How Being a Parent Changes Your Life

When a baby is born into a family, everything changes. However, as you have Baby 2, then Baby 3, the way in which you deal with the child also changes considerably.

Your Clothing

1st baby: You begin wearing maternity clothes as soon as your pregnancy is confirmed.
2nd baby: You wear your ordinary clothes for as long as you are able.
3rd baby: Your maternity clothes are your ordinary clothes.

Baby's Clothing

1st baby: You wash the clothes before organizing them into color-coordinated folded piles neatly laid out in the baby's specially bought chest of drawers.
2nd baby: You make sure that the clothes are clean and throw only the ones with the dirtiest marks on them in the wash.
3rd baby: You are heard to say that boys can wear pink, no problem.

Babysitters

1st baby: The first time you leave your baby with a sitter you call home 4 times.
2nd baby: Just before you walk out the door, you remember to leave a number where you can be reached.
3rd baby: You leave instructions for the sitter to call only if she sees blood.

Quality Time

1st baby: You spend a great deal of time every day just gazing lovingly at your baby.
2nd baby: You spend some of everyday keeping an eye open to ensure that your eldest child isn't squeezing, poking, or hurting the baby.
3rd baby: You spend some of each day hiding from the children.

In a nutshell, the first baby is made of glass; the rest are made of rubber!

(From a joke site.)

Lady Hawke Originals Jewelry Giveaway [CLOSED]

I recently did a review of Lady Hawke Originals jewelry. In response to the "Frowns" section (since edited), Beth sent me four more Scrabble-tile pendants, a necklace chain, and a calendar. She was determined to win me over 100 percent! And she did.

Two of the new pendants, for my little sister-in-law and little sister

Smiles from the original review:
*The jewelry is beautiful and classy.
*There is endless variety! If you can think of it, Beth probably has it. And if she doesn't, she will make it for you. Either way, anything you buy is one-of-a-kind.
*She carefully packages her items before shipping them.
*Although I have worked with many amazing sellers on Etsy, Beth tops them all in customer care. She is extremely caring, genuine, friendly, dedicated, and generous. I feel that she is sincerely interested in my blog and in helping me out.

Frowns Turned to Smiles
*I had commented that the image quality was low. I think her printer had an off day or messed up settings because the image quality was vastly improved on the new pendants.
*I also noted that her pendants do not come with chains. However, she sells them for only $1, making the combined price still cheaper than other sellers' Scrabble-tile pendants and chains. As noted in the original review, Beth has a great deal right now: for every 3 pendants you buy, you get a free chain. Also, the pendant loop is large enough for any chain you already own.

New Smiles
*Beth informed me that she always includes a free gift with her orders, thus the pen and notepad the first time and the calendar the second time. You definitely get more than your money's worth ordering from her!
*Beth responds promptly to any questions or comments you have.

I will be giving away the mommy ribbon bookmark to one winner. A second winner will get to choose two Scrabble-tile pendants! You can also get 15 percent off anything in her store through July with the coupon code BLOGSPECIAL15.

Prize #1

Prize #2 options

More options for prize #2

Mandatory 1st Entry: Heart the shop Lady Hawke Originals on Etsy. Leave your user name.

3 entries: Follow my blog via Google Friend Connect.

1 entry: Like The Hand That Rocks the Cradle on Facebook.

1 entry: Post this giveaway on Facebook.

Please leave a separate comment for each entry. All entries must be submitted by 11:59 MST on Friday, July 1. The winner will be announced Saturday, July 2. Please leave your email in one of your comments so I can contact you if you win. Good luck!

Lady Hawke Originals Jewelry Review

I came across the Etsy jewelry shop Lady Hawke Originals when searching for a very specific item. After browsing, I was not surprised I had been led to this shop: there is every theme imaginable represented in the Scrabble-tile jewelry! And I mean everything. Lady Hawke Originals also includes bookmarks, lanyards, and non-Scrabble-tile jewelry. The seller, Beth, designs and makes all the jewelry and only uses glass, freshwater pearls, and semi-precious stone beads.

Beth sent me a generous amount of products to review: two Scrabble-tile necklace pendants and a bookmark. She also threw in a cute pen and notepad and a lovely card.

Isn't that sweet?

Smiles
*The jewelry is beautiful and classy.
*There is endless variety! If you can think of it, Beth probably has it. And if she doesn't, she will make it for you. Either way, anything you buy is one-of-a-kind.
*She carefully packages her items before shipping them.
*Although I have worked with many amazing sellers on Etsy, Beth tops them all in customer care. She is extremely caring, genuine, friendly, dedicated, and generous. I feel that she is sincerely interested in my blog and in helping me out.

Frowns
*Necklace chains for the Scrabble-tile pendants are not included. However, this makes her prices cheaper than competitors'. Also, you can purchase chains from her. Right now, she has a great deal: for every 3 pendants you buy, you get a free chain. Also, the pendant loop is large enough for any chain you already own.

Beth is offering a 15%-off coupon code for all my readers: BLOGSPECIAL15. It is good until the end of July.

