YUMMommy

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  • Love at 1st Sight

    So, I went with my mom and niece to the doctor earlier today-Moo in tow of course.  And it was here that I was first introduced to the wonderful and very useful Pregnancy & Newborn Magazine.  Well, while waiting for my niece and Mom to resurface from the back, I fell in love.  And not it was not with some hot dad in the waiting room because there were none and have never been any.  It was the Maclaren Techno XT stroller.

    Yes, you read right.  I fell in love with a stroller!!!  This is not just any stroller.  It’s like heaven in a lite weight stroller.

    My Moo has reached the age where a full travel system stroller is not a day to day necessity or all that feasible to carry around in the trunk.  Especially considering the fact that we are a family that likes to haul a lot of junk in our trunk. You could say that I am in the market for a new set of wheels for Moo.  And being the writer-creative type, I’m always carrying a load of stuff-notebooks, reading books, magazines, cell phones ( I have more than one), cups, more books.  Therefore, I need a stroller that while lite weight and compact is still sturdy enough and roomy enough to store my items.  After all you never know when a good idea will hit you.

    And when I saw that Techno XT, I knew it would be the perfect stroller for Moo and I.  I mean it has handlebars that are adjustable!!  Do you know how wonderful that is for a person is slightly on the taller side of things?  I’ve tried other compact strollers and hated being stooped over like a hunchback.  I’m too young to be developing a bad back.

    Moo is also an avid on the go eater.  Therefore, her heavy stroller has taken a lot of spills and smears. But since it doesn’t have a removable seat like the Techno XT, I’ve had to hose it down outside and hit with the hair dryer to clean it.  I can imagine Moo being well protected from the sun under its wide top canopy. The best feature by far of the Techno XT is that if fully reclines.  This would come in handy on those days when she falls asleep after a long walk in the park.

    But unfortunately my dream bubble was burst when I saw the $289 price tag.  I’m a single mommy on a budget.  One that can’t afford a $289 stroller no matter how fantastic and amazing it is.  So, I guess I’ll have to settle for just posting it on my cork board to gaze upon every morning and evening in hopes that maybe one day we will meet in person.

  • My Blog Button!!!

    Let me first start off by saying that I’m super excited about many things this week. I got my first fellow Blogger follower from my What I’m Making Monday post!!  And it seems my page view counter has confirmed my suspicions that I have more than a few SBS (Silent Blog Stalkers).  That’s great because it means that somebody out there actually gives a hoot about what I have to say and is coming to visit my page.  And now to top it off, I created my own blog button!!

    I thought it was going to be super hard to do, but thanks to this really easy to follow tutorial from April Showers Blog Design, I was able to create it in under ten minutes.  I already had a custom created avatar that looks very much like me saved. So all I had to do was upload to Microsoft Paint, add the purple background with pink polkadots, a text box and save it to Photobucket.  From there I just followed the tutorial.  I couldn’t believe how cute it turned out.

    I mean it doesn’t have that complete cartoonish look like some of the other buttons, but it’s me.  And I’m sure that as I experiment more and more with Microsoft Paint that I will create a better button.  I even felt inspired to create a button for Etsy shop!!  I am in no way a pro and ready to start creating buttons for others but I might one day.  I feel like  I can finally tackle creating a logo for my Young Urban Modern Mommies brand.

    You’d really be surprised at how much quitter people reply to you when you have a logo or face for your brand.  This has just totally made my day.  I can only hope that the rest of this week goes just as well.  I will be trying my hand at making a favicon and eventually a completely customized background for my blog. Wish me luck.  And now the words I have been waiting to say, Grab my buttons from the right and add them to your page.

  • My Blog Button!!!

    Let me first start off by saying that I’m super excited about many things this week. I got my first fellow Blogger follower from my What I’m Making Monday post!!  And it seems my page view counter has confirmed my suspicions that I have more than a few SBS (Silent Blog Stalkers).  That’s great because it means that somebody out there actually gives a hoot about what I have to say and is coming to visit my page.  And now to top it off, I created my own blog button!!

    I thought it was going to be super hard to do, but thanks to this really easy to follow tutorial from April Showers Blog Design, I was able to create it in under ten minutes.  I already had a custom created avatar that looks very much like me saved. So all I had to do was upload to Microsoft Paint, add the purple background with pink polkadots, a text box and save it to Photobucket.  From there I just followed the tutorial.  I couldn’t believe how cute it turned out.

