Simple Solution for that Necklace Mess

Some of you may be highly organized with all of your jewelry. Well, I am not. I have a jewelry box, and all of my "finer" jewelry are kept in their original cases/boxes. But my not-so-expensive jewelry is all over the place. And most of the time, earrings and necklaces are in little plastic bags or boxes so that when we go somewhere they can be transported easily. (Oh yes, I have a travel jewelry box, but of course I don't use it!)

One of the most frustrating things about my lack of organization is how necklaces get tangled up with each other. Most of the time, I won't even both putting on a necklace because I don't want to bother with the Rubik's cube like moves I have to make to get them apart.

So, I came up with a solution. I went to Bed Bath and Beyond, bought a tie rack and hung it up right next to my husband's tie rack in our closet. (And I did hang it high enough so that my little ones' grabbing hands can't reach anything!)

I will admit, I got this idea from a girlfriend who did this in her closet as well as another friends' closet to help prevent the very same mess I was going through. It just took me two years to actually put the idea into practice!

The verdict: I love it! My necklaces are now right by my clothes and are hanging so nicely. And when I am rushing to get ready because I am late (as usual), I at least won't have to run around figuring out where my necklaces are. (I will save that rushing around for my earrings!)

Denise Richards Needs the Right Party Planner

Did anyone else watch Denise Richards: It's Complicated tonight? She was trying to plan a baby shower and got a party planner from hell (who I really hope was just an actress).

I have four words for her...

Hostess with the Mostess.

Enough said!

Image courtesy of eonline.com

Cosmos in a Bucket...How Fabulous!

Even though it's been a short week, it's been a long week. And what better way to look forward to the weekend than a bucket of cosmos chilling in your freezer for the weekend?

I heard about this fabulous invention from Jillian, Inc. who has already tried it. You simply buy the cosmopolitan freezer bucket, add a 750mL bottle of vodka and water and put it in the freezer over night.

Voila! You have frozen cosmos for 20 people! (Or 4 cosmos for 5 people. You choose the math!)

According to Jillian, she found this bucket at TJ Maxx for $4.99, but I also checked out the El Paso Chile Company website (the makers of the bucket), and you can purchase the cosmopolitan freezer bucket for $10.

Thanks Jillian for getting me excited for summer!

P.S. You should all check out Jillian's blog...she has great posts and great giveaways!

Jon and Kate Plus Eight Sadness

First, let me start by saying that I have never watched Jon and Kate Plus Eight. But I would have to live under a rock to have never heard of them before.

Yesterday, my husband was lucky enough to receive a new TV for Father's Day, and we haven't set up all the bells and whistles, so I had to slum it and just channel up and down. While doing this, I ran across Jon and Kate Plus Eight and heard Jon and Kate talking about their relationship issues. And like any good train wreck, I had to watch.

All I can say is...sad!!! That poor family. Since I had never watched the show I didn't realize how much the show is really about the kids - which made the show hard to watch because the evening is my break time from screaming kids! But the couple basically announced they are splitting up.

Here are some words to live by. Unless you are Sharon and Ozzy Osbourne, you should not do a reality show about your life/marriage/family if you want that life/family/marriage to stay in tact. The fame and money may sound great...but is it really worth it?

P.S. I am not going to talk about this show or family ever again on this blog because it makes my husband and I very sad and upset.

Image courtesy of tlc.discovery.com

The Pee-Pee Teepee

Last weekend I went to a fabulous Cat in the Hat themed baby shower (pictures still to come), and as always, learned a few new things.

One gift that I had never seen before was the Pee-Pee Teepee. Have you seen these before? The fact that I hadn't makes me feel very old because I can use the phrase, "those weren't around when my son was an infant."

As you can imagine from the name, these teepees are little cones that you can place over your infant son's genital area so that his urine doesn't get all over the place (or perhaps in your eye!).

I have two thoughts about this item. First of all it is a cute gift idea, and is certainly great for a laugh among the women at a baby shower. Is it a necessary item? Not in this mom's opinion. A baby wipe worked just fine with my son, and served two purposes (protection and cleaning!).

But, if the Pee-Pee Teepee can protect one eye (or mouth in the case of my husband) from a newborn son's aim, then I guess it has served it's purpose! You can buy the Pee-Pee Teepee at UncommonGoods.

Here's a question for you to help all the newly expecting moms out there...what items did you buy or receive for your child that did work out as you thought (ie. you didn't use it or it didn't help you)? Please share!

Oh yeah, Happy Friday and Happy Father's Day!

Just Your Typical Sunday Morning...in the ER!!!

We were having a great morning. I was feeling especially industrious and had many plans of home improvements for the day.

All those plans flew out the window when I heard a chair fall to the floor followed by my 4 year old son crying and screaming hysterically.

I was upstairs in my daughter's room, where my son had just been. I ran downstairs to find him holding his forehead that was gushing blood.

Once we applied a ton of pressure and he stopped crying, we found out what he was up to. He got the brilliant idea that he wanted to get down his favorite Christmas ornament (Buzz Lightyear in the Box) from out cabinets upstairs. But his chair was downstairs, so he was attempting to carry his chair upstairs. Something that he has never attempted, and as I stressed to him a million times today, something he should never try again.

