Why I took my 1st grader to a tattoo parlor

Violet has been talking about getting her ears pierced for a while, and recently she got pretty serious about it. Being the somewhat alternative mama that I am, I did some research about what was best for my child rather than going the conventional route.

So many things about piercing guns seem wrong. Do you really want to let a teenager punch a hole in your body with a semi-blunt object? Or would you rather visit someone who has spent a lot of time training on piercing earlobes and much more complicated piercings? My gut told me to go to a professional piercer.

A little internet research, coupled with my own memories of simultaneous gun piercings as a child, made me increasingly determined to have my daughter's ears pierced with a needle. If you take a piece of paper and punch through it with a semi-sharp pencil and with a hole punch and compare the results, you'll see the advantage of piercing with a hollow needle. There is far less trauma to the tissue.

A few friends recommended a shop in the area, and I found out one of the piercers there pierced children's ears. (Not every shop or every piecer will pierce minors or they may have a minimum age--do your research.) I called the shop and asked some questions, and when Violet was still ready to have her ears pierced, we called and made an appointment.

Before

We did a lot of talking about what would happen, and also about how it would hurt, but only for a moment, and she was going to be brave and do it again for the second ear. I was mentally prepared to leave with one ear done if need be, but I didn't think that would happen. We also talked about how the experience would be different from what many of her classmates had done, but we felt this was better for her than going to the mall. Her earrings would look a little different, but there were a lot of pretty options to choose from.

It was no surprise to me that she chose the purple simulated opal jewelry. It was one of the most expensive options, but she'll be wearing these earrings for a while, and I felt it was worth an extra $20 to have her wearing something she really loved.

Yes, she was nervous.

After we signed the consent forms and picked out her jewelry, we had a few minutes to wait and she commented on some "disappropriate" artwork on the wall that showed someone's bottom. Then we went into the piercing room. My daughter was nervous and clutched the stuff animal she brought to hug. She would have been every bit as nervous with any piercing experience. All of the careful disinfecting and preparation done by the piercer prolonged the nervous anticipation.

Clamped

Jeremiah clamped her earlobe and she shot me this look like aren't we going to get on with this and are you going to keep taking pictures? I knew she just wanted to get it over with, and a moment later, her ear was pierced. It really shocked her and she cried when he did it and when the jewelry went in. (I went into full Mama mode and was not taking photos!) She took a few minutes to calm down and the piercer let her look in the mirror and admire the one earring that was done. When she was more ready to get the second one done, he quickly clamped her earlobe and pierced it before she could think about it. She reacted far less and was so very relieved that it was over. The anticipation had been the worst part for her.

The needle

I snapped this photo while the piercing needle was in her ear, hanging out for a moment while the piercer got her jewelry ready. She was so calm at this point, because the worst was over! I took this photo primarily to show her later, because I knew she'd be amazed at the size of the needle. She felt extra brave when she saw the photo that night. I also include this photo to prepare needle-shy parents who are considering taking their children to a professional piercer. 

Her ears didn't feel great at first, but it was very short-lived. I couldn't believe how quickly she was bouncing around and feeling fine! She felt like a superhero after getting her ears pieced. She was so confident and proud of her ears!

After

That night and afterwards, her ears didn't hurt at all, unless they got bumped or caught on something. We bought some H2ocean Piercing Aftercare Spray for aftercare and it is very gentle on her fresh piercing and convenient to use. She complains that it is cold and wet, and I think about how much more gentle it was than the aftercare routine I used almost 30 years ago!

With the high quality titanium piercing jewelry, we leave her ears alone to let them heal. No turning jewelry. (I have such horrible memories of the pain when we had to turn my earrings, when my ears had been healing and adhering to the earring post and back!) Her earrings are a short barbell, with a little silver ball in the back and a pretty bezel-set cabochon in the front. I watched some youtube videos to prepare myself for the experience and most of those girls got captive bead rings. Our piercer did not recommend them for her, because they are more likely to be played with or bumped. Going with the barbell or labret style jewelry was definitely easier for her while healing than a CBR would have been.

here we grow again

These kids of mine have grown up quite a bit since I last blogged. My babies are no longer babies! We've had new adventures, and I'm looking forward to sharing more of them! 

