Release the "mommy guilt," cut yourself some slack and take a little "me" time. I'm hoping to combine a cup of fact, and sprinkle in just enough of my own experience along with a dash of my failures to help you see that no matter the recipe you are a better mother than you give yourself credit for! If you have come looking for perfect punctuation and spelling, well then you are in the wrong place. In fact I am totally one of those people who use punctuation as an accessory. Ya know? Like hair bows.



If you need REAL advice from REAL working and stay at home mom's on pregnancy, childbirth and everything from the newborn to teenage year's. You have come to the right place! Sit back, relax, contribute your comments and......don't forget to take time to smell the baby lotion.

Friday, September 30, 2011

Holy Cow! What Now?

Holy cow! I had no idea that the cleaning aspect would be such a popular service. The good news is I am super excited about meeting more of you fine ladies. I am so excited about helping the women of Utah County and Salt Lake County find a little more "Time 4 Me." So your thinking where's the bad right? The bad isn't all that bad but I am gonna have to hire some help! Yep! It didn't stay just little 'ol me for long. One woman can't keep up with the demand. Lol. So, along with the extra employee comes a little extra $. You will still be paying WAY less than many if not most of the people that have any kind of cleaning service. Generally just for the basic cleaning you will pay at least $15 an hour most companies I found were $18-$20 an hour. I just can't bring myself to do it. We all just need a break sometimes and no one wants to pay out the yang. Right? Right. So, the new hourly rate my friends....$13/hr. We'll bring the supplies, you provide the work. :) Email or txt me if you wanna get on the schedule whether for a one time cleaning or a weekly. It doesn't matter to me as long as you take a little "Time 4 Me". :)

Monday, September 26, 2011

By popular demand.....

Have you been wondering where I was? I'm here, just super busy. The first several weeks after school starts for the kids are killer. Getting used to routines and everything. Gone are the days of sleeping in and playing all day. Anyhow, Time 4 Me has expanded. We are now providing house cleaning services. You will find that Time 4 Me is significantly less expensive than many of the cleaning services that you will find on KSL and Craig's List. How is this possible? Lol. Cause ya just get me. Little ol' me. No big claim to cleaning fame here. I have a clean house. My mom did a good job at teaching me to scrub a toliet. :)
You provide the cleaning supplies and I'll provide the labor in turn providing you with a little more "me" time.

Friday, September 16, 2011

Sibling Rivalry

Sibling Rivalry

You waited, you planned. It's so exciting. The new baby is here! Didn't anyone tell you the joke? "Do you know what causes sibling rivalry?" "The birth of a second child!" Lol. If all the sudden your house feels more like tomorrows football game then there may be a good reason. It's not only hard for you to adjust to having another child. Your 1st baby is really going to feel it. Your toddler is used to being the center of attention. While you and I both know that the addition of a new baby doesn't mean that you love your first any less, try to convince your toddler of that. All the sudden your time and attention will be divided. 
I had a client recently that brought home a new baby. A cute baby. Very cute. :) Anyhow, her 3 or 4 year old son became pretty jealous. He didn't dislike his sister, he was just really mad at his mom. He quit talking to her for a couple of days, then eventually he chose to speak to her again. Only when he did it was a yell. Everything was a yell. My cute client looked at me and said, "well, at least he is speaking to me know." Lol.
I've researched, I now what the professionals say, I know what I experienced. It sucks. You love your baby so much. Both of your babies, and all of the sudden you have to divide your time. There are a few things I compiled that I found and think you will find most helpful.
1. Prepare your child for the new baby by reading and sharing books. Introduce them to the idea of a sibling.
2. Get a small gift for your child from the new baby. Make it exciting to them that the baby is finally coming/has arrived.
3. Encourage your family and visitors to  fuss over your 1st born. Pay special attention to him.
4. Expect some regression. It's gonna be a life changing event for everyone. Your toddler may regress in potty training and behavior. Take time, even say things to your toddler like, "let's pretend you're still a tiny baby" he will probably happily indulge in your attention for just a few moments and then be off to play if he isn't just gently remind him he is a big boy and ask him to go find his favorite "big boy" toy.

There's no magic trick to cure sibling rivalry. Take it day by day and just be patient. In the long run the winning team will prevail. It will be one big happy FAMILY. Well, for a minute anyhow. Until your new addition is mobile and takes that favorite "big boy" toy.

Good luck and GO BYU!

Thursday, September 15, 2011

Just do it!

Hit me with your best shot!

