The Importance of Rear Facing!

If you aren't the mom of an infant or a toddler, I am sure you are thinking 'rear facing what?'
But most moms know that it used to be recommended by the AAP (American Academy of Pediatrics) to keep your child rear facing in his carseat until the age of 1, or until he reaches 20 lbs. But the rules are changing and the recommendation is now as long as possible! I am known in my circle of friends as the car seat nazi. I am really really verbal in my opinion about car seat safety. I hear some crazy reasons WHY moms want to turn their babies around at age 1.
1. He looks uncomfortable.
Hmmm. In Europe, kids commonly rear face at age 4! He or she is not uncomfortable, kids can fold their bodies into pretzels, for goodness sake! So she has to cross her legs, this is SO much more appealing than your child being permanently wheelchair bound, after breaking their spine in a car accident. Rear Facing is best!
2. She is happier seeing out.
Is she has never been facing front, she doesn't know it is an option!  My son likes to look out the side window. He is perfectly fine.
3. He cries in the car.
There is little reason to believe that he will stop crying facing front! Perhaps he just doesn't like the car?
and so on and more!

an e-friend wrote a great blog post about it!
Find it here

Consignment sales

I think basically, I am cheap. I don't like it when my money leaves me. Especially when we are trying to make ends meet with just my husband's salary while I am staying home with Ethan.  I used to turn my nose up at thrift and consignment stores, but once a week, E and I will get to all the area thrift stores (we go to 8 on a regular basis!)

When E was just a few weeks old, I discovered consignment sales, or mom2mom sales! OMG! It was like heaven for a cheapskate! entire church gyms filled with gently used baby stuff, cribs, clothes, toys, and more! I am now the queen of the consignment sale and almost NEVER buy Ethan anything retail! My mom and Mother in law are getting in to it to!

I also started consigning at this sale last year and I made a fair amount of money (over $200) which basically paid for Ethan's wardrobe that season!

The system is good, you price and tag your own items, and then they go into this HUGE room by catagories, or sizes. Sounds simple, right? Well, the process takes forever! You make you tags, complete with scannable barcodes, on the website. You hang all your items, enter this info, print the tags, fasten the tags, etc. Eventually you have to transport everything to the sale (TUESDAY!) I have been hanging and pricing since about 10pm. It is now 5 am. I am tired!

I think my items are priced well... hard to tell, but we (my mom, my mother in law, my sister, ethan and I)went to a Just Between Friends event yesterday and I think I priced as well as, if not better than others I saw. I still have 2 big bins of clothes to price, then I will go through E's shoes, toys and books. I sold a lot of the big baby stuff last time. I am considering next time selling Ethan's highchair and moving him permanently to the table with a booster, but not this time.

I am volunteering at this sale, for quite a few things, so I will get to shop well before the general public! (whoo hoo!) I am working Tuesday when the consigners drop off. I will be inspecting items being consigned, to be sure they are in good condition, and then on Friday evening, I will be dropping off dinner for other volunteers. I will also be shopping, of course!

But for now, I need to go to bed, I might get 3 hours of sleep before Ethan wakes up!

Happy Easter/Passover/Spring!

Good Friday Mass with a toddler

We got there and E was so excited... there were ducks on the church lawn! We walked inside and found a pew and Ethan started to cry.
E:  more ducks, Mommy, please" he whined. "Please, mommy. ducks please. ducks, Outside!!
Me: Not now, E, later. After church.
A few minutes passed, thankfully the choir was singing. But then they stopped.
E:  more singing, mommy. More singing. ABC song?  Dayenu? (dayenu is passover, wrong religion, kid!)
Me: we will sing again in a minute. Look, there is Jesus on the cross!
E:  Jesus! Look, Jesus on the cross!  (yelling). Jesus!
Me:  (sigh)
Meanwhile, mass is starting and we are standing.
E:  milk bottle, mommy. please
me: here is your sippy cup
E: (crying) no, milk bottle. BOTTLE!
me: Sorry, baby, mommy only brought your cup. Bottle later. Here, do you want an apple stick?
E: apple sick!! apple sick!
Time passes, oh so slowly. 
E: sing a sing song.
Me: (Whispering in his ear) sing, sing a song, sing out loud, sing out strong, etc
E: more.
repeat. 
Time passes, slower and slower
E: AMEN! Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhmen. Amen.
(congregation: Amen)
E: Jesus on the cross!
(note... this sounds very innocent, but he was saying Jesus on the cross in the tone one might say something like, I don't know.... Christ on a cracker!) 
E: Jesus!
Me: <----wondering if she can do this!
Time passes
E; More apple sicks. apple sicks. apple sauce? apple sauce (whining now)
Me: Here is more apple, we can have apple sauce for dinner.
Priest starts to head down aisle with crucifix. Congregation lines up to touch the wood of the cross and perhaps kiss the feet of the crucifix. 
I wait until the end and then take E by the hand and we go up. We happen to get Monsignor's line and he smiles when he sees E
E: Hi.
Msgr: Hi. Do you want to kiss Jesus's feet?
E: Jesus on the cross! feet. No feet (shaking his head, looking at Msgr like he has lost it)
Msgr (stifling a laugh) ok. (blessed E)
E: (walking back to our seat) Jesus feet!
Me: Slowly dying. 
Time passed. Communion. 
Me: Come on, let's go see Msgr.
E: ok, monster (I think he was trying to say monsignor, but it really sounded like monster)
We go up, I am holding E, I open my mouth for communion, expecting a host to be placed in my mouth by the priest. Instead, I get sticky apple fingers. Moving his hand, I get the host and put E down so I can make the sign of the cross. 
E: (Pointing to cross) Jesus! Ahhhhmen. AHMEN!!
Me: Hush, baby, quiet voice.
E: AMENAMENAMENAMEN
Me: Sigh.
(all the old ladies laugh and smile at him)
E: Amen!
Me: (I am beginning to think E isn't just Catholic and Jewish, he might have a bit of Southern Baptist or Born Again Christian in him.  I vow to myself, if he says Alleluia, I am outta there.)
E: Jesus feet, No.
Priest: Mass has ended, go in peace. 
Me: Alleluia!!!!