Perilous Daycare

For the second time in just a couple of weeks, I picked up my baby from daycare and found - to my horror - that her clothing was ruined with bleach splotches.

WTF??!?!?

The first time it happened, the care giver explained that they use diluted bleach spray to clean the diaper change table and it must not have been dried well before my baby was put on the table. Okay, I thought, s**t happens, especially when there's a room filled with active babies/toddlers playing and running amok. After all, my baby's been in daycare for just shy of a year now and this was the first time this happened. Chalk it up to a fluke. (oh, and never mind that the top that got ruined was totally cute and from grandma and from a very shi-shi store and this was the first time she wore the top. In the moment I was very salty, but when all is said and done, it's just a top that she'll outgrow in a couple of months anyways).

Fast forward to today, just a couple weeks after incident #1. This time, another relatively new article of clothing got ruined. Same situation. Now I'm fuming.

I completely understand the need to disinfect and to be vigilant about it too. Especially in a day care environment. My baby is cootie-free, of course. But the place is a virtual petrie dish of cooties, germs and other potentially bad things.

So here's my rant about the situation: Whatever bleach concoction they're using, it's not being managed with enough care. Clothing can be replaced. But to think that the bleach spray is strong enough to splotch her clothing is troubling (and I'm not talking about just a droplet spot here and there...it's a full on smudge splotch). What makes them think that my baby won't accidentally touch the wet bleach drizzle on the changing mat. Then later she'll be sticking her fingers in her mouth. Or feeding herself Cheerios. Sure, the caregivers are all protected, wearing rubber gloves when changing the diapers. But my child and the other children at that daycare are at risk.

I'm gonna have to call them out on this. It might get ugly. But I've got to protect my child. I may need to re-consider my daycare provider. This is not good!

Black Friday Bullies

I don't know what I was thinking. It's not like I ordinarily brave the madness on Black Friday's. But for reasons that I'm still mulling over, this year was different. Somehow, I deluded myself into thinking, "really...how bad can it be on BF? I can handle it...I'll just get there early."

Famous last words. And define "early"!

Afterall, I've managed to juggle my hectic life as (1) a new mom, (2) a relatively newlywed wife (and yes, in case you're wondering, marriage came first, before I got sperminated), and (3) an ambitious career woman....and I've lived to tell. Not to mention that (1) my child is healthy and blossoming (2) my husband still thinks I'm pretty cool and (3) I haven't gotten fired.......yet ;-/

So I braved the crowds and headed out on my bargain hunt on BF. Oh, and did I mention that I brought my 1-year old with me? (I know, what was I thinking....seriously! Someone needs to call CPS on me!)

When we got to the parking structure on the less frequented side of the mall, it was all too promising. Parking O'Plenty! And why wouldn't there be. It was not even 8am. But, evidently, in spite of the pseudo-mirage of plentiful parking, it was a complete mad house the moment I set foot inside the mall. All I could think when I stepped in was: "where the hell did all these people come from and where did they park!?!?"

Long story short, it was a miserable time that was best summed up by the woman who bullied her way into the elevator at Macys.

One thing you notice when you have kids is that there never seems to be enough elevators. Period. And you'll find that you mentally take note of where things are in the mall relative to the nearest lift.

On all days, not just on BF, I would suggest that elevator priority goes to the elderly, anyone who has a blue placard in their car, anyone with walkers/wheelchairs, anyone with a leg/ankle/foot in a cast/moon-boot/ace bandage, and people with strollers. I'm not saying that all others are relegated to the escalator or stairs. Just let these folks go first when there's a line for a lift, that's all.

So back to the BF Bully Lady at the elevators in Macys.

Me and my baby in her stroller, a woman in a wheelchair and her party all comforably filled the lift. Then here comes the BF Bully Lady who risks her arm by sticking it in the way of the slowly closing doors. At first glance, it all seemed okay. She appeared to have a stroller with her. Mind you, we were pretty full to begin with, and it was questionable whether another stroller would fit.

So we all scooched in a tad closer to each other to accommodate this woman who I call the BF Bully Lady and her stroller. But wait, here's the thing -- her stroller was piled high with bags and bags of loot from the Disney store. No baby in sight. Or horror of horrors - is her baby underneath all those bags??!!

After the door closes and we're all sardined inside the lift and people are bumping my baby's stroller (while she's trying to nap!), one of the women called her out: WHERE'S YOUR BABY?

And get this: BF Bully Lady says all snippity "are you kidding? there's no way I'd bring my baby here."

WHAAAAT??

First of all, if that's a back-handed comment directed at me, that was sooooo uncalled for.

