Mother's Day Flowers from www.1800flowers.com

Mother's Day is a little sad for me this year. My husband, children, and I recently moved. This is the first time that either one of us has lived far away from our families. My husband is actually pretty happy about the distance. I, however, am not. This will be the first time in my life that I won't be able to spend Mothers Day with my mom.

I'm planning on sending her a ginormous boquet from 1800flowers.com

I honestly buy all of my flowers there. They also have a ton of cute little gifts, candies, and cookies for Mother's Day but their flowers are so beautiful that I can't bring myself to send my Mom something else. It's just too bad that 1800flowers.com doesn't sell power tools. Father's Day is coming up soon, after all!

Arrghhhh!!! I just want to SLEEP!!!

So. Very. Tired.

Being a mom of a newborn is hard. Even though my daughter is only a year and a half old now, I quickly forgot how rough the first three months are. I love my son with all of my heart but I need some freaking sleep here! I actually found a pretty good aricle while I was up with my little guy at 3:30 am this morning. It didn't help me get more sleep but it helps to put things in perspective.

So When Does Mom Get to Sleep?

Eating Spiders

OK, so I just read something horrible online. 'People eat an average of 8 spiders in their sleep.' Ummmm....what the heck? Does anyone actually believe this? Are there people that actually believe that it is reasonable that a spider would willingly climb into a sleeping person's mouth? Now granted, spiders don't seem all that smart (have you ever flipped on a light in a room just to see a spider freeze in the middle of the floor or wall. He buddy, just because you aren't moving, doesn't mean I can't see your arachnid but hanging out in the middle of my kitchen floor!). But I just find it hard to believe that any spider would kamikaze itself into some one's mouth. Any way, I guess it doesn't matter too much. I have a newborn so it isn't like I sleep much anyway...

The Quest Continues...

Well, we are still trying to teach Gina Mandarin. I found a show that she absolutely loves on NickJr called 'Ni Hao, Ki-Lan'. She calls it 'Ye Ye'. That is how you say 'grandpa' in Mandarin and she loves the grandpa on the show. She has even learned a few words in Chinese from watching the show. It also has an added bonus for me...the show isn't obnoxious like a ton of the cartoons on TV. It's actually pretty cute. Anything that makes my daughter happy while not driving me completely crazy is a good thing!

Cool Twilight Gift Idea from 1800Flowers!

I know a ton of people who are rabid Twilight fans. If your wife or girlfriend is one of the rabid...LISTEN UP!!! 1800Flowers has the perfect Valentine's gift. And the best part is, it basically requires no effort on your part and you'll pretty much look like a superstar! 1800Flowers now has a cool Twilight flowers DVD offer. I, personally, have not used 1800Flowers yet but I did see that MSNBC did state that 1800Flowers has honest and clear up-front pricing! I can appreciate that because it seems that other Internet flower sites really nickel and dime you during the checkout process. Suddenly, your $50 order of flowers is $80 once you add the vase or other extras that they try to push on you!

Seriously, if there is someone special in your life who really loves the Twilight books or movies, consider the Twilight Valentine Bundle from 1800Flowers. There are two different packages at two different price points so you are bound to find something that fits into your budget. A budget-friendly gift that your wife or girlfriend will love...what more can you ask for!!!!

I'm Back

Ok, I apologize for the huge gap between posts. The last couple of months of my pregnancy have been really, REALLY difficult. My son was born at 8:15 am on January 24th. I had some trouble after he was born but I am on the mend now. I feel better every day (other than being super tired). Hopefully, I'll be able to keep things updated....although I'm sure that isn't going to be easy with a 17 month old and a 2 week old!

Geez

Ok, I don't know if this is useful or interesting to anyone else but me, but I have been having contractions for 18 hours!!! I went to the hospital this morning and the doctor sent me home saying that it was false labor. Really???? Are Braxton Hicks contractions supposed to last this long, while getting closer and closer and getting more and more painful??? If it doesn't ease up by midnight, I'm calling the doctor....again. I really can't deal with this any more!

My Parents Just Got Back From Parco San Marco!

My mother has been dying to go to Italy for years but my father isn't exactly an international traveler. He does, however, love to golf. So my mother basically tricked him into going to Parco San Marco. Dad got to golf and mom got her trip to Italy!

Apparently, when it comes to Lake Lugano and Lake Como golf, the courses at Parco San Marco are the way to go. Dad was even able to rent golf equiptment. While my dad was golfing, I guess that mom spent time at Parco San Marco, which is basically an Italian Spa Hotel. The spa uses a holistic approach and that is something that has always appealed to my mom.

My parents had nothing but positive things to say about their vacation and, to be honest, my mom can be a pretty big complainer! So, if you are thinking about a Lake Lugano Vacation, you may want to check out Parco San Marco. If it can make my mom happy, I would be willing to bet that just about anyone would have a great time!

Teaching My Toddler Chinese

My husband and I really want our daughter (who is 17 months old) to learn a second language. We decided that Mandarin Chinese would make the most sense and open the most doors for her. Neither my husband nor I can speak Mandarin so we got some language learning software. My husband does pretty well but I am really stuggling. I just have a really hard time even hearing the difference between the four tones, let alone successfully saying them!!

There are actually hundreds of DVDs, books, flashcards, and CDs specifically for babies and toddlers. And, our daughter actually pays attentions and enjoys watching them. If you're interested, check out Amazon for a pretty wide selection. We wanted to start as early as possible because a child who learns a language between the ages of 0 to 2, will speak the language like a native! Besides, watching Mandarin videos with her parents, listening to the CDs in the car, and doing flashcards with her Mommy, has to be better for her little brain that watching Teletubbies or Sponge Bob!!!