Mommin' It Up!

October 4, 2011October 3, 2011

Easy as 1-2-3

Last week, when I picked Sam up from school, I asked his teacher how his day went, as I do every day. She responded that he had a good day, and she does every day. But then she threw a zinger at me.

“I did have one question for you,” she said. “Does Sam know his letters and numbers?”

Sam’s three and a half. He’s been recognizing and pointing out the letters in his name when he sees them around, and I thought that was a pretty good development. Other than that, I hadn’t given it any thought.

Until that moment.

As I stumbled around for an answer, the teacher continued, “When I ask him, he doesn’t seem to know them, other than the letters in his name, and I wasn’t sure if he was just being silly or what. He’s so smart, I figured that he’d know them already. Does he know them when you work on them at home?”

When we, uh, work on them? At home?

CRAP.

Teaching him letters and numbers had not crossed my mind. (I can’t believe I am admitting that.)

The kid has known the entire St. Louis Cardinals line up since he was barely two, and he can recite Star Wars and/or Lord of the Rings characters or plot lines in his sleep.

He is smart. I really didn’t think I needed to teach him stuff.

Needless to say, after that conversation with his teacher, I immediately freaked out and determined I had ruined his academic future. As I drove home, I made a mental list of all the things I needed to google – methods, apps, flashcards, you name it – to get him back on track.

I broke the news that Sam was academically challenged to his dad gently when we got home. Andy said, “She wants him to know his letters and numbers? I’ll teach them to him by tomorrow.”

Then he broke out a pen and paper and started to drill Sam. I hadn’t even googled anything yet! He wasn’t even using the iPad! I was appalled.

Until I realized that Sam was indeed learning his letters and numbers right there on the spot.

So there, preschool teacher.

Anywho, this is a long and belabored way to get to the point – Andy’s old fashioned method actually did work, but I’m still on the look out for toys/videos/apps/games that will reinforce his letter/number knowledge.

So, readers, what worked for you and your kids? How can I get Sam back on the right academic track before he becomes a preschool slacker?

October 3, 2011October 9, 2011

Lands’ End Starfish Collection Giveaway (of dreams)!

A couple of weeks ago, I told you about the pants I live in & want to DIE in, the Lands’ End Starfish Refined Stretch Pants – AND a few other items in the Starfish Collection that I adore. The beauty of this collection is that you can be both comfortable AND put together with all these pieces. It’s like you’re sweatpants on the inside, classy on the outside! Ohhh YEAH! I’ve been wearing my Starfish collection EVERYWHERE. And looking and feeling great in them!

starfish pants — Starfish Refined Stretch Pants

Well, thanks to my deep, obsessive love of all things Starfish, Lands’ End is giving YOU the chance to become obsessed also! One lucky reader will get to pick FIVE ITEMS FROM THE STARFISH COLLECTION!! And that’s not all – over the next few months, we’ll be doing TEN, count ’em TEN of these giveaways!!!!

SQUEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!

So let me share some more of my fave Starfish items with you, and then you can get entering. Since I loved the original pants so much, I decided to try ALL the other Starfish pants – the fold-over waist pants, the cropped pant, and the Sanded Poplin Cargo pant.

Of course they are all AH-MAY-ZING! First up, the fold-over waist pant:

starfishfoldover — Fold over pants. I love these even more than the original.

Okay fer the realz, I didn’t think anything could be better than the original Starfish refined stretch pant, but I actually like the fold-over waist ones a bit better! Unbelievable! The fold-over part, I’m not kidding, has some CONTROL to it. I mean, I don’t think it’s designed to, but it totally holds in my c-section gut. AWE-SOME! And they.are. so. comfortable! `I really can’t properly explain how wonderful they are. *Sigh* I have a pants crush. The only thing I like better on the original pant is that sweeeeet little zipper pocket at the top!

starfishcroppedpants — Cropped Pant of Dreams

Next up: the cropped pant – these are just like the original, just cropped for warmer weather. And they are CUTE! And sooo comfy, and they have the POCKET! If I die in warm-weather season, you can bury me in these!

Or maybe these…the Sanded Poplin Cargo Pant.

starfishcargopants — cute, comfy, cargos = WIN!

Now these are just cute, cute, cute. They have a different look than the other Starfish pants, they aren’t quite as cozy, but they are very comfortable and functional and they look GREAT – I wore mine to Joshua’s parent-teacher conference last week with a cute sweater! Also, I love the way you can adjust the length and wear the cuffs rolled up – they look great either way. I adore them. The sanded poplin fabric is light, wears well, and washes up great also!

Ok, but I saved the Belle of the Ball for last – I recently also got to try the brand spankin’ new Starfish Cowlneck Top, and it…is…the TOP I want to be buried in!

It’s so cozy, so classic, so comfortable, and it’s really just beautiful. I felt so pretty in it all day. And totally wrapped in comfort. So in addition to the Starfish crew and Draped Cardigan I reviewed in my last post., this Cowlneck is a MUST-HAVE. A must, must must must MUST-have.

And finally, I didn’t review this because I need another jacket like I need a hole in the head and I do have SOME self-control, but there are also some cute jackets in the Starfish collection! Like this one:

Adorable, no? And it’s made of the same faboo french terry fabric so I know it must feel amazing on!

Starfish! Best! Collection! Ever! Now here’s how to enter to win FIVE PIECES of this collection for yourself!

