Sorry about the lack of posts!

Our modem at home is acting up again, so I can't get on the Internet :( And with my crazy schedule I just don't have an hour to spend on the phone with the always-very-nice-and-helpful Verizon Fios tech folks. I've turned it off, on and hit the reset button several times, still no signal other than the power signal. I'd rather not post from work (like I'm doing right now!), so the blog may be quiet for a while, but hopefully not for long. Have a great week!

The Diaper Clutch

I was surfing The Mom Buzz today and came across a post about the Diaper Clutch. It is a cute little folding bag that holds diapers, wipes, a changing pad, even a small bottle of hand sanitizer. They come in a ton of cute designs. I am partial to the Girl Camo:



Currently crumpled diapers float around in my purse and I carry around a big ol' Costco wipe pack, so one of these would certainly solve some of my space issues. I switch bags back and forth between the week and weekends, so this would provide for a smooth transition between bags, ensuring I don't forget anything.

The Mom Buzz is giving one away, so click here to enter by February 4th!

Inauguration Day

Just in case you were unable to see it live, below is President Obama's oath and speech. I am home from work today with a sick baby, so I was able to catch it. I thought the speech was awesome. What a great day of hope for Americans!

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

Free Stuff!

Who doesn't love free stuff? Get some here!

• Look here to download a free copy of Suze Orman's new book: Suze Orman's 2009 Action Plan: Keeping Your Money Safe and Sound, courtesy of Oprah (offer expires 11:59 pm CT on Thursday, January 15)
  
• Register here to get a free sippy cup from Juicy Juice. Make sure you choose the sippy cup at the bottom
  
• Look here to download free e-books from Random House
• Look here to email for a free sample of Don't Bite Me! natural insect repellent patch
• Click here to get a free pocket size copy of the Constitution from the Heritage Foundation. This would be great for a kids' civics or social studies project.
• Click here to order a dryer vent safety tool from Dryer Vent Wizard. I really need this, I'm sure my dryer is a fire hazard!

La Vida Loca

Wow, this week is CRAZY. This is the first full week of work, day care, school, and the kids' activities: dance class, karate, swim lessons, and softball pitching clinic. I have been trying to get into work early (7am) so I can leave earlier (4pm) in order to shuttle to all these things and make sure the homework gets done.

So, in order to get to work by 7, I need to leave my house between 6-6:15. I take #3 with me (JV stays home to get Diva & Daredevil on the bus at 8:20 in order to save $ by not using Before Care) so here's my schedule:

• Wake up between 4:45-5. Shower, blow dry & get dressed by 5:30
• Wake up #3 at 5:30. Feed her (still nursing, so that takes 20-25 minutes) and dress her.
• Kiss the sleeping Diva and Daredevil goodbye.
• Park #3 in her bouncy seat and take bottle bag, breast pump, briefcase, lunch bag and purse (yes I do look like a pack mule) to the car, turn on car to warm up.
• Come back in, bundle up #3 and put her in the infant seat, put infant seat in car
• Leave between 6-6:15 for 25-35 minute drive to day care/work
• Arrive at daycare (usually 6:40-6:50). Parallel park and run #3 in to her room, give her tons of kisses, put bottles in fridge, hand her over to her teacher, and leave
• Pull into parking garage on next block and run up to my office by 7.

Whew. So far I'm totally exhausted. This is my second day of this schedule. Hopefully it I will get used to it and it will get easier! (The fact #3 woke up hungry at 2:30 a.m. did not help!) Plus, we also start sports clinics this weekend - on Saturday, Diva's starting 6 weeks of volleyball, and on Sunday, Daredevil's starting flag football. They are at our health club, so hopefully I'll be able to get a workout in on one of those days!

New Years Resolutions

New Year's Eve/Day is my favorite holiday of the year.

As a self-help book addict (and book addict in general) I love New Year's Resolutions and the chance to make a fresh start to set about the task of improving myself and learning new things. Yes, my resolutions are eerily similar year to year. Have I followed through with all of them? Heck no. But I have a lot of fun making the list and starting, ever so slowly, to change for the better, or at least start thinking of how I'd like to change for the better.

Here's what I'm looking at in 2009:

• Weight loss/fitness. I've already started working on this with JV. See my other blog, Mr. And Mrs. Wannabe Skinny. We just started a few weeks ago, so not much success yet with all our holiday goings-on. Stay tuned for (hopefully) our success stories!

