Last Friday, during dinner, the phone rang and my 4-year-old daughter ran to answer it. I tried to encourage her to wait in order that I may check the call display and see if it was anyone we know. She chose to ignore my pleading and answered it anyway. After a quick hello, my husband took the phone from her, listened for a few seconds and determined it was a telemarketer. He returned the phone to my daughter who then proceeded to ramble on about random things, as she often does, until I heard her say, "Hello?.... Hello?"

If you compare how many posts I've written about my first-born with those I've written about my not-so-newborn, you will easily note that I have not nearly written enough about my son. And now a year has gone by since his birth and sadly, I have not recorded many memories of his first year. There have been many an occasion, as you can very well imagine, when I wanted to share with someone, anyone, all the wonderful things I've witnessed, all the little milestones the my baby has reached, and there have been plenty of times when I wanted to blog about it. But, alas, I did not make much of an effort to do so. And now I regret it. I'm not the most organized person I know, and yes, having two children can keep your hands full enough, but at the end of the day, it's all about prioritizing. And thus, I hereby announce to all my blogging friends that I am going to change my priorities to include blogging about both my children. Because their babyhood is too precious to forget.

Okay, I know it's been a while since I've posted anything on here. I've been trying to keep up with my cardmaking hobby and blogging over at Diana's Designs. But I subscribe to My Organized Chaos and get email updates with useful product reviews and great giveaways. I saw this one today and I just had to blog about it. Her review is on the Do-N-Slide Picture To-Do Lists which looks great and seems very versatile. Check out Tammi's review and enter for a chance to win a copy. Good luck!

By chance, I came across a blog called My Organized Chaos by a mother of three darling girls in Alberta. I really like it because A. it's Canadian, B. she writes reviews on products that would be of interest to moms and dads alike, and C. she offers baby product giveaways to her readers. So I thought I'd give it a try. Her latest review and giveaway is on Satch and Sol, which is a fair trade artisan that makes children's clothing by hand. And they have some really cute items. As a bonus, Tammi provides a coupon code in her review that will give you 15% off your purchase which, as an added bonus, they will ship for free if it's over $50. And I, who did most of her Christmas shopping online from the comfort of her own home, couldn't resist. So I succumbed to the lure of online shopping deals and bought a pair of really cute flower cut slippers made of 100% wool for my daughter and another for my goddaughter in anticipation of their summer birthdays. It sure beats last minute shopping!

So I finally created a card that I am quite proud of and thought I would share it on my blog. I gave it to my mother-in-law today thinking she could use it for a wedding or something. She was so kind to take my daughter off my hands for a few hours while I rested and tried to fight this dreadful head cold. I sure am looking forward to the warm weather in tomorrow's forecast!



Here's the recipe:

Paper: DCWV All Dressed Up
Embossing: Cuttlebug D'vine Swirl
Ribbon: Colorbok Printed Ribbon from Michael's
Stamp: Studio G, Stampcraft Black Dye Ink
Cricut: flower from Accent Essentials

It's great to be able to start fresh, isn't it? You take a deep breath and relax your shoulders after all that shopping, gift wrapping, cleaning, hosting, traveling and celebrating. You get a good night's sleep, wake up and open your eyes to sunshine and look forward with optimism to another year not knowing what lies ahead but welcoming any change with open arms nonetheless.

I have decided to make one resolution this year and I'm keeping it simple:

I will try to be a nicer person.

It encompasses a wide array of possibilities and it seems to be what I really need right now. You see, I haven't been the happiest person I know and I was always finding other people or things to blame for my crankiness. The truth is, I just wasn't happy with who I was and how I was acting. Looking back on the past few months, it seems I was being rather selfish and obsessive about a lot of things. I was getting lazy with the housework and was feeling overwhelmed by the pressure I felt I needed to place on myself. And I wasn't giving myself enough rest. Hence, the Dr. Jeckyll and Mrs. Hyde complex. By resolving to be a nicer person, essentially a better person, I am going to tackle all of the little things that have gotten in the way of me being a Mrs. Cleaver of sorts. This one resolution is so simple, that instead of being another burden as sometimes resolutions can be, it has set me free to enjoy whatever 2009 will throw my way.

I recently ordered some name labels for my daughter through Oliver's Labels and was so excited to open the package when it arrived earlier than expected last week. I first heard of these labels through one of the moms at my daughter's preschool, who also heard about them from a friend. The neat thing about them is that you can opt to having a tracking code printed on them so that if the item is ever lost and then found, the person who finds it can enter the code using the free lost-and-found tracking system. Then I also found out that you can be an agent for them as well and since I liked the idea so much (since it offered this tracking system unlike other label companies), I thought, "Why not?" I've managed to get one sale under my belt but I, by no means, anticipate any sort of real income from this. I just thought I'd try it out. I was also offered to try out Pampered Chef but I can barely cook, so why would I even think of promoting that? Besides, I would feel too uncomfortable pushing products on my friends and family. In any case, I had to try the product for myself and so far so good. I've already used a bag tag (on her school bag), shoe labels (on her boots and ice skates) and a regular label (on her helmet). They seem quite durable but better still, my daughter loves them! Now I'm ready and able to label like crazy!

On a side note, I'm working on a new blog called Baby Product News and Reviews with the main purpose of helping parents decide which products they want to buy for their own children. Of course, I have already (shamelessly) posted an entry about Oliver's Labels because I happen to really like their product. And I think it's only logical to write about products I have tried out for myself. In the future, I'm hoping enough people will read my new blog and leave their own reviews and comments on baby and kid products so that new parents can have some sort of a guide, the kind I wish I had before I spent loads of money on things I thought I needed.

Like most people, I look forward to the Christmas holidays and the excitement it brings. Now more than ever my daughter better understands what it's about and for the first time is eagerly anticipating the 25th. She received an early Christmas gift of a Playmobil Advent calendar and wakes up every morning so excited to open up a new box. (It's such a neat idea!)

In the meantime, I'm crazily trying to care for two kids (what seems like on my own) and prepare for the Christmas festivities. I was doing pretty well, having bought the majority of the children's gifts long ago, but I still have plenty of family members to buy gifts for and there's not much time left. There are so many other things that have to be done and I am feeling extremely stressed, so much so that I have regretfully lost my patience with the kids on a couple of occasions. Isn't that terrible? Through no fault of their own, I have blown up under the pressure of Christmas preparations and other household duties, etc. This is not what the holidays are all about. It's about family and friends, peace and joy, and Baby Jesus, is it not? I must remind myself not to get too caught up in the commercial frenzy that has become of the Christmas season.

I'd rather immerse myself in the memories of my family, and my children and the happiness that they bring to my life...

Things I've Done

I found this list on Fluttering Butterflies and seeing as I can't go back to bed, I thought I'd do it, too. The things I've done are in bold.

1. Started my own blog
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than I can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyland/world
8. Climbed a mountain
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sung a solo
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched lightening at sea
14. Taught myself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown my own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitchhiked
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a Marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of my ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught myself a new language
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David
41. Sung karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had my portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten Caviar
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had my picture in the newspaper
85. Read the entire Bible
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone’s life
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a law suit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee
100. Rode an elephant

This could end up being my bucket list. Though somewhat unrealistic, it is a list I may very well end up referring to throughout my life as I aim to add to my "worldly experiences." 32 down and counting...