signed up to be a Heritage Makers consultant, and I am really eager to start my business!!

My business debut is next Wednesday, October 14th, at my home at 7:00 p.m. If you're local and you'd like to join in on the fun, please let me know!! :-)

Here's how it works:

HERITAGE STUDIO

You create all of your Heritage Makers projects in your own online, password-protected, personal publishing and creative center, Heritage Studio. Studio is easy to use and provides tremendous flexibility. There's no special software to purchase . . . you can access Studio from any computer, anywhere with internet access.

You can start with a blank page or choose one of our many free pre-designed community and professional templates to use in your projects. You'll enjoy the benefits of having complete control over how your project turns out.

STUDIO FEATURES

Studio is unique to Heritage Makers. No other company offers the flexibility, creativity, and special features like you'll find here. It's so simple and fun to create your own incredible projects. You can make a project from scratch or use one of our pre-designed templates. Take a look at some of the key features you will find in Heritage Studio:

	DRAG-AND-DROP INTERFACE Simply upload your photos, drag, and drop into place.		STORY CENTER Plan your story with interview tips, take one of our free online classes, get advice on story writing, learn how to write meaningful projects, and read articles about keeping your stories secure. You'll find it all in the Story Center.		PRE-DESIGNED TEMPLATES Choose from a gallery of FREE community submitted and professionally-designed templates then simply swap your photos and type your text.
	FLEXIBILITY Unlike other programs, Studio gives you complete flexibility. You can modify anything you see on your page, including colors, photos, and other design elements.		HEIRLOOM ASSURANCE* The Heritage Makers Heirloom Assurance assures that your projects will last lifetimes. Lost books, torn pages, missed typos, daily wear and tear. Heritage Makers will print a replacement copy for you at only half price. *Some restrictions apply.		OTHER Share your projects, email to friends and family, submit as a template, or even enter contests. You can create albums, keep your photos organized, and so much more!

TOOLS

Quote Library
Choose from our extensive quote library, or create your own story. With thousands of quotes, you're sure to find just the right words to use in your projects.

Text and Image effects
Add shadows, rotate photos, crop, add borders, change the font . . . you can arrange your photo to look just perfect for your project.

Studio art
Choose from a selection of Basic art or upgrade to Premier and find over 30,000 pieces of digital art with more being added monthly.

My photos
Store all of your photos safely and securely. Your photos will never be lost or damaged. You can store up to 2 GB with a Basic membership, or have unlimited storage with a Premier account.

Babysitting While Parenting

For some reason, I thought it was possible for me to care for other children while caring for my own. After all, it's what many stay-at-home-mothers do to bring in some extra income for their families while remaining at home to care for their own.

I signed up for this gig when Madelyn was only 5 months old. Big mistake #1. She wasn't sowing her oats back then as she is now. Now, she is this little peanut who wants to badly to keep up with her brother.

We offered care to a family who was expecting their first child. The baby would be 5 months old by the time we would start sitting for him. Easy right? NO.

Little babies have so many needs. They need to be hugged and loved and nurtured. All of which are really hard to do with a three-year-old and a ten-month-old in the house. I found myself surrounded by crying much of the day simply because I could not spread myself enough to care for all of the children at the same time. Normally, a little crying is fine, but I felt I wasn't doing this little baby any justice holding his bottle with my chin while trying to feed Madelyn her lunch and keep Evan happy at the same time. I felt it just wasn't fair.

I told the family it was too overwhelming for me and that I wanted their child to have the best care possible. And, now I wonder what it's like for other home day care providers. Do they, too, listen to crying all day? Do they have a system for such situations where everyone needs something all at the same time?

I think I'll stick to part-time, per diem type babysitting for a while instead...

It's My Birthday!

Woo-hoo! It's my birthday! Of course, having a birthday when you're older and a mom doesn't seem to have the same connotation as when you are 5 and blowing out birthday candles with all your friends and family looking on in eager anticipation. What happens to that magic? Is it still there? My husband just passes birthdays off as "another day." I can't agree with that. There IS something special about the day you were born, and it deserves celebration, even if it is with a cake I made for myself. Even my little boy remembered to say, "Happy Birthday, Mom." How could I ask for more than that... I've noticed two beautifully wrapped presents to enjoy later on after dinner with my cake. Now, if the weather could only brighten my day instead of acting dreary... :-)

Happy birthday to me!! :-)

It's Official....

I'm a Twilight Mom.