Baby Shower on a Budget

You don't have to spend hundreds to throw a fun baby shower. Here are some ideas on how to put together a baby shower on a budget.

Invitations:

• Use evite.com to send email invitations to your guests. For the few who don't have email, such as older relatives, make your own card invitations or print out invitations on themed paper.
• You can also make an event on and invite people through Facebook.

Decorations:

• Hang diapers, baby clothes, and baby socks on a clothesline in your house.
• Buy baby-themed or colored scrapbook paper on sale at a craft store and glue on magazine pictures of babies or baby items. 
• Tape baby-themed greeting cards you've received on the walls.
• Place stuffed animals, baby toys, and board books around the room.
• Consider only decorating the food table or gift area.

Food

• Serve finger food so you don't need to buy utensils.
• Consider making it a potluck party. If you don't feel comfortable with that idea, ask a few guests to bring a dish or drink.

Games & Prizes:

• Play games that require things you already have--paper and pens, baby items, etc.--or you can easily make. Most baby shower games can be easily replicated without buying kits.
• Buy prizes from the dollar store or the dollar sections of Michael's or Target.

 Favors:

• Wash and remove the labels from baby food jars. Fill them with candy or a votive candle. Glue scrapbook paper to the lid and tie a bow around the jar.
• Bake large cookies and put them in paper CD cases. Tie a ribbon around each case.
• Make your own paper boxes with scrapbook or card stock paper.
• Fill baby socks with candy and tie the open end with a ribbon.

Everything:

• Check your local dollar store for invitations, decorations, eating supplies, and prizes/favors.
• Also look through the clearance section at party stores.
• If you throw a lot of baby showers, consider buying solid-color cloth tablecloths and eating supplies and then just changing the wall or hanging decorations to make each party slightly unique. Or buy gender-neutral decorations.

The Ultimate Parent

Whenever I have a question about parenthood, I think of the ultimate parent: God. He is the perfect example in all things, and we should follow His actions, especially when it comes to raising His children. There are numerous examples of His perfect parenting style and wise counsel in the scriptures. He teaches us to be patient, loving, just, merciful, forgiving, humble, and charitable. If we have any questions about parenting, we can ask Him and know we will receive the best advice.

What Do Your Groceries Say about You?

photo by Cindy Kalamajka

When I go shopping, I like to look in people's shopping carts. What they buy reveals details about their lives: children, no children, healthy, unhealthy, accomplished chef, rushed cook, etc. I like to think that what I buy reflects good qualities about myself and a balanced life. I like making semi-homemade meals and cooking completely from scratch. I like to eat healthy, but I enjoy a little junk food too. I care about saving money, but I have some brand loyalties.

Here are my top five grocery purchases and what I think they say about me:

1. Water: I drink nothing but water! I'm not much of a drinker in general and I don't like soda, so when I do drink, it's always healthy.
2. Whole wheat bread: I am not afraid of carbs, but I make sure they are whole grain. Of course, I love getting an Italian loaf every now and then.
3. Fresh produce: I grew up in Southern California, so I was spoiled all year round. I love tomatoes. I buy carrots for a healthy snack, especially for my husband. We put onions in everything. Our favorite fruits are oranges and strawberries.
4. Rice: My husband's half Japanese and I'm half Puerto Rican, so rice is pretty much a staple here. I buy all kinds: brown, white, and Asian.
5. Chicken: I grew up on poultry and seafood. My husband is from Wisconsin, a huge beef eater and a fish hater (I guess that Japanese part of him never developed). I've compromised and incorporated ground beef into my diet (it's the only red meat I know how to handle), but we eat mostly chicken. I prefer dark meat, he prefers white.

What are your top five groceries and what do they say about you?

To Bumper or Not to Bumper

When I went shopping for baby stuff, I knew I wasn't going to get a fancy crib set and accessories for the baby's room. I didn't think it was worth the money. We wouldn't use a big, warm blanket in Arizona, and I thought everything else unnecessary or silly. However, I did want a bumper. I found a jungle-themed one at the thrift store for $2.49. We recently replaced it with a cuter same-priced, thrift-store, jungle-themed one.

I did not know until after the baby was born that crib sets are not safe, including bumpers. Bumpers are meant to protect the baby's tender body from bumping into the wooden crib slats. But they can be suffocation hazards. I knew pillows and stuffed animals were, but the bumpers surprised me.

Once my baby started rolling, I removed the bumper. However, then he would wake up because his foot or arm would get stuck in the slats (not really, the slats are wide enough) and he couldn't figure out how to get it out. So we put the bumper back in. Now he uses it to try to climb out of the crib--don't worry, we lowered the crib so he can't.

I also read somewhere that even mobiles could be dangerous. We have a musical one that the baby loves to watch and listen to. Also, blankets can be hazardous to a rolling baby. Luckily for us, it's too hot to use blankets.

My question is, if certain popular baby items are unsafe, why are they sold and bought? What do you have in your baby's room and crib? What safety precautions do you take or not take?