The photo above was from this past summer when we got new bunk beds! My big kid slept on top, and for about a month her younger brother slept on the bottom bunk, and they were loving sharing a room, at least for sleeping. The novelty eventually wore off and he was happy to go back to his own room. 

Spring Shoe Shopping

It's that time of year again...time for sandals and other fun summery shoes! We love shopping at Shoebuy.com for sandals, because they have the best deals I've found for Keens and other brands we love like Merrell, Stride Rite, and New Balance.  We made a trip to the local shoe store to get some sale sandals for Violet (last season's models, crazy bright colors that don't appeal to most people = perfect for us!) and I was drooling over some new sandals for me. I might even splurge on a refresh to my favorite sandals, Naots, now that I see I can get them on Shoebuy! To get the best deal right now, go through my text link above, then when you check out, enter coupon code SPRING20 at checkout, and if you haven't already, create an account with them. It's been a while since I created my account, but when I did, I saved an additional 10% off my order, and an extra 10% on orders placed within 60 days of another order.

I love getting an assortment of cute, discounted, quality sandals delivered to my door and trying them all on in the comfort of my home and returning the ones that don't work!

(I really need to remember to take photos and download them before I decide to blog, eh? Sorry for the lack of graphics!)

Coupon Bliss

I am in the middle of a long-overdue coupon clipping and sorting session, which will be followed by a massive shopping trip or two. I'll be hitting Target, where I save 5% every day with their credit card, and I have an extra 5% off I earned with their Pharmacy Rewards program. Add the ability to stack a Target coupon with a manufacturer's coupon and I'll save a lot of money as I replenish our supplies of pantry staples, personal hygiene products, and more. I was especially excited to see a coupon for Eggo waffles, a family favorite.

I'm also printing coupons from the banner at the top of my website. They have Pampers coupons that are much better than the ones that were in Sunday's P&G brandsaver. Right now you can print out a coupon for $1.50 a single package of Cruisers or Baby Dry diapers and 75 cents off wipes. Compare that to $1 off two packages or one box and $0.50 off wipes from the P&G insert. I love to take $0.75 coupons to my local grocery stores that double coupons and save $1.50 total. I can't wait for hubby to get home so I can finish my couponing and get ready to go on a kid-free (or at least toddler-free) shopping trip. I save so much more money without a little one with me!

This week is extra-fun because of all the coupons for chocolate I printed off of Target's website. The ones I just checked are good past Easter, so I know where I'll be Monday morning! Post-Easter sales are also when I indulge my obsession with Cadbury Creme Eggs. Mmmmm....

Woot Woot...and Shoes!

I love my deal-a-day sites like Woot: One Day, One Deal.. They've expanded their offerings to include subcategories, including my personal favorite, Kids.Woot: One Day, You'll Understand.

For a wider selection of items to choose from, these days I'm turning to my favorite online shoe source as we think about sandals for the kids and extra extra wide sneakers for my husband. We've gotten Keens there in the past, because their coupon codes don't exclude them like some other sites do. Shipping to you is free and return shipping for items that don't fit or just don't work for you is free as well. Here's a coupon code for you, and as always, I really appreciate it if you buy through my link! $5 off any order of $50 or more at Shoebuy.com plus Free Shipping! Simply enter 'BUY5' at checkout to redeem.

What a stitch!

Some of those annoying stitches finally came out yesterday. That figures, right before my second post-op visit when the doc can remove them, right? WRONG. Thank goodness those three came out, because the doctor said he couldn't do anything about the ones that are remaining. I have to wait for them to dissolve on their own. Bah.

The good news is that I can breathe much better now! The doc vacuumed the last of the packing and some scabs and other yuck out of my nose. I no longer feel like I'm trying to breathe through a straw, and things should continue to improve over the next few weeks. Yay!!

Is that a monster nose hair or did you just have a septoplasty??