    I mean it doesn’t have that complete cartoonish look like some of the other buttons, but it’s me.  And I’m sure that as I experiment more and more with Microsoft Paint that I will create a better button.  I even felt inspired to create a button for Etsy shop!!  I am in no way a pro and ready to start creating buttons for others but I might one day.  I feel like  I can finally tackle creating a logo for my Young Urban Modern Mommies brand.

    You’d really be surprised at how much quitter people reply to you when you have a logo or face for your brand.  This has just totally made my day.  I can only hope that the rest of this week goes just as well.  I will be trying my hand at making a favicon and eventually a completely customized background for my blog. Wish me luck.  And now the words I have been waiting to say, Grab my buttons from the right and add them to your page.

  • What I’m Making Monday: Decorative Spring Tote Bags

    So, I’m new to this whole ‘What I’m Making Monday’ thing, but when I saw the idea on Baby Makin(g) Machine’s page, I felt inspired to join.  Not to mention, I’ve always been a super crafty and creative person.  Plus, I was a Fashion Merchandising major.  I thought this is a good way to network and share a different side of myself with my readers.  By the way, I’m sure that I have some silent blog stalkers out there. I just want to say that I appreciate you all checking out my blog, but feel free to leave comments and follow.

    Anyways, this past Christmas I was looking for a way to avoid spending a small fortune on gifts because we have such a large family.  My mom comes from a family of 13 and my dad from a family of 8.  Then you add on their children and the grandchildren and it’s well over of 50 people right there.   So, I decided to make gifts instead for all of my aunts.  Well, the lapel pins that I made for them were such a hit, that I was motivated to try my hands at making other projects as well.

    At first  I was a little cautious because my skills had gotten kinda rusty. But standing in the Arts & Crafts section of our local Wally World aka WalMart, a pack of canvas totes caught my eye. Immediately, the fashion designer in me started to see all kinds of possibilities.  So, I bought a few, then a few more and now I have my own Etsy shop.  And now that I’ve booked my first public selling event, I’ve been busy making tons of them.  People really seem to be taken with my spring totes and they’re not that hard to make.

    All you need is:

    A canvas tote
     
    Some decorative fabric
    Iron on adhesive
    An Iron
    Ribbon/Trimmings (optional)
    1-You want to iron your decorative fabric to your iron on adhesive.  Make sure your iron is nice and hot.  Otherwise the fabric will not stick.
    2-Once the adhesive has cooled down for about 30 seconds, trim out the pieces you would like to use and then arrange them on your bag.
    3-Once, you have placed the pieces where you want them remove the wax paper from the other side of the adhesive and iron the pieces permanently into place.
    4-You can finish off your bag/tote by adding some ribbon around the opening.  You can either use iron adhesive or hand sew the ribbon on.
    Your finished product should look something like mine below:
    These little totes will make perfect gifts and you can personalize them any way that you want to.  Check out the my Etsy store on the right to see (and hopefully purchase) some of my other one of a kind totes. 

  • What I’m Making Monday: Decorative Spring Tote Bags

    So, I’m new to this whole ‘What I’m Making Monday’ thing, but when I saw the idea on Baby Makin(g) Machine’s page, I felt inspired to join.  Not to mention, I’ve always been a super crafty and creative person.  Plus, I was a Fashion Merchandising major.  I thought this is a good way to network and share a different side of myself with my readers.  By the way, I’m sure that I have some silent blog stalkers out there. I just want to say that I appreciate you all checking out my blog, but feel free to leave comments and follow.

    Anyways, this past Christmas I was looking for a way to avoid spending a small fortune on gifts because we have such a large family.  My mom comes from a family of 13 and my dad from a family of 8.  Then you add on their children and the grandchildren and it’s well over of 50 people right there.   So, I decided to make gifts instead for all of my aunts.  Well, the lapel pins that I made for them were such a hit, that I was motivated to try my hands at making other projects as well.

    At first  I was a little cautious because my skills had gotten kinda rusty. But standing in the Arts & Crafts section of our local Wally World aka WalMart, a pack of canvas totes caught my eye. Immediately, the fashion designer in me started to see all kinds of possibilities.  So, I bought a few, then a few more and now I have my own Etsy shop.  And now that I’ve booked my first public selling event, I’ve been busy making tons of them.  People really seem to be taken with my spring totes and they’re not that hard to make.

