It's HallowGlee at my office, yours?

Halloween is one of my favorite holidays. I love it so much that I got married on November 1st (4 years ago...woohoo!) so that my rehearsal dinner would fall on Halloween and all my guests would have to wear costumes (it worked too)! So, in anticipation of Halloween one of my coworkers came up with the idea of dressing up as Glee characters. I have to say that I've enjoyed watching the show when I do because of the dancing, the music and the wide variety of characters. There is definitely something for everyone in this show. With that in mind, it was the perfect theme for our office Halloween theme.

Fast forward to today (a day I have been anxiously awaiting because I love to dress up). Everyone in our office took this very seriously and we have literally recreated the entire cast of Glee. How awesome is that?! Kudos to all my coworkers for going the extra mile and going along with our office Hallow Glee theme. This has definitely put a big smile on everyone's face in the office.

What are you doing at your office or with your kids today? Are you following a theme this year or going with the most inexpensive, easy-to-pull off costume? I want to hear about it.

 My best Santana impression...

 

Puck and his girls...

 

Oh Cheerios!

It's Glee time!

Tighten Up, Mommy!

Now that I'm working hard to get back into shape, all I can think about is fitness and healthy eating. A bit obsessive almost, but with a little one at home it is even more important to lead a healthy, active lifestyle. Anyone else out there agree? 

Another reason for trying to be healthy and active is that I'm unfortunately one of those people who is allergic to everything I breathe and happen to have a weak immune system and find myself sick more often than healthy. I joke with my brothers and sisters-in-law that my husband and I get sick all the time because we are not eating enough preservatives and fast food. I hardly ever meet and unfit person who gets as sick as often as I do. And while I'm not the biggest health nut or organic food follower, I still make it a point to eat healthy and cook healthy alternatives to otherwise very fatty foods (like Hispanic dishes that I love so much). How do you stay healthy? Do you find that eating less processed foods lowers your defenses? 

And what do you do to be active? I recently enrolled in a women's only bootcamp program for the next six months. When I met my husband I was fit and weighed about 108 pounds. Post baby I'm at 120 pounds (my heaviest  and my pre-baby weight). My goal is to go down to between 105 and 108, I have a long way to go. I'm trying my hardest to follow my mean plan and get this weight off but I know it's not going to be easy. What do you do to maintain your weight or lose a few pounds?

A Baby Hand Problem

So I had read that many babies LOVE to fall asleep with their moms' hands on their face or on their back, and the minute the mom moves it away he/she wakes up. In my many adventures in the little time that I've been a mom I hadn't experienced it, until today. My very active baby was finally giving in to his sleep while mommy carried him, shushing around the house and rocking him (oh yeah! it takes most of the 5 S's for my little one to fall asleep and he's 5 months). And when he finally closed his eyes, I held him for five more minutes and then slowly and carefully put my snuggly baby in the playard for a nap. To my surprise, as I undid my arms little by little he didn't seem to mind. But when it came to my hand, he refused to let go. I gently moved his fingers one by one and in an instant almost woke him up.  I left my hand there for a few more seconds and when I was sure that he was sleeping, I made my move. And success, baby was sleeping and mommy can have dinner before his next feeding.

Sounds intricate doesn't it? Has this happened to you? If so, have you had to leave your hand with your baby to let him/her sleep? Or does your baby have another comfort habit?

To pack and play, but where?

I'm a bit late to the pack and play (also known as playard) game since my son is 4 months old and I just got one.  And now that I have one, where do I put it?

The hubby and I decided that it would go in the family room right now since we don't have any other cushioned surface in that area. However, he wanted it in the corner next to a wall so it wouldn't look so obstrusive in our very modern family room. The thing is that the whole purpose of having a pack and play is so that I can be in the kitchen or working while sitting in the family room and being able to see the baby playing from different angles. So after both sides presenting our reasoning and some frustration on my part, the hubby gave in and decided to leave it right smack in the middle of our family room where I originally suggested. Also, it is where I could also see the baby from the kitchen. Note: I have an open kitchen that is right next to my family room.

