May 11, 2010
by marfmom
2 Comments

Mothers’ Day

I had a wonderful Mothers’ Day yesterday! Once a year my husband makes an exception and brings me a meal in bed (he’s not a food in the bedroom sort of guy). This year I got a cheddar omelette.

Now, let me explain to you about this omelette. Apparently cooking eggs is a genetic trait passed on through the Z. family men. I never liked eggs, not until sometime in college when Mark’s dad made scrambled eggs one morning while I was visiting and I ate some to be nice and holy cow they were GREAT EGGS! I’ve tried to replicate said scrambled eggs and I just can’t do it. But Mark: he can really cook ‘em!

So this omelette. It was amazing. Spots of a golden brown, not at all soggy, perfectly folded. Great way to start the day.

Our church has this tradition of doing a luncheon for all the women, and that was great. The men were in charge (but who is anyone kidding…it was all their wives!) and there were chicken salad sandwiches, croissants, a variety of fruit and veggies, and sweet bread and brownies for dessert. 2nd meal of the day I didn’t have to share with a hungry toddler smacking my thigh with an open mouth. That’s a biiiig deal!

After Skyping with my in-laws for a bit and having a failed attempt at a grilled cheese sandwich (moldy bread! travesty!), Mark made me my favorite pancakes. A-MAAAAZ-ING. 3rd meal of the day I could enjoy on my own.

Are you noticing a theme here, with my Mothers’ Day?

I’m finally getting my appetite back.

Got a few very thoughtful presents, took a nap, chatted with my mom and grandmothers, and spent time with my boys. In a word, excellent.

How did you spend your Mothers’ Day?

Also, don’t forget about the Guidecraft Puppet Theatre Giveaway!

May 10, 2010
by marfmom
12 Comments

A Different Ballgame Entirely

Everyone says that each pregnancy is different, each child is different. I’ve been surprised, though, at how different my two pregnancies are from each other.

Let me put it this way: If Menininho was destined from the womb to be a chill surfer-dude, this time I’m gestating a future Hell’s Angel.

http://gianruggeromanzoni.wordpress.com

I had some nausea with Menininho’s pregnancy, but nothing bad. I was tired but didn’t need naps. He rarely ever kicked. In fact, we ended up in Labor and Delivery once where even the nurse couldn’t get the kid to move. The nerve pain was bad through week 15, but that was it.

A relatively easy pregnancy translated into a relatively easy baby. He latched correctly immediately, more or less gained weight well, started sleeping 5 hour stretches at 3 1/2 weeks of age. He has an easy going personality still, just with the occasional toddler tantrum.

This time around? Not so much.

I have nausea from early afternoon till bedtime, most every day. I’ve had to miss or leave church early a couple of times for it. I nap just about every day for about 2 hours, while Menininho sleeps. By evening I’m in bed from the pain, which is the only thing that’s been consistent between pregnancies. On the upside, I’m much less moody with this pregnancy!

I don’t say all of that to complain, not at all, but just to marvel at how varied the two experiences have been so far. My prediction? This kid is going to be super active in the womb and come out with an attitude.

For those of you with multiple biological pregnancies, did you see a big difference between them?

Also, have you entered my Guidecraft Puppet Theatre giveaway yet?

May 9, 2010
by marfmom
64 Comments

Guidecraft Puppet Theatre Giveaway

I am so excited to announce this giveaway!!!

Not too long ago I was contacted by CSN Stores about doing a giveaway. CSN Stores is basically a one stop shop for pretty much anything you could ever want. They run over 200 sites that sell everything from recessed lighting to cookware to baby cribs. You can get name brand products at a discount and many items ship free.

It took me a long time to decide what item I want to give away to my readers. I knew I wanted a children’s item, since this is a blog about motherhood. I also wanted something that would promote imagination and creativity (i.e. – not a toy that requires a TV or computer!). Then, I saw this:

The Guidecraft Center Stage Tabletop Puppet Theatre

It’s double-sided, includes a chalkboard, and folds flat. The theatre weighs about 9 lbs and ships assembled. It’s recommended for children age 3 and older.

So, my readers, you have the opportunity to win this! The giveaway runs today through 11:59 pm PST on Sunday, May 16th. It’s open to residents of the US and Canada only. The winner will be chosen via the Unix random number generator, and will be posted on my blog on May 17th. The winner will have 48 hours to respond to my email before another winner is chosen.

There are a few ways to enter. You MUST leave a separate comment for each entry.

MANDATORY: Visit the CSN store All Children’s Furniture and leave a comment here with one other item that you like.

Optional:
1) Tweet about this giveaway. Worth one entry per day. You can use the tweet “Enter to win @marfmom’s Guidecraft Puppet Theatre giveaway at http://bit.ly/9p2eux.” Leave a link to the tweet in the comments.
2) Become a public fan of this blog on Google Friend Connect (righthand column), or tell me if you already are.

Disclaimer: CSN Stores contacted me about doing this giveaway. I did not receive any compensation from them for doing so, outside of them providing 1 product for 1 of my readers.