It's no secret that vaccines are almost always a topic of hot debate. I'm too tire to debate with you. I work in Health Care, of course I side in favor of vaccines. My husband and I will never see eye to eye on HIS need to get a flu shot but luckily he doesn't care that I want the children to have one. My husband also has some kind of super power immune system and he rarely, I mean RARELY gets sick. I hate him for that! Well, I guess I love him for that. Lol. I wish that I rarely got sick. I however am one of the accident, flu, stomach bug, whatever illness prone. I get my flu shot. Every year. Some years I swear it makes me sick, some years I can't even tell I got it. This year I am just bugged by a sore arm. Nothing else.
So regardless of where you stand on the vaccine debate I am assuming that you like any parent would do ANYTHING for your child/children. Right? I often think of things like flu shots and other vaccines like I do the chicken pox. Have you heard of chicken pox parties? Probably not so much these days as when I was a child but I am always absolutely in AWE of people that participate in these. WHY? Why on earth would you purposely expose your child to an illness. Make your kid sick on purpose? Really. Hu. Whatever, different strokes for different folks but for me I will do absolutely anything to protect my kids from getting sick or hurt. If I can give my child a vaccine to help lessen their chances of getting things like the chicken pox, the flu, Hep B, Measles.....etc. etc. then by golly I'm doing it! The less they get sick or hurt the better. These are my babies! So, of course, when it comes to flu shot time I am first in line baby. Give me that shot. IF I get sick I don't wanna be sick long, no mom has that kind of time, and I surely don't wanna get my kids sick.
I often wonder if we don't think of the flu as a dangerous illness anymore but it just like many of the other diseases that are still alive in this day and age are still at times fatal. Did you know that there are somewhere between 40 and 150 children that die each year due to complications cause by the "common" flu. My heart breaks for those families and I pray that I am NEVER one of them. Never.
I know it's heart breaking to hear your baby cry and to watch them get poked. Just like us they probably get sore and hurt. So sad. Sometimes it even used to make me cry. You just have to remember that those tears are an example of your love. My daughter told me today I was mean and I didn't like her. LOL. I told her, "I love you more than you will ever understand and frankly, if you are mad at me cause I won't let you do something which makes me "so mean" then I am doing things right. The meaner you think I am just know that that's the more I love you!" Teenagers, ugh.
The flu is so much more dangerous for your babies than the common cold would be. I think that while we live in such an advanced medical society we sometimes forget how nasty some of the diseases and illnesses like the flu can be. While some of the side effects from the shot, such as,  fever, aches, soreness, redness or swelling where the shot was given can be sad and a little scary as a parent, just think of all that love you are giving. Protect your little one. Save yourself the medical bills and stress and heartache. Get a flu shot, get flu shots for your kids, and as long as your baby is over 6 months of age, get your baby a flu shot!

Cabbage the super food!

Cabbage isn't just a great side dish for corned beef. Mother nature's kitchen has prepared for us a natural cure for swelling and nipple engorgement. Yep. Do you think that somehow in the night your boobs were replaced with two rocks. Rock hard balls covered with flesh? Lol.  Head to the produce section at your favorite grocery and get yourself a big 'ol head of cabbage. Up until recent years there hadn't been many studies on the effectiveness of cabbage leaves for engorgement but beginning in 1993 researchers began studying groups of women who used cabbage leaves against some that don't. 1995 and 1998 similar studies were done resulting in the same effect. Mother's have found to receive significant relief from they symptoms associated with engorgement by placing cabbage leaves on their breasts.
The technicals behind it is tha cabbage tis known to contain sinigrin rapine, mustard oil, magnesium, oxylate and sulphur heterosides. It sounds like a bunch of fancy words to me but Herbalists believe that cabbage has both antibiotic and anti irritant properties.
Cabbage leaves are NOT recommended for mother's that have an allergy to Sulfa. So as with anything I guess be careful. Report allergic reactions immediately to your doctor. So you're putting your salad in your bra. Now what?
  1. Use green cabbage
  2. Crush the cabbage leaves with a rolling pin if the leaves do not take the shape of your breast.
  3. Wrap the cabbage leaves around the breast and leave on for about 20 minutes. Twice daily is enough. It is usual to use the cabbage leaf treatment less than two or three times.
  4. Stop using as soon as engorgement is beginning to go away and you are becoming more comfortable.
  5. You can use acetaminophen with or without codeine, ibuprofen, or other medication for pain relief.
  6. Ice packs also can be helpful.
  7. Some women get a large lump in the armpit about 3 or 4 days after the baby’s birth. Cabbage leaves may be used in that area as well to help the lump go away.
I suppose whatever is left over will have a use just as satisfying as relieving engorgement. See below. :)


  • 1/4 cup vinegar

  • 2 tablespoons olive oil or vegetable oil

  • 2 teaspoons garlic salt

  • 2 teaspoons sugar

  • 1/2 teaspoon dried tarragon

  • 6 cups shredded cabbage

  • Cabbage Salad

    Directions

    1. In a small bowl or jar with tight-fitting lid, combine vinegar, oil, garlic salt if desired, sugar and tarragon. Place cabbage in a large bowl; add dressing and toss to coat. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.