    All you need is:

    A canvas tote
     
    Some decorative fabric
    Iron on adhesive
    An Iron
    Ribbon/Trimmings (optional)
    1-You want to iron your decorative fabric to your iron on adhesive.  Make sure your iron is nice and hot.  Otherwise the fabric will not stick.
    2-Once the adhesive has cooled down for about 30 seconds, trim out the pieces you would like to use and then arrange them on your bag.
    3-Once, you have placed the pieces where you want them remove the wax paper from the other side of the adhesive and iron the pieces permanently into place.
    4-You can finish off your bag/tote by adding some ribbon around the opening.  You can either use iron adhesive or hand sew the ribbon on.
    Your finished product should look something like mine below:
    These little totes will make perfect gifts and you can personalize them any way that you want to.  Check out the my Etsy store on the right to see (and hopefully purchase) some of my other one of a kind totes. 

  • Caution Unstable Walker Coming Thru

    Happy Friday Everyone!!  The weekend is finally in sight.  Yippeee…  I am so glad this week is coming to an end.  I had the scare of my life on Tuesday.  So, if you are my Facebook page or read my Selfish post, then you would know that my little Moo is my whole life.

    Well, after a CAT Scan and visit to a bone specialist, Moo finally decided it was high time for her to start walking.  We discovered her bowed legs were the culprit behind her delayed walking, but that the issue would correct itself.  Obviously even though I put on almost 100 pounds and looked like I had a circus ten under my shirt for nine months, she was still cramped for space.  I blame my tumors.

    They took up valuable space that she needed to stretch her legs.  And sleeping in her much loved fetal position post womb only bowed her legs out more.  So, now we finally walking and running everywhere.  I thought the excitement over achieving such a milestone would never wear off.  Boy was I wrong.  She gets into twice as much stuff and in stores, we steer clear of any aisle with breakables.  Just last Friday, she pulled down a whold box of water guns.  I promise my face was bright red from embarrassment as they all clanked loudly to the floor and customers gave me that ‘control your child’ look.

    Anyways, back to Tuesday’s events.  So, I’m in the dining room (which is open to the living room) working on my line of custom totes and accessories called Nizhoni Sky.  I’ve rented a booth at the Yard Sale of the Carolinas for May 1st in Chesterfield, SC.  So, I really needed to work on as much as possible to prepare.  I’m in the process of ironing one tote when an argument over a couch pillow breaks out between my Moo and my four year old niece.

    Moo decides to get one of the larger couch pillows and starts making her way to me in the dining room.  Like a proud mom, I’m standing there looking on thinking about time has flown and how thankfully I am that she is finally walking.  She decides it’s a good time to play ‘put the pillow over my eyes and try to walk’ and ends up tripping over her feet.

    At first I didn’t really think her fall was that bad.  I’ve seen some kids take a bad fall before and hers was nothing compared to theirs.  But as I went to help her up, I turned her over and almost screamed.  Her face was swollen in her T-zone area.  Worst she had started to cry.  I hate it when she cries.

    But at the sight of her swollen face, it wasn’t the crying I was all the concerned about.  I wanted to panic, but remained somewhat calm.  I didn’t know what was wrong with her.  All sorts of bad thoughts popped in my mind. What if she fractured her skull or her nose?  So, we loaded up and off I sped to the hospital. Four hours later, she was diagnosed with a contusion.  She damaged a blood vessel from the fall but would be recovered with 3 to 5 days.  Oh my Moo was safe!!

    Never have I been so scared.  Sincw then she has been confined to her walker her safety purposes.  She hates it at first but eventually calms down and starts rolling around like nobody’s business.  And here I was worried about her getting hurt with dad and it was me I needed to be worried about.  I am so going to keep her in the walker until she is more sturdy on her feet at least.

    If only she had come with a Caution New Walker sign or something. I am to report that she has already recovered from her fall with a little help from Grammie and food.  She is back to her dare devil ways climbing on stuff and being the fearless child that I once was.  I can only chaulk this up to karma.  I gave my mom lots of near heartaches with my dare devil schemes and now Moo is doing the same to me.

  • Caution Unstable Walker Coming Thru

    Happy Friday Everyone!!  The weekend is finally in sight.  Yippeee…  I am so glad this week is coming to an end.  I had the scare of my life on Tuesday.  So, if you are my Facebook page or read my Selfish post, then you would know that my little Moo is my whole life.