And second of all, why not just liberate a shopping cart from Albertsons instead of using your stroller as a cart for you loot. That's just weird. It clearly required pre-meditation. And to top it off, your baby stroller is like your fast pass to the front of the line for the lift. No baby necessary. Details. Details.

The lesson: No more BF adventures for me. Viva online shopping!

Faking it

travesty! there's been a lot of hoopla on the Internet over the last couple of days about how fake "the hills" is. it's not that I thought that it was 100% real...maybe just 51% real.

it really takes the fun out of getting wrapped up in this silly little show when you find out it's all a sham. I'll be damned! my enjoyment was fully manipulated by the hands of the puppet-masters (the producers) of the show and it's just shameful. it's like that awful feeling you have when you think your significant other is cheating on you, then horror of horrors, your feelings are confirmed. it just feels so dirty!

• sham #1: that gavin dude that went on a date with LC on this week's episode was coaxed into asking her for her digits and taking her on a date by the shows producers. there's an interview with gavin who dishes on the behind the scene dirt. who knows if it's legit, but it makes for good reading.
  
  
• sham #2: lame heidi doesn't really work at the fabulous event production company, bolthouse. it's just for show. not sure why I'm surprised....she seems too much like a dingbat to have a job like that.
  
  
• sham #3: the inexplicable disappearance of LCs nail polish. in one scene her nails are painted, and in the next scene they're not. odd!
  
  
• sham #4: evil duo spencer & heidi are spotted filming spencer dropping off heidi at the airport, leaving LA. then immediately followed by filming heidi at the airport returning from her fake, 2 second trip, being greeted by evil spencer. WTF?!?!

aargh! this sucks! I might have to go and keep up with the kardashians instead. at least there's an off chance for a yummy brody jenner sighting on that show!

**UPDATE**
yet another blurb on the Internet about how fake "the hills" is:

• sham #5: like heidi, audrina's job at sony is just for show! and if that weren't enough, supposedly audrina & LC don't live in the fab apartment complex anymore. I wonder if they ever did!? and as one of my gal-pals astutely noted -- if they're gonna lie about that, doesn't it make you wonder if audrina, whitney are LC's friends in real-life, or were they the fortunate (or unfortunate) by-products of a casting call?

the hills - oh, they soooo did it!

last night's episode of "the hills" was so good that I watched it live AND watched it again today on tivo. I guess after that lame "the hills cram session" last week, any new material would be fantastic. the cram session incidently was a waste of time and a total tease..."including never-before-seen-scenes." come on, people! if you're going to show n-b-s-s's then at least show some juicy footage that matters!

just a couple of highlights from last night, worth pointing out:

1. jen bunney and LC meet up for the first time since the brody hook-up incident. first of all, I have to say that 'jen bunney' would be a great name for a poptart, faux-talented "singer." but, pseudo rock star name aside, why does she front like she's trying to stay out of the drama between LC and evil heidi, then she goes and stirs things up?!? aargh! on the one hand, reaching out to LC and telling her that evil heidi and spencer say that yummy brody jenner is the one who started the sex tape rumors about LC was like extending the proverbial olive branch. but then, she turns around and runs back to evil heidi to tell her that LC says that brody says that evil heidi and spencer are behind the rumors. dummpt-dummpt-dummm!



2. and then, j.bunney straight-up asks evil heidi if spencer did it. juicy! evil heidi got all defensive. why get so defensive so quickly...unless you have reason, no? evil heidi's response, "I can't believe you're coming at me like that" (or something like that) was soooo telling. the girl just got called out, and she can't take it!
   


3. and finally, evil heidi gets home and tells evil spencer about j.bunney's insinuation that he's the rumor-monger. of course they still blame brody. but then spencer doesn't even say a word about denying his own hand in it. isn't that interesting?!? but here's the thing - evil heidi has this weird look on her face. now, I'm not saying I'm any good at reading faces, but the look on her face said one of these things to me: (a) "OMG, my man is shady and I think he might've started the rumors" (b) _______________ (blank, meaning she's clueless and not thinking anything) (c) "did someone fart?"

my take on the situation: evil spencer and heidi are totally behind the sex tape rumors. just look at them. they're such publicity tramps. they must have the paps and the tabloids on their speed dial. why else do we see random pictures of them on the Internet...s & h riding bikes (who cares?), them at random events for g-list wannabe, celebutards.

but like everything in life, including guilty-pleasure reality shows like "the hills", there's a lesson in this episode. you have to look really hard for it sometimes, but here goes...

lesson: confront the drama head on. there's so much to be said in the body language and physical twitches vs. words alone. for instance, when LC confronted yummy brody with the fact that evil spencer & heidi say that he's the one behind the rumors, brody's body language and confidence + his words were convincing that he didn't start the rumors. in contrast to heidi's reaction to j.bunney's questioning whether spencer was behind the rumors and heidi's subsequent facial expression/twitching with spencer (as noted in highlights #2 & #3) have "guilty" written all over!

baby rumble

call it my guilty conscience for being a full-time, working mom, but one of the "truths" that I tell myself to rationalize my reality and to comfort myself for having to be away from my baby is that daycare is actually good for my lil one...it'll help her with socialization skills. maybe it is true. and maybe it remains to be seen. but at the moment, I'm afraid my little cutie pie might be a little bully baby thug.