And now I'm strongly considering buying those padded, colorful mats that you see at daycare centers for my family room so that the baby can play freely (and I'll be with him of course). But after a lot of research, are those things safe?

I went on Amazon when I woke up at around 4:30 a.m. (I was so tired that I fell asleep with all of my clothes and jewelry on at 8:30 p.m.) this morning and lots of reviews said that they smell like those permanent markers and that the colors come off and on some, the removable parts are choking hazards (YIKES!). What are is your experience with them? Would you recommend them? I saw one called the SoftSpot and it looks nice but at $100 for just the mat (cover is another $40), I'm not so sure about it. Do you have one of those and is it a product that you can't live without?

I'm dying to know what other parents do about this. And have you had the discussion as to where the pack and play or other kid gear should go with your hubby and/or significant other? Did you end up with a pros and cons list? How did you decide? Did you get to pick where one went and he chose the other?

How do moms relax?

Every day I seem to find myself running around from one thing to the next and from one place to another nonstop. My morning routine begins at about 6:30 a.m. and I don't sit down to veg out until my baby is sleeping around 8:30 p.m. As for food, I'm lucky if I eat three full meals a day as time seems to go by faster than I can remember.

I'm sure most of you can relate to this and I'm interested in knowing how other moms relax? Do you get a mani/ pedi once a week? Do you go for a run or take a yoga class? Or is it as simple as watching any of The Real Housewives series? Do you have a glass of wine with friends once a week?

Usually my relaxation routine would include going to bootcamp, ideally a kickboxing cardio class to let out all my stress from the week. But since I've been sick, it's been sitting on the couch to watch whatever RHW series is on. Although I may not particularly like all of them, I feel better knowing that I don't have their kind of problems. Other ways to relax can be as low key as drinking my favorite cup of tea right before going to bed and just sinking into my pillow before I doze off.

On the weekends I look forward to my family mornings taking walks in the park with my husband, son and dog. There is something about the fresh morning air that makes me feel so energized. What do you do on the weekends to forget the stressful week?

Daycare Dilema

Every working mom has the option of putting her baby in daycare or hiring a nanny to come to your house and if you're really lucky you have a family member who can take care of your darling. In my case, daycare worked best. And all was going fine until I heard my son's peer at daycare coughing one of these mornings. Surely enough, the next day he had a cold. His little cold turned into a big cold that both mom and dad caught right away.

Fast forward a few days later and now my husband, the baby and I are all on antibiotics. The cold morphed into an upper respiratory infection that has taken over our lives for the past two months. If there was a group for saline mist addicts I think all three of us would be enrolled as its the only thing that is safe and natural and that seems to calm our congested noses. Oh daycare, you're so convenient yet you are making us all so very sick!

With that in mind, what do you think is the best option for working moms? Do you take your child to daycare or did you decide to reprioritize and make mommyhood your career?

Baby Products You Can't Live Without

With so baby products on the market, it's so hard to tell which ones really make a difference. So to help us we read a ton of books to educate us. In the end, however, it's a mom's testimonial that can sway you in the right direction. My baby is almost four months old and by now I've learned what baby products make my life easier and which ones money were only hype. So from my brief experience, here is a quick list of my must haves- think gifts for your preggo friends or new moms. Note: none of the companies mentioned have asked me to write about their product or asked me to test them.

1. Baby carrier- While I'm loyal to the Moby Wrap, many friends and family members swear by Baby Bjorn. All I know is that when my baby is crying at the top of his lungs and his face is red, I gently place him into the Moby Wrap and the closeness to my heartbeat and chest calm him down AND I get two free hands to have a snack or do some reading while my baby relaxes. Apparently many women breastfeed while the baby is in the Moby Wrap, I'm not that talented.