    Tuesday, September 13, 2011

    How many of your child's umbilical cord stubs did you keep?

    You heard me. Lol. I'm just wondering, we've discussed placenta eating and frankly I thought that through my six years working postpartum I had seen most everything. Well, I forgot one special little thing. Ya learn something new everyday. Met an interesting individual today that wanted the section of the babies umbilical cord that was trimmed down. When questioned as to what said individual was going to do with the cord section, "I just want to keep it as a keep sake." My response, "ok, as long as you aren't eating it or anything I guess." "Nope, just wanna put it in a baggie and save it"
    OMG! For reals!? I tried to keep the non-judgemental me in check. I thought. Hu, maybe it would have been nice for my mom to keep my cord stub. Nope, nope. No desire to see that crunchy little nugget. But, I found after a good round of Google that I may perhaps be in the minority here. Seems that many women keep the cord stump as a symbol of that precious connection to their baby/child. Something tangible as the child grows and matures that they can use to remember those 9 months of current connection. I even found where some cultures consider it to be good luck. Like a lucky rabbits foot or something. I could always use a little good luck. I even found the following in my searching, "We planted a tree in our backyard and buried our sons stump under it with a silver dollar. According to Native American legend this is supposed to ensure the child grows big and strong like a tree and always has $ in his pocket."
    Did you save any of your children's umbilical stumps? I'm just curious. I don't see any health concerns with keeping your child's umbilical stump but what is the personal/significance behind it? Enlighten me. I need it.

    Now, another one of those moments that will make you as a mother frown upon me and feel better about yourselves. My 10 yr old calls me this morning as he is getting ready for school,
    "mom, I want to have some of those chocolate chips."
    "Well, ok buddy, but shouldn't you have some like, real breakfast food?"
    "I don't know."
    "How about a piece of toast bud?"
    "Na."
    "Ok, well, what do you want then?"
    pause......thinking.....
    "Um, BACON?"
    "Ok bud. Bacon I guess." (we have the fully cooked microwave bacon so the boy child can fix it for himself in the microwave)

    Yep, mother of the freaking year! My kid had a breakfast of chocolate chips and bacon. I had a good laugh over it, as well as with my friends at work. If only I could eat chocolate chips and bacon for breakfast and be at least 30 lbs under weight for my age. LOL!

    Monday, September 12, 2011

    I hate it when I'm not right!

    Ladies, (and gentleman) what do we hate most? Like more than the last 10 lbs that won't fall off, more than the dirty socks on the bedroom floor, even more than the pee on the wall behind the toilet cause your little (or big, lol) man "missed"? Yep! When someone else is right. Ugh. How dare they! I have come to realize that all those dang coupon loving friends of mine.....*swallows pride* are RIGHT! If only I could have figured this all out 10 years ago. Think of all the money I would have saved by now. So what's my #1 parenting tip today.....COUPONS!
    Don't be overwhelmed. Really. I suck at it. I hate it in fact. My husband even made the comment last night that perhaps I should get a coupon buddy so that I keep at it. I am probably missing things and therefore giving away money that would make real couponers cry. But, I did manage to save just as much as I spent. :) That's something right? I'm not about to pretend to make this post some kind of tutorial. I'm too new myself. I did go here to get started. They break it down nicely for the coupon impaired like myself. I spent around 2  1/2 hours last night going through my grocery list and then digging out the coupons and such but after today's successful trip. TOTALLY worth it. I don't have to buy diapers anymore but I'd imagine you'd make your Sunday newspaper subscription back just in what you would save on diapers let alone anything else. What tips do you have for someone like myself or the me of 10 years ago? I was just too overwhelmed with my littles to feel like I could take on one more thing. How do you get past that? I will poll my friends and "experts" and see what they say but I'd love to hear from you too!

    Wednesday, September 7, 2011

    Objects in mirror are closer than they appear!

    Our Little's are good at so many things but don't you think sometimes they need a disclaimer like the ones on our rear view mirrors?