Two and a half weeks post-op, I still have "dissolvable" stitches in my left nostril. They are far less annoying than the huge plastic splints that were in my nose for the first week, but I've been looking forward to them dissolving since the splints were removed.

At best, the stitches are pokey with a light glazing of nose crud. At worst, they anchor massive amounts of dried crud to the sensitive, still-healing skin inside my nose. Have you ever hand-dipped wax candles? The layers of wax build up to make something larger. That's what these stitches remind me of.

To make matters worse, perhaps they've loosened a bit, because I don't remember them being quite this low. I'm tempted to take scissors and snip the ends...they are that accessible. I'll be having my second post-op checkup soon and cannot wait to have the rest of the surgery leftovers removed from my nose.

Crib Bedding Steal!

I don't need any crib bedding, but if you or someone you know does, check out this amazing deal on a 4-piece set. Avon has a pink set and a yellow set from Tiny Tillia on clearance for only $35! I love versatile dot and stripe pieces like the crib sheet and skirt in this set.

You can buy this from my wonderful Avon lady through this link: http://shop.avon.com/shop/product.aspx?code&level1_id=300&level2_id=555&pdept_id=557&pf_id=43917&level=3  At this price, there's no telling how long it will last!

Hello out there!

Hi! It's been a long time, but I'm determined to get back on the blogging wagon. There are so many things that have happened lately where I've been googling to find others' experiences, and I want to get back to my original goal of writing blog posts that I would have appreciated finding when I was looking for information on something, plus some cute and fun stuff too.

Violet just turned five, and Gator will be three soon. My babies are getting further and further from the "baby" stage every day.

I've been crocheting a lot lately and finding it a great source of stress relief. Stress was high recently as I prepared to have surgery and get everything in order before I was taken out of commission, including throwing a birthday party at our house days before surgery. I scoured the 'net for information on recovery from a septoplasty and I'll add some of my own to that. I'm finally starting to feel more normal. Nose surgery is not easy when you have kids that keep bringing colds home! I love them, but they are little germ incubators.

Woot-Off!!

I love Woot. I really do. Regular woot, kids.woot, and more. Kids.Woot keeps posting these great deals on Melissa & Doug items, and I love their stuff.

If you've never done a woot-off before, items are listed until they are gone and a new one goes up. If you take too long, it's gone.

Oh, and hello, blog world. I've neglected this so and I'd love to get back to sharing deals, crafty stuff, and more.

USB Pet Rock

This made me smile...as does much of ThinkGeek's stuff.




My poor blog. I'll try not to neglect it so much.

Today only: Butterfly Habitat deal!

If you read my Very Hungry Caterpillar post and wished you had the opportunity to order the butterfly habitat for cheap, hurry on over to Kids.Woot and order one, two, or better yet, three! You can order up to three per account and the shipping/handling is $5 no matter how many you order. The kits are just $6.99 from Woot until they sell out or the day ends, whichever comes first.

There is a $5 s/h fee for the caterpillars when you order them, but you'd have that whether you ordered this kit for $6.99 from Woot or $19.99 elsewhere. If you check out Insect Lore's site, you'll see that it's less expensive to order extra full kits from Woot than order additional sets of butterfly larvae.

I did contact Insect Lore to ask if the habitat was appropriate for preying mantises, and they said it was. We might order a mantis egg sack and watch an army of little green predators emerge!

The Very Hungry Caterpillar

I recently picked up a copy of  The Very Hungry Caterpillar at Kohls as part of their Kohls Cares for Kids $5 book program. Would you believe I had never read this to my children? They are loving it and so am I. There are lessons about nature and healthy eating and it's a great opportunity to have the children count along with me and identify colors.

I can't wait to see their faces when we watch our own caterpillars become butterflies. We recently received an Insect Lore Live Butterfly Garden and need to wait for Ohio to finally warm up to order our caterpillars! I'm looking forward to reusing the butterfly habitat for other insects that we temporarily study before releasing back into the wild.

I ordered my Butterfly Garden through kids.woot, but linked to the same product (for more money) on Amazon since Woot is a deal a day site...one that I dearly love and have ordered far too many things from. I check it regularly for goodies :)

Must...get...crafty!