2. Swaddle blankets or Swaddle Me- The first thing I learned about babies in the hospital was how to swaddle my baby. And while the nurse did a fantastic job of teaching my hubby and I how to do it, not all blankets are created equal leading your baby to Houdini his way out of his swaddle. Therefor, I strongly recommend investing in a few Swaddle Me type outfits that keep the baby tight at night helping him to sleep longer. After all, swaddled baby means happy parents.

3. Pacifier wipes and hands/face wipes- Do you have any idea how often an infant drops his pacifier in one day? And while you may have like 10 pacifiers, somehow when he's falling asleep and you're nowhere near another pacifier the one he has just happens to fall to the ground. Enter pacifier wipes to make your life easier and keep moms everywhere a little bit further away from going insane. To add to that, the hands and face wipes come in very handy after a baby spits up and you don't have the time to give your baby a bath right then and there. (But please, if your baby is spitting up constantly do bathe him more than the recommended 3 times a week.)

4. Breastfeeding pillow- I know that this isn't a necessity, but it sure makes your life easier. My hubby bought me a Boppy pillow and I absolutely adore it. I go from room to room in my house with my Boppy as it serves multiple purposes. One use is to facilitate breastfeeding, but my favorite one is to put my baby to sleep. Yes, there is a version of the Boppy pillow that is strictly for newborns. But I simply put a receiving blanket over it and close it and the baby LOVES to sleep there. He must feel warm and cozy. Whatever it is, I'm just happy he is able to sleep and that I can put the pillow on my bed or on the couch next to me when I'm watching TV.

5. Baby monitor- Whether it is the one that only provides sound or a high-tech one with a touchscreen digital monitor, this will provid peace of mind to any parent. In those rare occassions when my baby is sleeping in his crib and I'm in the kitchen or family room, I simply take the monitor and enjoy some time to myself. Think about it, alone time is extremely limited so why not help out a new mom with a monitor?

6.  Bouncer or swing- I preface this by saying that my child doesn't fancy either one, but he's one of the few who doesn't like them. My doll of a niece on the other hand loved her swing/bouncer. How I wish my son enjoyed at least one.

7. Noise machine or white noise CD- So they say babies enjoy white noise because it makes them feel like they did when they were in the womb, and I believe it. My baby easily relaxes at the sound of any white noise- let's just say that the exhaust in my kitchen has become my best friend especially at 4 am when he decides he won't go back to sleep and needs to more attention than usual. They range in price from $10 for a disc to about $50 for a more sophisticated noise machine. Huge return on investment here.

8. Infant Toys- Fisher Price has this dancing and singing dog that my baby just goes crazy for. As for me, I love it. Not only is it educational but also my husband and I have learned the songs and sing along- it's become quite the family affair to play with my son and the Fisher Price doggy on a daily basis. We received it as a gift but I think it's not more than $20. My sons other favorite toy is Sophie the French giraffe. Oh let me count the ways that I love Sophie. While a bit pricey for one toy, she definately keeps my son entertained- he chews on her, squeezes her to make the squeaky noise and holds her long giraffe legs. I feel that this is a toy that grows with the baby. By far, one of the best gifts- thank you to Enzo's godmother for such a thoughtful gift.

9. Socks not shoes- I've had the hardes time finding shoes that fit my newborn (now soon to be a 4 month old). So I decided to forgo the socks and buy the socks that look like shoes- Trumpette and Carters have some really good choices. Not only do they cover his feet but they don't bother him. When he's old enough for shoes, we'll start looking.

10. Bumbo chair- It is all that and a bag of chips. After a few months of sleeping on their backs (as recommended by pediatricians) your baby may suffer from flat head syndrome. To help with their heads becoming completely flat, try sitting them up in the Bumbo chair. Although my son doesn't like to sit in it, well because he doesn't like to sit still period, I still love it. Friends have raved about this product so it is with no hesitation that I tell you invest in one for yourself or your friends.