    I was thinking about my kids going back to school and luckily mine are getting a little older but there is still the possibility that they are going to hear me say something and repeat it. Yep. REPEAT IT! (hangs head in shame) However, we have encountered an all new problem now that they ARE getting older. Guess what? They have their own opinions and certainly their own things to say. Due to the nature of my son's shyness I won't tell you that it was him this story is about. My children are opinionated to say the least but usually very well behaved and typically sensitive to other peoples feelings. Which is what makes this story about a particular little boy so funny.
    One of the neighbor girls came home from being out with her mom to a yard full of the neighbor boys, ages 10-12 playing with her brother, age 12. She jumps out of the car, HUGE smile on her face and in anticipation asks the group, "do you like my hair?" grinning from ear to ear she waits, as she knows they do. What's not to love? She just got the cutest highlights for the first time! The group erupts in laughter and with her brother in the lead they, as any group of boys would, begin to tease her over her new hair do. The 2 things wrong with this:
    1. Her mother didn't warn her NOT to under any circumstances EVER ask her brother if he like her hair, especially if his friends are around.
    2. The rest of us mother's didn't teach our sons the OH SO VALUABLE lesson, when a girl asks you if you like her hair your answer is ALWAYS, Yes!
    She quickly retreated to the safety of her house and the boys continued their game of war, or whatever it was that they were playing. Their games always involve plastic weapons of some type.
    You'd think that it would end there. Well, that still would have been a great story but don't worry, it gets even better. The next day was Sunday so we headed our family off to church. Said little girl is in the same class with a couple of the little boys that were playing with her brother the night before. One boy in particular, who shall remain nameless (lol) proudly stands before the class that morning and says, "Let's take a vote!" The class responds affirmatively and the little boy continues, "Who HATES Katie's hair?" (Oh crap, who's kid is this?) One other young man lifts his hand quickly and enthusiastically while the other 2 sit quietly and the 2 other girls in the room precede to say how much they like her hair. Katie's mother went to the home of the little vote taker and just expressed to the vote takers parents that Katie was upset and crying over the vote and the vote takers parents expressed their apologies and then proceeded to teach their young vote taker that all important lesson, if a girl asks you if you like her hair what do you say? YES!
    This story is what made me think of the following email I got, which I loved and for a second I thought about taping to the back of my own little vote taker.

    "On the first day of school, a first-grader handed his teacher a note from his mother. The note read, 'The opinions expressed by this child are not necessarily those of his parents ..'"

    Here's wishing you all a happy, opinion free school year!

    Saturday, September 3, 2011

    Public Service Announcement!

    I have had a bit of writers block the last few days. That combined with a crazy busy work week at both my traditional job and Time 4 Me, left for little writing time. I am still deciding what topic I want to cover next so in the mean time I am posting a PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT.

    Slow the crap down! Has it ever occurred to anyone that riding the tail of the individual driving in front of you will NOT encourage them to drive faster? Some of us simply can't afford speeding tickets, or we chose to use that money on better, more fun, totally more awesome things. If you wanna drive over the speed limit don't expect the guy in front of you to do so too. Stupid. Now, I for one usually choose to continue to drive my slow, 5 mph over the speed limit. That often has a tendency to catch the attention of drivers that fly up behind me wanting to pass on a double yellow or something. I just can't imagine that I have ever been in such a hurry that I was willing to sacrifice my own safety, the safety and happiness of my family and the the safety of another driver of whom I have never met.You stand warned my friends that if you ever fly up behind the blue car with "Time 4 Me" on the back window I will not be pulling over. I will be praying for your safety and mine and I will probably be saving your butt from the ticket waiting for you around the corner where the Sheriff is parked!
    So what if you are one of those people going seriously like 10 under the speed limit? First off, thank you for your safety BUT unless you are in a residential area now you are a freaking traffic hazard. How bout instead of waving your arms frantically and yelling in your rear view mirror at those of us behind you, how bout you PULL OVER! That's right. If you don't like someone behind you, then let them pass! Geez. I'm really not sure what you accomplish by waiting until they are next to you or stopped at a light behind you and holding up a sign saying you're taking down their license plate number. What are you going to do with the number anyway? Call the Sheriff and say, " I was going 10 mph under the speed limit and the car behind me was following closer than I'd have liked"? LOL. Thanks for the laugh!
    But seriously people, in residential areas kids are out! Just because you don't see them all the time doesn't mean they aren't there. Slow the crap down. Don't be stupid. It's not worth the outcome should you choose to speed. The most important speed limits to me are the ones that are 30 mph and below. That means there are people around. People who are loved by someone. Little's who are loved. SLOW DOWN.

    Thanks for indulging my soap box tonight. I will return another day with a real topic addressing some of the real issues you new mom's are facing.

    Remember, SLOW DOWN and take time to smell the baby lotion. :)