Almost the minute we returned home from our journey, I speedily drove to the library. I had plenty of books to return and knew I needed some brain food to keep me going over the summer. I stumbled upon a rental copy of Twilight. There has been so much talk of Twilight amongst my fellow moms that I figured, 'Why not?' I paid $2 for Twilight and couldn't put the book down. In two weeks, I found all the copies of the books (thank goodness for friends that offered theirs for my reading pleasure) and read all of them. I've already seen the movie three times, and I still cannot get enough of Edward and Bella.

So now I am considering a road trip to Forks, WA. Anyone interested in joining me?

I know it's been a long while since I posted here, and I have lots to discuss that I haven't had the opportunity to...

Our family recently returned from a "triangle trip," where we had the opportunity to visit many of our family and friends on the east coast. Essentially, the trip consisted of a visit with my inlaws in Eastern PA, my sister in NJ, my aunt and grandfather in NC, a side trip to Savannah, GA for pleasure, my parents in FL and then home. How, you ask, did we manage this with two very young children. I am not even sure how we did it myself, but we are still here and alive and well.

Fortunately, we have children who are very "adaptable." Yup. They adapt well to a variety of difficult situations. They can sleep pretty much anywhere, and they manage to keep themselves happy almost anywhere. I believe it stems from their independent natures. From a very young age, I encouraged this independence... getting them, for example, to play by themselves and entertain themselves (and now each other). It works, and it works well. We didn't always stick to naptimes, but naps on the fly became commonplace on the road. It is all about preparation, of course. My kids have always been great nappers/sleepers, and it really doesn't change when you change the place. I did do a little sleep adjustment for the hour change, which probably helped a bit. We stopped in hotels on the way out east as well as on our way back from Florida.

Did I mention I even cloth-diapered on the go? I simply brought a very large wet bag and stashed our fluff in a laundry basket. I did bring along some 'sposies for emergencies or for times when I knew we were not going to have adequate laundry facilities. I also brought our favorite detergent and diaper spray. So, we had two very happy heinies for the long haul.

Our trip was absolutely wonderful! During our visit in PA, we took the kids to Sesame Place and NYC, and mommy got to reunite with a very dear high school friend. In NJ, we reunited with some more high school friends at the Greenwood Lake Carnival and we spent some time at the spa with my sister and brother-in-law and their son, Shane. We also had a demi-family reunion at Jill & Dany's in Newburgh as we celebrated their daughter Erin's 2nd birthday. Many family members/cousins were there and it was wonderful to see everyone again! In NC, we had lunch with Papa and took the kids to Caswell Beach. Swimming in the ocean was a fabulous experience! We stopped by in Savannah, and I simply fell in love with the southern charm the city offers. Not to mention the fact that I had to live out "Midnight in the Garden of Good & Evil," a book I read before out trip. Finally, we ended out trip in Florida, where we visit the Mermaids and the sponge fishermen and enjoyed some quality family time at our favorite gulf beaches. On the way home, we stopped at a college friend's home outside of Nashville.

It's good to be back home, but I still pine for the times we get to visit our friends and family. Those moments are too precious and far between.

Babies Should Never Have to Endure Sickness

They simply cannot communicate how they are feeling, and that's just not fair. For the past week, we've been battling with the plague here, and it has not been joyful, to say the least. Both little ones have what appears to be a nasty cold... coughing, sneezing, runny noses, restlessness. And, then to throw us a curve ball, Evan ended up puking all over his bed during his nap yesterday. His appetite has yet to return, so we are laying low and I am trying to offer foods that are more gentle to his little tummy. My husband, for some reason, considers it fine to offer him whatever he wants. And, I suppose, to an extent, he is right, but I can tell that Evan is just not interested in the richer foods at the moment...

So, for the rest of today, we'll be sticking to dry toast and bananas... and lots of cuddles and hugs!

Welcome

Hello, and welcome to my blog!

I felt the need to start this new blog, as I realize I am beginning to forget some of the wonderful and not-so-wonderful things that happen as I parent our two little bundles of joy! These precious years go by so quickly, and some days, I swear that if I close my eyes, they'll be all grown up, and I'll have missed it all!

I, I, I... no I am not doing this alone. I have to include my partner in crime, my significant other, my better half, my hubby. Without him, I could not get through my days. And, though it's not always peachy for us, we seem to work well together on the parenting front, giving our children our all every single day.

This is the journey we call parenthood. Won't you come along with us on this marvelous ride?