Paradise at the Grand Hotel Bavaro

A few weeks ago we spent 4 nights at the Iberostar Grand Hotel Bavaro in Punta Cana. It was a very quiet, beautiful and relaxing trip. Since the resort is adults only we left the babies with family and enjoyed our time away with friends. The resort was meticulous. The beach and the pool were both beautiful but we chose to spend most of our time at the beach. Our weather was perfect with a nice constant breeze to keep it from being too hot. The food was good, nothing was outstanding, but the buffets had an amazing variety of food and fresh fruit every day. I wish we could have stayed longer…maybe next time.

Hiatus or Productive Procrastination

Here I am, 8 months since my last post. I am hoping it was a hiatus and I can get back into blogging. Or maybe just a case of Productive Procrastination.
I've started reading the Happiness Project. I am only 5 pages in (don't laugh, it's hard to stay awake when you know a tiny person will be paging you in the wee hours of the morning), but I've heard enough about it to know that I need to stop making excuses, stop wasting time on useless activities (sorry, FB) and get my shit together.

Early Arrival

I had started a post for this blog back when I had 10 weeks left  in my pregnancy. The working title was “Anxiety Over Baby.”  I revised it with 7 weeks to go, but never got around to posting it. I revisited it today – 4 weeks after Baby #2 was born.

I’m still amazed at how fast my second pregnancy went by. I’m even more amazed that my baby boy has already been with us for a month. I was chasing after a toddler for my entire pregnancy, I was redecorating bedrooms, I was going to the gym. I kept so busy that I barely even noticed when I went into labor 11 days early.

After a month with a second child at home I’ve had a chance to reflect on a few things...

1. I loved being in the hospital. – I definitely didn’t appreciate the hospital the first time around. I really enjoyed the nurses coming in every few hours to check my vitals and ask if I needed anything (like stronger pain meds.) About once a month my hubby will ask if I need anything.  Maybe a chart and clipboard would help to remind him to check on me more often
2. Newborns are portable. – Infants are kind of like accessories. So if you’re home with one get out while the getting out is easy. Once they are mobile and can express an opinion, like whining ‘HOME” in the middle of a store, it’s a whole different world.
3. Double the work – I don’t think that having two under two is double the work. I think it’s more like triple the work.  Since the new baby’s arrival, Baby # 1 has taken advantage of the situation by – throwing several horrible tantrums, watching more TV then I will ever admit to, convincing me that she NEEDS her pacifier all day, falling down the stairs, and jumping around on every piece of furniture that has even a little bit of cushion.  I wish I could grow that third eye in the back of my head that my mother had.
   

Being a mom is like being in the Peace Corps - no pay, long hours and sometimes dangerous working conditions - it's the toughest job you'll ever love.

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Nursery Storage totes on the cheap

I stumbled upon these cute totes at Barnes and Noble. They reminded me of the 3 Sprouts totes in my previous post. They are actually meant to be beach bags, but I picked two up to store Baby #1's growing collection of stuffed animals. They measure 12.75 x 14.75 and are made from a sturdy canvas. I opted for the blue and green totes (they actually do match the play area decor) since the others were a little too summery and beachy. You do need to purchase two items to get them for $9.95 but I picked up a few cheap beach reads. The bags are available until August 2, 2010 or until they run out.

Going to a friend's summer house - perfect as a hostess gift too, just throw in a few books or a towel (and white wine) and enjoy!

Cute Nursery Gear - 3 Sprouts

I am currently redecorating several rooms in our house. One of them is the nursery in anticipation of Baby # 2's arrival. He will eventually be sharing a room with Baby #1 and I wanted to do a neutral room that wouldn't be gender specific. In my internet travels I found these super cute organic canvas storage totes from 3 Sprouts. They are a little pricey, at $38, but they are huge (17 x 20) which is a great size to hold lots of blocks, cars or in my home - stuffed animals. 3 Sprouts offers 5 different totes, but I think the monkey and hippo are the cutest. They also sell an owl bin for those that are in love with the very trendy owl theme that seems to be everywhere right now.

Chick Lit Book Reviews

I love to read and I love to read junk. Most people read junk at the beach or on vacation, but I read it all the time. I even belong to a book club that exclusively reads Chick Lit. Here are a couple of quick reviews (and I mean quick) of the most recent Chick Lit books that I've read

Title: Balancing Acts: A Novel
Author: Zoe Fishman

Review: Not a beach read. This book contained too many characters with too many subplots. I had no interest in any of the characters and had a hard time even getting past the first few chapters.




Title: Heart of the Matter
Author: Emily Giffin

Review: An okay beach read. I've read all of Emily Giffin's books and have loved all of them except this book. Unlike the review above, my complaint about this book is that there wasn't enough development of the subplots. Read Giffin's other books before picking this one up.

I heart FAB

File under products I love:

I am always on the lookout for products that are free of chemicals such as parabens and phthalates, which are chemicals that are suspected of causing a range of side effects and are especially harmful to babies and children.

In my quest I came across First Aid Beauty (FAB). I have been using the Face Cleanser and Ultra Repair Cream for a few months now and love the way my skin has reacted to them. I no longer have red itchy bumps around my eyes. (A dermatologist once told me to change my toothpaste to get rid of the bumps - didn't work but I found a great toothpaste in the process.)

The FAB line of products is sold exclusively through Sephora and is reasonably priced compared to similar higher-end products. The FAB website also has an interesting article on chemicals that the beauty industry uses and how almost none of them are regulated. I am looking forward to trying a few of their other products next time I'm browsing in Sephora.