    Well, after a CAT Scan and visit to a bone specialist, Moo finally decided it was high time for her to start walking.  We discovered her bowed legs were the culprit behind her delayed walking, but that the issue would correct itself.  Obviously even though I put on almost 100 pounds and looked like I had a circus ten under my shirt for nine months, she was still cramped for space.  I blame my tumors.

    They took up valuable space that she needed to stretch her legs.  And sleeping in her much loved fetal position post womb only bowed her legs out more.  So, now we finally walking and running everywhere.  I thought the excitement over achieving such a milestone would never wear off.  Boy was I wrong.  She gets into twice as much stuff and in stores, we steer clear of any aisle with breakables.  Just last Friday, she pulled down a whold box of water guns.  I promise my face was bright red from embarrassment as they all clanked loudly to the floor and customers gave me that ‘control your child’ look.

    Anyways, back to Tuesday’s events.  So, I’m in the dining room (which is open to the living room) working on my line of custom totes and accessories called Nizhoni Sky.  I’ve rented a booth at the Yard Sale of the Carolinas for May 1st in Chesterfield, SC.  So, I really needed to work on as much as possible to prepare.  I’m in the process of ironing one tote when an argument over a couch pillow breaks out between my Moo and my four year old niece.

    Moo decides to get one of the larger couch pillows and starts making her way to me in the dining room.  Like a proud mom, I’m standing there looking on thinking about time has flown and how thankfully I am that she is finally walking.  She decides it’s a good time to play ‘put the pillow over my eyes and try to walk’ and ends up tripping over her feet.

    At first I didn’t really think her fall was that bad.  I’ve seen some kids take a bad fall before and hers was nothing compared to theirs.  But as I went to help her up, I turned her over and almost screamed.  Her face was swollen in her T-zone area.  Worst she had started to cry.  I hate it when she cries.

    But at the sight of her swollen face, it wasn’t the crying I was all the concerned about.  I wanted to panic, but remained somewhat calm.  I didn’t know what was wrong with her.  All sorts of bad thoughts popped in my mind. What if she fractured her skull or her nose?  So, we loaded up and off I sped to the hospital. Four hours later, she was diagnosed with a contusion.  She damaged a blood vessel from the fall but would be recovered with 3 to 5 days.  Oh my Moo was safe!!

    Never have I been so scared.  Sincw then she has been confined to her walker her safety purposes.  She hates it at first but eventually calms down and starts rolling around like nobody’s business.  And here I was worried about her getting hurt with dad and it was me I needed to be worried about.  I am so going to keep her in the walker until she is more sturdy on her feet at least.

    If only she had come with a Caution New Walker sign or something. I am to report that she has already recovered from her fall with a little help from Grammie and food.  She is back to her dare devil ways climbing on stuff and being the fearless child that I once was.  I can only chaulk this up to karma.  I gave my mom lots of near heartaches with my dare devil schemes and now Moo is doing the same to me.

  • Adventures in Wedding Planning

    Ok, so I have just officially planned my first wedding and I have to say that it went very well.  At first when my younger sister told me that she was getting married in less than a week, I was a little fearful.  One because she wanted to just go down to the courthouse and do some completely unoriginal ceremony conducted by a stranger.  And two, I wasn’t even sure if she had a dress.  Even if you’re just doing the courthouse thing, it is still important to have a dress specifically for that occasion.

    Anyways, I  was kind of stoked when she asked me before she left to help her plan a small ceremony here at the family estate.  In the past, we have had our disagreements and weren’t always as close as we should have been.  However, as we have matured and gone through our different trials and struggles, we have bonded in a new light and are discovering a very welcomed friendship of sorts.  So, I was very happy and more than willing to help plan the ceremony.

    Wedding planning has been one of my many dreams and I was filled with ideas that I wanted to try.  After the initial excitement wore off, I started thinking about all the things that had to be done in such short time. Flowers, food, decoration and let’s not forget about the CAKE!!  What wedding is complete without a wedding cake?  And I didn’t want her to have some half assed cake either.

    I started by first planning out the menu which consisted of Apple & Sage Pork Chops, Mashed Potatoes with Beef Gravy, French Cut Green Beans, Rolls, and an array of drinks and desserts.   Then I started shopping for wedding favors.  I thought it was important for the few guests who be at this ceremony to have something remember it by.  Then it hit me that the biggest part by far would be decorating the yard.