We went back and forth as to whether we should take him to the urgent care or the emergency room, and decided the ER might be better. (A couple of years ago my son split open his chin and had to have stitches done at the urgent care. They didn't numb the area and we had to hold him down. It wasn't a pretty sight.)

Because we needed to keep pressure on the wound since it was still bleeding, both my husband and I had to go on the adventure to the ER. That, of course, meant that our 19 month old daughter had to go, too. So my husband drove to the ER while I squeezed between the two car seats applying pressure to the wound.

We were lucky that the ER was not crowded when we arrived. And since we have already been the ER twice for my son, he had a profile already created and we didn't have to fill out much.

He was brought back to the ER and given his own little room...with a TV! Score! We watched Noggin and Nick Jr. while waiting to be treated. The first thing they did was apply numbing gel to his forehead. Above is the lovely photo I took of him with the headband used to keep the numbing gel in place.

Numbing gel is the best! My son watched Little Bill on Noggin while the doctor used his lovely needle to stitch up his forehead. He didn't make a peep while his four little stitches were put in.

An hour and a half later we were on our way home with our little patient all stitched up. Phew! What a relief!

T-Ball Drama

Oh, another summer, another fun season of baseball. Did I say fun? Scratch that. I meant to say interesting.

Last year my son played t-ball, and at age three, there were really only a few kids that sort of knew what they were doing. Luckily, by the end of the season, all of the kids were hitting the ball and finally seemed like they were enjoying playing.

Well, an entire year later, with no baseball playing in between, I feel like we are back in June 2008. One good clue to let me know it is, in fact, June 2009 is my almost 19 month old daughter who wants to run all over the place and get into everything!

Last summer, my son batted left-handed - which makes sense since he is left-handed. And as I mentioned in a previous post, he has loved using his Better Batter Baseball and has been swinging left handed. Wouldn't you know, today, he decides he has no idea what side he wants to bat from. He is gripping the bat like he has never done it before. Of course, my son could care less about what he is doing. However, his very nice coach (who thinks these four year olds should be playing like 10 year olds) was not so thrilled.

Luckily, my husband was able to get off work early today to take Jacob to his first practice and help out with the kids. But he was less than thrilled to get the question, "Your son played last year?" from the coach. And at one point, when our lovely son was goofing around too much with the other kids, the coach apparently told him to go sit down if he couldn't listen, so my husband pulled him off the field, walked over to me, and said he is not ready for this.

Not ready for this? Are you kidding me? He is four. This is supposed to be fun and for socialization. There aren't any Dodger or Yankee scouts in the outfield. Am I so wrong to think that coaching kids at this age is more about teaching them team work and the overall concept of the game and not how to hit ground balls vs. pop-ups?

Naturally, I would be more than happy to help coach if I didn't have to keep dirt and baseball bats out of my daughter's mouth. Not that I know a thing about baseball (actually I do), but I would like to think I know a little bit about structure and discipline. But this whole situation made my husband and I question our parenting. Give me a break! Our son is a great kid and we are good parents.

Uggghhh! This is supposed to be fun! I need to keep reminding myself (and my husband) of that. Now I need to go bake some cookies for Thursday's practice...I am in charge of treats!

True Mom Confessions: Surprise Book Giveaway Winners

Thank you to everyone that entered the True Mom Confessions: Real Moms Get Real book giveaway. And remember, even if you don't win a copy from this giveaway, you should buy it as a gift for yourself or even a friend.

Now, on to the winners.

Congratulations Molly C. from Citrus Heights, CA and Lisa Taylor from Nacogdoches, Texas. You are both our lucky winners!

Molly and Lisa, please contact us at info@housescouchesandbabies.com to claim your prize!

Stay tuned for more fun giveaways coming soon!

Restaurant.com: Worth it or Not?

Several months ago I told you about a cool way to save money the next time you go out to dinner...Restaurant.com. But finally, I got the opportunity to test it out myself last month.

First of all, let me start by saying, a $25 restaurant gift certificate for only 2 bucks sounds too good to be true. Oh yeah, because it is. In most cases, with a $25 gift certificate, you have a minimum purchase of $35, for example. You are obviously saving $23 in this example, but you aren't getting something for nothing, as I so dream of!

After my Chelsea Lately experience, we decided to check out Pane e Vino in L.A. and they had Restaurant.com gift certificates. (The girls from THE HILLS filmed a scene there, so I hoped it would be good. Pathetic, I know.) There were actually several gift certificate options ranging from $25 to $100, with a minimum purchase ranging from $35 to $200. When I called Pane e Vino about making reservations, they said that they have been receiving a few of these gift certificates a day, so people are certainly seeing the value in trying it.

Our meal there was very good. Have I been to better Italian restaurants, yes. (I lived in Italy for 6 months.) Have I been to worse, most definitely. They did make a lobster risotto that was absolutely divine. We ate on a wonderful outside dining patio that would make a wonderful spot for a big gathering like a rehearsal dinner or birthday party.

To sum it all up: I had a great time at the Chelsea Lately taping, ate at a great restaurant, and saved money in the process. This frugal, fun loving mom is happy!

Image courtesy of PaneVinoLA.com