I know! horror of horrors! my little yum-yum instigated a rumble with another little baby who was only 1 month younger but at least 5 pounds lighter. I was mortified, to say the least!

so this is how it went down:

we were having a delightful, breezy sunday lunch with my hubby and some of his good buddies and their families at one of the fella's homes. one of the guys who was a groomsman in our wedding, has an adorable, cute-cute, petite baby girl (the one that my baby later rumbled with).

there they were, the two little girly girl babies. cute. sweet. both crawling around, exploring and enjoying their newfound independence that comes with mobility when it happened: the confrontation.

under the dining table, the two baby girls found themselves face to face. at first, they cautiously studied each other's face. then they slowly transitioned from crawling position to sitting up, neither one averting their eyes away from the other. and all I thought was, "how sweet! they're gonna be BFFs!" but then what I thought were cooing sounds quickly turned into a cacophony of squawks and squeels when it happened: my baby shoved the petite baby in the shoulder! and then, the petite baby extended her daintly legs in front of her and kicked my baby with her feet. I know, she was only defending herself. none the less, the shoving and kicking match left me immobilized in my horror and disbelief.

my hubby and his buddy quickly intervened (I was useless, obviously), separating the two babies like separating two little puppies that had gotten into a tussle over the last milk bone, while locked in a pen.

in hindsight, what I think went down is that the babies found themselves stuck under the table, crammed between what must've looked like a forest of chair legs to them, and they didn't know how to back up. I know for certain, that my baby at the moment only crawls in one direction, forward. and she'll push her way through whatever's in her way to get from point A to point B, even apparently, if it means shoving a baby who's in her path.

look, I'm just a new mom, still learning the ropes of parenthood. but my hope is that I'll never become complacent in my role as a parent and that it'll be a continuous learning experience. the way I see it - with every mortifying situation (like the baby rumble) and every horrifying experience (like when the baby fell off the bed under my watch...another post, another time...maybe), there's a lesson to be learned, you just have to find it.

in this case, the lesson for me is that even when I'm "watching" the baby, I'm not always actively watching, not anticipating or foreseeing potential hazzards....and I need to be. sure, the baby needs to learn some things on her own. but as a parent, I need to look out for her safety. period. and I realize this baby rumble wasn't a serious safety hazzard to either of the babies (well, maybe slightly for the petite baby...mine is kind of a moose next to her, size-wise). but it's a good lesson to learn without anyone having to get hurt to figure it out.

okay, now don't judge but....

I'm a reality show freak. seriously! I honestly can't think of 1 "scripted" TV show that I'm regularly following. when lunchtime chatter turns to, "hey, did you see the season opening of 'Grey's Anatomy'?" I feel myself fading to the background wondering if I should bring up what they thought of last night's episode of "Newport Harbor."

yeah, yeah, yeah....so I'm north of 30 and I found myself sucked into this season's MTV's "Newport Harbor" -- the replacement show for "Laguna Beach." when the season of "Newport Harbor" started several weeks ago, I was a bit skeptical. I had freakishly grown attached to the pretty people on "Laguna Beach"...even to the evil vixens. (did I mention that I saw cami at south coast plaza over the summer. she's much prettier and more petite in person than on tv, just fyi). anyways, I bring up "Newport Harbor" only because last night was the season finale and I'm lamenting....

first and foremost, are they going to have a season 2? and if they do, who are they going to focus on? boring, doormat taylor and her boyfriend/ex-boyfriend/then bf again, chase? aargh! hope not! so as not to get too salty about the thought of that, I quickly shift my thoughts over to the blossoming, young love of chrissy and clay (chrissy & clay 4ever!)

hmmm....will chrissy and clay be able to maintain a long-distance relationship? is she going to give it up to clay? OMG, did she finally? I mean seriously! if you're gonna give it up for the first time, why not do it with a deliciously handsome lad, like clay! come on! the guy carved their initials on the dock...with a heart around it. too sweet! back when I was in high school, they didn't make yummy high school boys that looked like clay! (I know, I know....call me "Mrs. Robinson"). then I wonder, clay or no clay, now that chrissy's away from home (read: away from her dad) for the first time and with no curfew, is she gonna go butt wild in college in some sort of rebellion-slash-late-bloomer kind of way? oh, but what about clay? yummy clay boy. unless...she rebels and goes wild WITH clay. now you're talking!