• Pack rat tendencies. This is the issue that probably needs the most attention. I am a huge fan of the show Clean House on the Style channel, mainly because I have rooms, closets, and drawers that sometimes look like that show. As they say, I have chaos, mayhem, and foolishness. We have too much stuff. I fantasize while watching Clean House that Miss Neicy & crew will show up at my house and make all my clutter go away via a fun yard sale where they do most of the work. Bottom line: We need to get rid of stuff. And figure out a way to keep stuff from accumulating. I've started selling books on half.com, and I've set up an Ecrater.com store, but haven't posted anything yet. Stay tuned, stuff will be there soon. Good stuff.
  


• Career options. I'm a paralegal. I do a lot of the same work lawyers do and get paid a lot less for it. I have dreams of going to law school. I need to find a way to make this happen while still being there for my family and pulling in some kind of income. Sounds impossible, but I know other people have done it, so I can do it too. Instead of spending another year being paralyzed by the limitations (fear/time/money), I need to work on solutions and at least take the LSAT test.


• Learning to play acoustic guitar. I have one. I don't know how to play it. JV bought it for me 4 or 5 years ago for my birthday because I asked for one. It's gorgeous and was expensive. I want to take lessons. They have group lessons very cheap at the local Police Athletic League Center, but the next session was on Tuesday nights, when Daredevil has karate and will soon start swimming lessons. Hopefully I can make the next session.

I think this is enough to focus on. Hopefully it will help that I've already taken some baby steps. If I think of anything else worth mentioning, I'll update. I'll revisit these resolutions next year and see how I did. Maybe I'll do better in 2009 since my resolutions are out here on the blogosphere, rather than existing only in my mind.

Do you have any New Years Resolutions? Comment and let me know! Wishing you a very happy and healthy 2009!

I Survived My First Day

Well, my first day back to work came and went. It was largely uneventful. I was fine during drop off until #3's teacher, while holding her, held up her little hand and said "Bye bye, Mommy - have a great day!" The tears started and I did my best to get the heck out of there and to my car, where I had a moment. But it didn't last long, because I had to pull into my parking garage next door and go right to my office. Luckily I brought a box of tissues.

My day consisted of phone calls to get my system access back, which went surprisingly smooth, and trips to the back file room to use my breast pump a couple of times. My company used to have lactation rooms, but no longer. So I use a back file room with a door that locks. There is a table and chair in the back behind a row of file cabinets, so if anyone else came in, I'd be hidden and have some warning. It worked out well.

There was lots of work to do - there aren't many people in this week, and the work is rolling in. I'm glad I decided to go back this week - the numbers in #3's class are down, so she is getting lots of attention, and I am able to get acclimated without the usual daily incessant barrage of phone calls and emails from impatient clients that don't understand that thorough legal work TAKES TIME.

All in all, it went well. Whew!

Back to the Real World: Maternity Leave Fades into a Memory

So I'm heading back to work TOMORROW, December 30. This is my last 24 hours of maternity leave. JV took #3 for her first day of "school" today. She is going to the absolutely wonderful day care run by my company, right next door to my building (JV works 2 blocks away). I am home with Diva and Daredevil today, and we all admit it's a little weird to be here in the house without #3. We will go pick her up after lunch, so her first day is not too long.

So I avoided the first drop off at day care, but I will be doing it tomorrow. It's hard to tell how I will react at drop off time. With my previous 2, I was perfectly fine until I got back to my car, then it was uncontrollable waterworks. I know it is silly. They both had perfectly wonderful caregivers, but I still cried anyway. I think no matter how wonderful your child's caregivers are, it's just damn hard to leave your little baby with strangers. I know she will be fine, it's just something I have to go through. This time, though, I have to walk next door to my office. I don't think many people will be in, so hopefully they won't notice the tear-streaked makeup lines on my face.

What I am looking forward to when I go back to work:

• The work. It's challenging, and I like it
  
• The sense of accomplishment that comes with the work
  
• A paycheck. It's been a while and we certainly need the money
  
• Social and professional interaction with adults
  
• A little 'me' time (my office has a nice cafeteria and gym)
  

What I am not looking forward to:

• The commute (A 13 mile drive takes me 45 minutes each way. The traffic is absolutely ridiculous)
  
• Dressing up (my pre-pregnancy work clothes are either too big or too small, and I've been in denial about going back so I haven't bought anything new)
• Sitting at a desk all day (I wish I could work from home from at least some of the time, but I can't - that is a sore topic among my peers and I and worth another post)
• Day care costs - $208/week for #3, and $130/week total for after care for Diva and Daredevil - ouch

So, I will try to enjoy this time home today with Diva and Daredevil, though we are all counting the minutes til it's time to pick up #3. We miss her something awful!