Various plagues have beset our home and it seems like someone has been sick, to some degree, for almost two months. It's made our schedule extra hectic and meant we had to miss out on some fun with other kids. The only upside to the sickness is that I'm finally updating this blog again, as I snuggle in bed with a sleeping boy who has a horrible cough. I'd rather update my blog and catch up on my blog reading than risk waking him up to get some other things done. I'm debating trying to get up and grab a crochet hook or knitting needles and yarn. 

 

It's still cold in Ohio so maybe I should finish off some of the partially-made hats I've crocheted. Many are variations on the Inner Hooker owl hat pictured at left. It took several attempts to follow the directions well enough to not make the hats come out huge, and they are still pretty roomy. The one at left was a gift, made in Ohio State colors, and after my second attempt was too large I decided it'd just be a baby gift he could wear next winter. 

My crochet stash includes several completed and partially-completed hat bases, eyes that need sewn on, and a few beaks. I've found that the eyes and beak are tedious at times but perfect for the rare times when I sit down to watch TV and don't have something else to work on. I usually do much better with repeating rows of double crochet. Not quite as relaxing as knitting a fairly basic hat pattern, but close. 

There are many sewing projects waiting for me to sit down at my machine, including some simple character pillows for my children. Gator is getting this Buzz Lightyear and Violet has a similar Cinderella waiting for her. I picked them up at Joann Fabrics when they were half price and really thought I'd have them done before Valentine's Day. Then her birthday. Now it's almost April. The few times when I think I would have time to sit and sew or craft, there are so many more pressing things to work on. Cleaning the house for Violet's birthday party. Compiling receipts and expenses for our taxes. Cleaning the house again because it doesn't take long to get it trashed. Organizing. Decluttering. And so on. The goal is to have a play space adjacent to the room where my sewing machine and photo editing/designing desktop mac are, so I can work while the kids play. I think it's time to put other things on the backburner so that playspace is completed and I can work or play while the kids play.

I keep discovering crafty blogs with tutorials for cool projects like this roll-up car caddy. What a wonderful way to tame clutter and package things up for a trip out. I have some ideas to use this for other favorite toys that are small. It will be a perfect use for some of the fabric I kept from worn out clothing that seemed to have good potential for future sewing projects. How wonderful it would be to combine the goals of recycling, creating, and organizing!

FOUR!

It's been a little over four years since I embarked on this journey of motherhood. Sure, the journey started during that uncomfortable, complicated pregnancy, but the baby in my belly went to concerts, work, etc. with me when baby on the outside required much more consideration.

Last year was the first year we did more than a family party for a child, and we took advantage of a room that could be reserved for free. My house didn't have to get cleaned and didn't have the craziness descend upon it. This year, I decided we would have a smaller party at home. Violet loves helping people bake and decorating cookies and cupcakes is a real treat. So we planned a cupcake-decorating birthday party.

This was the first time I baked a cake, and while it wasn't as fancy and polished as store-bought cakes, the recipient was happy with it and it tasted good too! I can't believe how inexpensive it was to bake my own cake instead of buying one, and it wasn't that hard. Putting it together and decorating it was like a fun craft project.

the only picture that shows the layers

The cake featured one layer of chocolate and one layer of strawberry cake, baked from a mix. Ariel figurines purchased on clearance at Target months ago (because someone's been requesting an Ariel cake this year since her birthday last year) made the cake go with the requested theme without requiring great expense or artistry. Wilton does make an Ariel Cake Pan but the plastic figurines worked well and provided the birthday girl with playthings for later. I would have preferred  to write more on the top, but I figured a simple "4" was better than novice writing.

yummy

For cupcake decorating, I had a variety of sprinkles, icing, chocolate chips, nuts, and three kinds of frosting. I decorated some of the leftovers (at left) before packing them up for later. I'm looking forward to playing with the Wilton Make a Face Animal Icing Decorations some more later. We also had Wilton Hello Kitty Icing Decorations and Wilton Toy Story Icing Decorations, ordered from Amazon, and we have a lot of fun decorations to use in future cupcake and cookie decorating projects! I think we'll be doing a lot more "edible crafts" with the children.