and I don't know about you, but did you get the sense that sasha was way more emotional about saying 'bye' to chrissy than chrissy was? just putting it out there.

oh, and what about at the very end, when chrissy got a call on her cell, glanced at the caller id and chose not to pick up. OMG, I had to rewind tivo to get a closer look to see who she was screening out. relief! it was her dad calling (I was afraid she was screening out clay boy!) smart girl!

all in all, that was it...the most climactic point of "Newport Harbor" for me. kinda sad, huh? not in a boo-boo-kitty kind of way. but sad that there wasn't any kind of cliff-hanger. maybe there won't be a season 2.

oh, well! good thing "The Hills" is still on and continues to get very, very juicy. down with heidi and spencer! go team LC!

my "must-have's" for mommies

so I'm a relatively new mom (my lil one is turning 1 year old in a month or so) and I thought I share some of my favorite must-have things for moms (and moms-to-be).

sure there are a lot of lists out there. and I totally know how it is when you're compiling your baby shower registry. it's so easy to go nuts. there's stuff (and crap) for every situtation imaginable. but if you're like me, you'll splurge on the stuff you really want and think you need, and just say "no" to all the other clutter. and frankly, it's even better than doing your wedding registry, cuz this time, your hubby has no interest (or very little interest) in chiming in.

so, just fyi, here's My Top 8 "must have's"...and not in any particular order:

1. Bella Bands - stretchy band that you wear over your regular, pre-pregnancy pants. they hold up your pants, even when the zipper is completely open! and somehow, it's strong enough to conceal the bulky, open zipper...even when you're wearing jeans. thanks to these, I didnt need to rock maternity pants until around the 5 month!



2. Peanut Shell baby sling - fabulously cute baby slings in stylish fabric prints. there are different ways you can carry your baby in this sling as your baby grows. I got lots of compliments on my sling...from random strangers too!
   


3. Braun Ear Thermometer - lots of books and web sites I've read say that the most accurate temperature measurement is done rectally for babies. I don't know about you, but I just can't bring myself to put a thermometer up the butt on my lil one. I figured that it might not be 100% accurate, but an ear digital thermometer will give me a decent indication before I call the doc. so this is the one I use and like. stick it in the baby's ear. push button. beep. you're done.
   


4. Skip Hop Pronto - as much as I love, love, LOVE my diaper bag (v.stylish, messanger-style by OiOi), when you're out and about with your baby in the stroller, you really just need to bring a few essentials on your trek: a diaper changing pad, diapers, wipes, and sanitizing gel. that's what's so great about The Pronto. it's a changing pad with compartments for the other diapering essentials that folds up neat and compact. it fits conveniently even in the smallest of the under-stroller baskets. (leave the cute diaper bag in the trunk of the car.)
   


5. Medela Quick Clean Micro-Steam Bags - a quick and very convenient way to sterilize stuff, like the baby bottle nipples, pacifiers, etc. without the time and hassle of boiling everything in water. it appeals to the lazy side of me, the one that wants to do the right thing (i.e. sterilize stuff) but just can't seem to find the time or energy to do so. just put the stuff you want to clean in the bag, add water and blast it in your microwave for a minute or so, and you're done!
   


6. NoJo Secure-Me Seat - this is a portable, fabric seat that can be used in the front baby seat of a shopping cart, or with a high chair (like when you go to a restaurant, where more often than not, the belts are missing or not working.) it's been very convenient...we keep it handy in the trunk of our car.
   


7. Peg Perego stroller - this brand offers a selection of styles in different price ranges. all of them have a contemporary, sleek frame construction that is relatively lightweight, yet durable. (all the attributes that I covet in the Bugaboo, without the outrageous price tag!) my personal choice was the Pliko P3 Stoller, which my baby seems to love. she loves going on a walk, and she's comfty while safely strapped in. this model has a few reclining positions, which is perfect for when my baby wants to take a snooze.
   
   
8. Lamp Dimmer - I honestly don't know what I would've done without this lamp dimmer. It's great because it's kind of like an electric extension cord that you plug any lamp into. except, this cord has a dimmer switch. So essentially, with this lamp dimmer you can turn any standard lamp and make it dim-able. fantastic! it's perfect for those middle-of-the-night times when the baby wakes up and you need to change diapers, etc. you can easily adjust how dim or bright you want the light to be. (I'd also recommend having a basic night light in your baby's nursery, though when it's the dead of night, they don't create enough light to change diapers. well, at least not for such a sleepy head like me!)

So there you have it. My Top 8. Check out these items and see for yourself.... I hope this helps someone out there!