For all my Girlfriends: Thank You!

If there's one thing I've learned, it's that I'd be hard pressed to get from one day to another without my Girlfriends, even if I don't see them or talk to them every day, just knowing they are there if I need them is a huge comfort. And when I say Girlfriends, that encompasses both friends and female relatives. I hope they know I am there for them as well. This moving video says it all. The speaker, Kelly Corrigan, has a book called "The Middle Place". Love you girls!

Sunday Stealing: The Sreaming Masses' Meme

Sunday Stealing: The Screaming Masses' Meme

Here's this week's meme. To get in on the fun, visit Judd over at Sunday Stealing.

1. What is a nickname a former (or present) lover gave you? My husband calls me "babe" sometimes.

2. How do you style your hair? If you just would say "cut" what style is it? Blow dry with a big round brush & finish with flat iron. Inverse chin length bob

3. What's your least favorite Christmas song? Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer or Elvis' Blue Christmas

4. How many colors are you wearing now? 3 Navy blue, grey, orange

5. Are you an introvert or extrovert? Either - depends on the situation

6. What was the last book you read? Parenting Inc: How we are sold on $800 strollers, Fetal Education, Baby Sign Languages, Sleeping Coaches, Toddler Couture, and Diaper Wipe Warmers and What It Means for our Children

7. What's one piece of fiction that changed your life? I read mostly non-fiction nowadays, but when I was younger I read all the Stephen King books. I loved them, but they made me afraid of the dark! Being in the basement at night by myself still creeps me out!

8. If you are attracted to someone who is already in a relationship (or married), what might do you do? Keep it to myself and move on

9. Is there anything that has made you unhappy recently? My son struggling at school. He's doing better now. I'm so proud of all his hard work.

10. What's your favorite dessert? Cheesecake or anything chocolate

11. How long does it take you to get ready in the morning? Too long.

12. Name one website that you visit daily. Why do you read it? New York Times. I live in a small town, so it makes me feel a little bit more worldly and informed

13. What was your last job before either you are at home or at another job?? I work as a paralegal in the Legal department of a large corporation.

14. Do you like to clean? Not really, but I like the results and sense of accomplishment

15. What was the last song to get stuck in your head? "Jeremiah was a bullfrog, was a good friend of mine . . ."

16. What's the last movie you saw? Theater: High School Musical 3 DVD: Baby Mama TV: 28 days (where I heard the "Jeremiah was a bullfrog" song)

17. Pirates or Ninjas? Pirates. I love Captain Jack Sparrow.

18. What is your least favorite thing to do that you have to do everyday? Clean up the trail my kids leave everywhere.

19. Best time of your life? Tough one . . either my college years or now, while my kids are little . .

20. What are you most looking forward to in the coming year? Watching my kids grow . . .

Have a great week.

Works for me Wednesday: Cheap Extra or Replacement Car Keyless Remotes

This is my inaugural Works-For-Me Wednesday. Read more about it at RocksInMyDryer

Here's my tip:

My keyless remote for my 2002 Yukon XL died recently. Not battery-dead, really dead. In trying to replace the battery I broke the little piece that held the battery inside it, totally screwing it up. Totally not fixable.

I called my local GMC dealer to see about replacing it. The price for a new one was over $400, so I thought I was out of luck.

Now that I have 3 kids, one of which is carried around in a infant seat, a remote has become oh-so-important. So one day I checked E-bay. I found and bought one that matched my truck (same FCC ID) for $16.95 + 6.95 shipping. That's right, $23.90 total. A little less than $400!

I have to program it myself, but the instructions seem simple:

For most 02 GMC trucks:

1. get in truck and close doors
2. insert key in ignition
3. press and hold unlock button on driver's door
4. turn vehicle on and off (as far as you can without starting) twice
5. release lock button on door. Door locks should unlock and lock to indicate programming mode
6. hold lock and unlock buttons simultaneously on remote you want to use. Make sure it is the correct code for the vehicle year. Repeat #'s 5& 6 for additional remotes\.
   