My son, the cat, part 2

Many times, I've found a cat playing inside a paper bag. I don't recall finding a child in one until very recently...but here is further proof that simple, inexpensive or free toys can provide little ones with much enjoyment.

The gang's all here and ready for bed

Lion, Moon, Elmo, and Bunny

Gator is at an age where he's becoming quite attached to his little friends, particularly at nighttime. I remember Violet having her bed covered in stuffed animals and dolls, so either it's a phase or my kids just love their "friends" a lot.

Bunny has been a longtime lovey, or as close to one as my kids get. We were at Target when Gator was little and these were on a clearance endcap. He was really drawn to the pink one. The non-pink one(s) were not very vibrant and pretty blah and this was more of a peachy pink, and besides, there's nothing wrong with my son having a pink bunny. So the pink bamboo velour bunny became his. He would stroke its fur and ears while he was nursing, and this was good. I was determined he'd find comfort from some object that wasn't attached to me, so I'd pull the potential lovey into some of our nursing sessions. It was an idea I got from The No-Cry Sleep Solution for Toddlers and Preschoolers: Gentle Ways to Stop Bedtime Battles and Improve Your Child's Sleep in their Nighttime Nursling chapter when I was trying to get Violet to sleep without me. Bunny never grew to grand levels of comfort and security, but there are many times when my little guy is settling down and asks for Bunny.

Elmo seems to draw in young children and mine were no exception. Violet grew bored with him right around the time Gator was falling deeper under his spell, so our Elmo toys transitioned from one child's room to the other. My son seems to view "Melmo" as a true friend.

Lion is a recent addition to the bedtime gang. I picked him up at a card shop that was going out of business when I was pregnant with Gator. It matched his nursery decor. Recently his soft velvety fur has been appreciated at snuggle time.

Woody is not in the picture above, but is very much a part of the family in my children's eyes, as is Violet's Jessie doll. My children are obsessed with Toy Story. Violet has always gravitated toward the cowboy (Woody) and didn't think much of Buzz, but Gator's admiration for him seems to be growing daily. Now everything remotely robotic is called "Buzz" in a soft, sweetly admiring voice. (I know he's a space ranger, but if my kid wants to think he's a robot, so be it...)

And lastly is our Kinderglo Rechargeable Night Light. Violet has a T. Rex (chosen by her because his teeth would scare away monsters) and we love the different light modes, that it's rechargeable, and how easy it is for her to put it on the charger and light it up. Gator doesn't have access to a plugged-in charger yet, but we chose the moon model for him because the shape creates a nice carrying/holding handle. He holds it in his hand to "read" his books after lights out. His latest favorite is the Russell the Sheep book that his sister loved so much. His previous go-to was an animal sounds book...perfect for a child his age to "read" out loud.

If you're considering a Kinderglo night light, note that the moon is quite a bit larger than the dinosaur. T. Rex gets lost in the sheets much more easily.  They've added more shapes since we bought our first one, so you have a lot more to choose from. Maybe my daughter would have still chosen the one with the scary teeth to protect her, or maybe she would have gone with something cuter. They all serve the same purpose. We've been very happy with the choice of night light, even though the price initially made me balk. It's no more expensive than comparable lights by other brands and seems to be the most kid-friendly, and the cost is worth it when my children sleep better!

Falling Up

Hi there!

These crazy kiddos of mine, and life in general, have been keeping me busy and I've really fallen off the blogging wagon. I enjoy sharing my thoughts, memories, and deals and reviews I think others might be interested in.

Goals for this year include a lot more focus on creative pursuits, and I'm hoping to share some of them with you! I may reconnect with my inner geek some more and do some techie reviews, especially if there seems to be some interest. Geeky technology put in layman's terms? That's one of my specialities in my outside-the-home work. I love feedback and comments and it helps me to keep blogging if I think someone besides me is reading it. So let me know what you think about topics, what you'd like to see more of, etc. More pics of the kids? More deals? More reviews? Let me know!