    All the other stuff seemed so minor in comparison of trying to figure out how to fill such a huge space.   Not to mention there are like a million trees and the ground was covered in leaves.  Well, let me tell you all….it took three people and almost ten hours to tackle that task.  I mean I blisters for days.  I don’t want to see another rake any time in the near future for sure.

    But when the final day got here everything went off great.  My sister was happy and so was my brother in-law.  They had a great time.  And the smiles on their faces made my day.  So, now the question remains as to if I ever pursue this adventure again?  Maybe…..we’ll see what happens.

  • Adventures in Wedding Planning

    Ok, so I have just officially planned my first wedding and I have to say that it went very well.  At first when my younger sister told me that she was getting married in less than a week, I was a little fearful.  One because she wanted to just go down to the courthouse and do some completely unoriginal ceremony conducted by a stranger.  And two, I wasn’t even sure if she had a dress.  Even if you’re just doing the courthouse thing, it is still important to have a dress specifically for that occasion.

    Anyways, I  was kind of stoked when she asked me before she left to help her plan a small ceremony here at the family estate.  In the past, we have had our disagreements and weren’t always as close as we should have been.  However, as we have matured and gone through our different trials and struggles, we have bonded in a new light and are discovering a very welcomed friendship of sorts.  So, I was very happy and more than willing to help plan the ceremony.

    Wedding planning has been one of my many dreams and I was filled with ideas that I wanted to try.  After the initial excitement wore off, I started thinking about all the things that had to be done in such short time. Flowers, food, decoration and let’s not forget about the CAKE!!  What wedding is complete without a wedding cake?  And I didn’t want her to have some half assed cake either.

    I started by first planning out the menu which consisted of Apple & Sage Pork Chops, Mashed Potatoes with Beef Gravy, French Cut Green Beans, Rolls, and an array of drinks and desserts.   Then I started shopping for wedding favors.  I thought it was important for the few guests who be at this ceremony to have something remember it by.  Then it hit me that the biggest part by far would be decorating the yard.

    All the other stuff seemed so minor in comparison of trying to figure out how to fill such a huge space.   Not to mention there are like a million trees and the ground was covered in leaves.  Well, let me tell you all….it took three people and almost ten hours to tackle that task.  I mean I blisters for days.  I don’t want to see another rake any time in the near future for sure.

    But when the final day got here everything went off great.  My sister was happy and so was my brother in-law.  They had a great time.  And the smiles on their faces made my day.  So, now the question remains as to if I ever pursue this adventure again?  Maybe…..we’ll see what happens.

  • Maybe I’m Selfish

    Today, it hit like a sag of rocks that my little Moo is growing up on me.  And if I’m being totally honest I have to say that I don’t like it one bit. I know, I know…I should probably be glad that she is learning to do certain things for herself such as walking, taking off her shoes and socks (and hat on occasion), holding her own cup and more.  Call me selfish or crazy but I want to rewind the clock all the way to the beginning.

    As I watched her walk around, it crossed my mind that in 8 months she’ll be 2 and then before I know it she’ll be 18 and leaving the nest.  Just the thought of her not needing me anymore kinda scare me.  I mean if I’m breaking down now because she can climb on the sofa by herself, what am I going to do when she starts picking out her own clothes?  I know some of you are thinking that I should just have another kid, but to be honest I just like having my one.  It took me years to get to the point that it dawned on me that I would actually like to give this mommy thing a try.

    Let’s not add the fact that my current situation is a little complicated at the moment.  The love I feel for her is so overwhelming that I can’t envision being able to give the same love to a 2nd child.  But then maybe we’re meant to love each one of our kids differently.  As the second oldest of five, I know for a fact the my parents love each of us differently and at times it bothers me.  I just don’t want to risk putting any child in this same position.

    Not to mention, Moo totally enjoys having me all to herself.  Another child anytime soon would just crush her.  Then there’s the fact that I have fibroids that grow and shrink on my right ovary.  I was so uncomfortable my entire 9 months and got so sick of people asking if I was having twins.  If only storks could really just drop the baby off at your door step.

    However, all the pain and months of discomfort were worth it. Now I just want her to need me a little while longer… Ok forever maybe.  Having Moo transformed me somehow.  I’m shaping a life here. Wow!!  That is just still totally amazing to me.  No matter how selfish I feel the urge to be, I won’t smother her.  Instead, I’ll sit back and watch my caterpillar morph into the soaring butterfly she’s becoming.