7. Then turn the ignition key on and off to end the programming mode.

Need an extra keyless remote for your car? Check Ebay or other auction/store sites. Make sure the FCC ID matches your current remote and that the seller gives you programming instructions.

Check out the other fantastic ideas at Rocks in my Dryer. Have a great week.

UPDATE: I got my remote in the mail, and followed the instructions above to program it. The programming took all of 30 seconds, and it works PERFECTLY! I am so happy with it I ordered another for my husband, whose had lost his.

Recipe of the Week: Brie with Sun-Dried Tomatoes

This is an easy and elegant appetizer for a holiday party. I've made this a few times and have gotten many compliments. Happy holiday partying!

• 1/3 cup chopped basil
• 1 large garlic clove
• 1/3 cup olive oil
  
• 3 tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 4 oz. julienned sundried tomatoes
• 1 large brie wheel
  

Combine all ingredients (except brie) in a jar and refrigerate until thoroughly chilled (the more time the better, but at least 1 hour)

Bake brie at 325 degrees for 20 minutes. Pour jar mixture over brie once out of the oven. Serve with crackers or bread rounds. Enjoy!

Sunday Stealing: The Christmas Meme

Sunday Stealing: The Christmas Meme

Head on over to Sunday Stealing to see more meme participants or join the fun yourself.

1. Wrapping paper or gift bags? Wrapping paper for Christmas. Any other time, though, gift bags!

2. Real tree or Artificial? Real. We make a Griswolds day of it . . riding on a tractor, trooping through a tree farm to find the perfect tree while sipping hot chocolate, ceremoniously cut it down, etc.

3. When do you put up the tree? It varies, but we try to do it as soon as possible after Thanksgiving.

4. When do you take the tree down? A weekend or two after New Years' Day

5. Do you like eggnog? Yes

6. Favorite gift received as a child? Merlin game . .I'm such a geek. I know I'm dating myself here, so here's a pic.


7. Hardest person to buy for? My dad. My brother and I joke about how everything we buy him (except for car wash coupons and Outback gift certificates) winds up collecting dust in their basement, the "Land of Misfit Gifts"

8. Easiest person to buy for? My kids

9. Do you have a nativity scene? I have one that was my grandmothers', Diva has her own, a gift from my mom

10. Mail or email Christmas cards? Mail, although email sounds fabulous to me

11. Worst Christmas gift you ever received? Early in our marriage, my hubby attempted to buy me clothes. Since then he has been forbidden to do so. I don't care to dress like a stripper. (Not that there's anything wrong with that.)

12. Favorite for Christmas dinner? Turkey with all the trimmings

13. When do you start shopping for Christmas? After Thanksgiving. I really can't get into it unless there's some pressure.

14. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present? Not that I know of.

15. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? My grandmother's cherry nut cookies. I've tried to make them myself but they just never taste the same.

16. Lights on the tree? Yes - white and multi-colored

17. Favorite Christmas song? The Charlie Brown song, I can't remember the actual title.

18. Travel at Christmas or stay home? Stay home in the morning, go to my parents' for dinner, they live 5 minutes away.

19. Angel on the tree top or a star? Star

20. Open the presents Christmas Eve or morning? Both - we open gifts from JV's parents on Christmas Eve, and everything else on Christmas morning.

Free Shipping Day: December 18

Check out http://www.freeshippingday.com/. Many online merchants will be offering free shipping on December 18, with arrival guaranteed before Christmas. More merchants are being added to the list every day. Happy holiday shopping!

Buy $25 restaurant gift certificates for $3! (No, that's not a typo!)

If you go to www.restaurant.com, you can buy $25 gift certificates to local restaurants for $10. If you enter the offer code BELLS, the price reduces from $10 to $3. Seriously! $3 for a $25 gift certificate! There are some stipulations, such as minimum purchase amounts and days of the week they can be used, but what a deal!! Enjoy!

Update: I just bought a $25 gift certificate for a very nice restaurant in my area for $3. Be sure to read the terms and conditions ... in most cases you can only redeem 1 gift certificate per visit (i.e. you can't buy 3 gift certificates and try to use them all in one sitting to get a free meal, like I was thinking we could do). It's still a great deal though - the web site has restaurants in most cities! A great gift idea if the site has your friends and families' favorite restaurants.