So...see that little guy in the picture? He's almost 21 months old, full of energy, and increasingly conversational. He's a skinny little dude because he burns off calories almost as fast as he consumes them. Big sis is almost four years old and is obsessed with planning for her birthday. I hope it is worth all the buildup...and that she doesn't start obsessing about Christmas again as soon as her birthday passes.


P.S. Does "Falling Up" ring a bell for anyone? Especially my fellow Bobcats? You can listen to "Superhero" and a few other tracks from the Cactus Pears here. Time for me to turn on some Snack for Slacks on my iPod...

Magazine Love

There's a great magazine promo going on at Amazon.com. Spend just $20 in their magazine store this month, and you'll get a $10 credit to use on anything sold by Amazon. This might be the perfect time to treat myself to a subscription to my beloved Games magazine. The puzzles, crosswords, etc. are top notch and include varying difficulty levels.  Paint by Numbers is a favorite puzzle of mine, and I tend to buy it at the store every time I see the magazine with new ones. At $4.95 a copy, that adds up. And yes, I already own the book (see link below).

I did a lot of GAMES puzzles, including  Paint by Numbers, when I was on bedrest, then hospital bedrest, before my first baby was born. I did the crosswords in early labor with both of my children. They provided just the right amount of distraction.

My other favorite magazine at the moment is ReadyMade. There are so many creative ideas in it, and it's just my style in so many ways.

I've been enjoying Disney FamilyFun at the doctor's office and will probably subscribe to it at some point. We have Disney Movie Rewards points that can be used for it through that site, though.

I have some Amazon gift cards I earned with SwagBucks, and that makes deals like this that much sweeter!

Giving thanks and saving money

Today, I'm very thankful for all the retailers that are offering great sales on their websites, so I can rack up the savings without leaving my house! Waiting in line in freezing rain? Not for me! Here's a roundup of some of the deals I appreciate most!

I'm also grateful for my family, including my two wonderful (at the moment) kiddos. I'm especially enjoying Gator's recent surge in communication ability at 18 months and my heart still swells with love watching him and his sister interact. I've been slacking on sharing photos lately, so I'll intersperse a few from fall so it's not all deal links!

Amazon MP3 Download Credit - $3  My husband has been using Amazon's mp3 store a lot lately. He says the prices are often better than iTunes, and he can still listen to the music on his ipod, smartphone, etc. Amazon also has a lot of Black Friday deals. Today you can get five albums for $1.99 each. We're getting the Interpol album.

Many other retailers have specials on their websites, and I suggest checking your favorites to see what kind of specials you can find. Old Navy is one of those retailers. But before you go straight to their website...are you using Swagbucks?

I've been using Swagbucks.com for a few months and have earned $20 in Amazon reward certificates so far. You can use the points toward other things, but as you may have noticed, I shop on Amazon, so it's the closest thing to getting a cash reward for me. I use swagbucks when I'd be doing searches anyhow, and I randomly get points for searches. You trade those points in for rewards. I was racking up the points when I was being more intentional about doing my searches through the site. They have a toolbar as well, but I'm a creature of habit with my Google toolbar...

Old Navy has been running some great promos lately and I needed to pick up some more wardrobe basics. I'm so glad I checked Swagbucks before I did. They are offering a chunk of swagbucks (reward points) if you make a $50 Old Navy order through their link. So I made my order, got my savings, plus cashed my swagbucks in for a $5 Amazon reward card.

Do you cloth diaper? Nicki's Diapers is offering 10% off of everything except Bum Genius. Nicki's offers free shipping on most diapering items, so it's a nice opportunity to get a discount on items that rarely are. I'm thinking about getting some cloth trainers for Violet. When she gets to the point when her Pull-Up is dry most nights, I'd much rather have something reusable and washable on her.


There is much more I'd like to share, but motherhood calls! I hope to add to this post or add more as I find more links that I think will be of special interest to my readers.

Full disclosure: A lot of the links on my blog are affiliate links. That means you supplement my income in a small way when you purchase those items or others after clicking on my link, or sign up for a site I've referred you to. Thank you for your clicks...every little bit helps!