1) Go check out the Starfish Collection and leave me a comment letting me know which piece you think looks the best. If you can’t pick one, that’s ok, just tell me what you love!

2) “Like” our facebook page and leave us a comment on this post telling us you did our already do

3) Tweet about this giveaway “Win 5 pieces of the #landsend Starfish Collection from @jennyitup & @momminitup http://bit.ly/oRue8A” then leave us a comment with your tweet URL.

4) Subscribe to our feed, then leave us a comment on this post letting us know you did or already do.

ONE winner will be chosen Saturday, October 8th at noon EST. But remember we will have NINE MORE giveaways and nine more chances to win!! 🙂

Happy entering!

September 30, 2011

#FirstWorldProblems

Jenny and I have often said that our main goal for this blog is simple – we aim to crack each other up. And while we do find ourselves mildly amusing on here, our laugh-til-we-cry conversations generally happen on IM. (Which is why I think we need our own radio show, because together we are hilarious. So Oprah Radio, give us a call, k?)

Anyway.

One such IM conversation took place today, and while I don’t think Jenny so much as cracked a smile, I literally had tears rolling down my face – so, much to Jenny’s horror, I’m sharing our convo with you.

For background – yesterday Jenny randomly texted me with information (TMI, to be exact) regarding the lengths she was going to to cure a malady in her eye. I’ll let her tell y’all about that one. Let’s just say she must have been really sick of wearing glasses.

Which brings me to our chat today.

Emily says: yo
Jenny says: yodude
Emily says: what’s up?
Jenny says: getting ready for Joshua’s PT conference
Emily says: oh nice
Jenny says: whats up w/ you?
Emily says: um just trying to think of something to post
Jenny says: post about how my eye is not any better and I’m FREAKING OUT
Emily says: i don’t even know what’s wrong with your eye. take a picture, send it to me and i’ll write a post about it. for real
Jenny says: it’s like pink eye under my iris. I have been taking antibiotic dropsleft over from when Sophie had it, for like well thisis the third day but only once today so far and no better and I am SICK OF GLASSES. let me take a pic. eh i totally cant get a pictue
Emily says: use the xoom
Jenny says: i tried
Emily says: boo
Jenny says: i can’t see well enough w/out my glasses and i have to pull the botton of my eye down so you can see it. can’t do all that and get a pic! argh
Emily says: you have problems
Jenny says: ooh i just had joshua help me and I got it. but it is SO unattractive I would never ever let it be publisehd!
Emily says: SEND IT TO ME
Jenny says: emily, it’sthe ugliest thing ever, i would rather have another swimsuit photo
Emily says: which means it will make the post funny
Jenny says: my nose looks like Blossom’s it’s so close range
Emily says: SEND IT, Amy Farrah Fowler
Jenny says: FINE. as Sophie would say. but you OWE ME
Emily says: omg I am dying laughing already and i haven’t even seen it
Jenny says: seriously, just crop my eye. also i look like i have a moustache. good lighting

Emily says: omg i am about to choke to death on an orange
Jenny says: grrreeeeeeeeat. well, I am goig to be very relaxed in joshua’s conference while my mugshot hits the net
Emily says: stop, i am going to hyperventilate
Jenny says: well i am glad to entertain you. meanwhile I am in a panic about how to get my eye better so I can wear contacts and mascara again. oh geez that was quotable
Emily says: oh this whole conversation is quotable
Jenny says: seriously, though doesnt it seem like if you give your kids antibiotic drops they get better like instantly?
Emily says: yes but did it occur to you that you are using medication prescribed to treat what sophie had but not necessarily what you have?
Jenny says: yes but its just pink eye!
Emily says:how do you know?
Jenny says:because i’ve GOOGLED
Emily says: Maybe it’s… I don’t know.
Jenny says: duh. geez. and it’s only in one spot. it’s weird
Emily says: well you certainly cured my writer’s block.
Jenny says: arrgh yw
Emily says: maybe you busted a blood vessel
Jenny says: i will probably have to drag my ass to the dr.
Emily says: your eye isn’t goopy
Jenny says: well it looks thick like pink eye does
Emily says: what do you mean, thick?
Jenny says: like the cornea just looks thicker where it’s red. that’s what it looked like last time Joshua had it, which was in the spring sometime. his wasn’t goopy either. so this looks like tht to me. but of course, I am not a dr. ok my mom is here and I have to fly out the door! love you. don’t make me not love you anymore
Emily says: you’ll always love me
*****
The end.

Ok perhaps something was lost in the translation, but it was hilarious. HILARIOUS, I tell you. It’s not that I don’t take her and her little eye issue seriously, it’s just that… Well, ok. I don’t take it very seriously. Jenny tends to overreact, you know. She’s not calm and rational like I am.

I mean, Sam had an eye thing the other day, and did I freak out?

Hmm… now that you mention it, I did. That picture up there? I put it on Facebook. And tweeted it. And googled it. And what do you know, the interwebz diagnosed him with a stye and/or cellulitis. Which I then googled and found pictures like this.

And also discovered that cellulitis can result in anything from a MRSA or staph infection to meningitis. (Or it could be treated by 10-days of antibiotics and be gone within 48 hours. But at the time I thought the likelihood of those other things was much higher.)

So perhaps Jenny is right in flipping out about her antibiotic-resistant self-diagnosed pink eye.

We wouldn’t want her to end up looking like this.

P. S. Jenny did not confirm the fact that she’ll always love me. However, I know she will because she does not want to be responsible for this blog all by herself.