Madsen Kiddos: April 2008

Money Mondays

Fancy Schmancy chairs and couch. I want a new couch. Not that the one that I have is bad, but I want one that I can put across the room and the back of the recliner just doesn't look that great after moving across the country. Seems that it got bent a little bit. So I tried putting it in the middle of the room and it looked pretty bad I am not kidding. one of the sides sort of fell down. It gets to live against the wall right now and you can't really tell that is is busted in the back so we are lucky. No one has noticed that one side is just a tiny bit shorter, but maybe I only notice that since I stay home.
I often try to tell myself that I want a comfortable couch, but I am lying. I really want a froofy fancy couch that looks fantastic and isn't very comfortable. I love this couch at Ethan Allen. I like the Pratt Sofa. I like the Lucian chair from Ethan Allen but it is so low I think it would have to go in my bedroom.
I would like two Giles chairs in an upgraded fabric. I really like the idea of having matching chairs- maybe just another upholstered rocker like the one I have now that I love so much. A white fancy couch would be so nice and I know we could find a place for the recliner.
So here are some beautiful pictures of my new couches and chairs, which I would like in a light color.
Total Cost $2,500.00

Money Mondays (medical edition)

I'll tell you what, I wouldn't mind having Lasik surgery done.

That's not to say that I have looked into eye surgery recently. I haven't. I don't know what I would get if I could throw money at it. But I know that I sometimes hate to wear contacts and glasses all the time. So surgery would be okay.

My next point concerns a large, circular scar on my left leg. It looks gross. It's red and angry looking, like it needs to be popped. While it causes me no physical discomfort, the emotional toll has been heavy, nearly as bad as that guy who once called me "dummy" as a small child. The photo above shows a very similar scar, but on the foot a stranger. Anyway, if the scar is a keloid scar, surgery probably does no good. But if it is hypertrophic and not keloid, surgery might work. So there's another unecessary sugery I wouldn't mind having done.

This ends money mondays medical edition. I hope you all enjoy it.

Poster Victory

I have some exciting news. I have been doing some research in microbial risk assessment. (This is not yet the exciting news.) The professor I work for wanted me to present my research at Drexel University's Research Day 2008. I made an awesome poster. To my gratification, my efforts were recognized and I won in my category. Yay me.
http://www.drexel.edu/provost/communications/research/2008/04-23_research_day_awards.html

A Party

Well Danielle had some friends over for her first birthday party and it was so much fun- later that night I took a picture. It was a strawberry shortcake party. Danielle's favorite part was probably the balloons- she pulled on them and got so excited she started crying. We gave her a piece of cake for the party and she mostly just ate the strawberries.
I was so happy to have friends over and that everything went well. Two of the balloons are still floating in the air! We wanted to have baby games but most of the babies couldn't walk so Danielle's team might have had an unfair advantage. It is so surprising that my daughter is a year old! Thanks Linda for the birthday girl shirt. Right after her party Danielle got to come with us so we could vote. She was still covered in cake because we didn't want to miss voting! Everyone said she was super cute, and she walked around in the polling room making faces at all the people.

Money Mondays Sunday edition

I just get really greedy and can't wait until Monday to post money Mondays. I was thinking about how a lot of home offices seem to have pertinent things- they have a schedule for the week= but would it make sense to have my home office upstairs in our extra bedroom? No- I never go up there. So I thought I could actually use a desk in my kitchen- rather than a small breakfast nook we could fit a corner desk. a white Bedford desk system from the pottery barn would match quite nicely. I could pair it with their matching desk accessories or go with something blue since the whole kitchen is blue. I would love this space for organization. Now I just have to find a way to hide the cable chord in the television and get the internet to hook up to the computer. Maybe it really is time to get Verizon Fios.
Pieces I would want:
Small Desktop 269.00
Corner Desktop 219.00
CPU cabinet 219.00
2 Drawer File Cabinet 249.00
3 Drawer File Cabinet 249.00

Total Cost: $1205.00

My Baby is One! (well on Monday)

I can't believe I have been a mom for a year! I am so excited- and now Wendy is a mom as well (only one day later than I had hoped but I think I will still always remember little Anderson's birthday. Well Danielle's birthday was really fun. A lot of the day consisted of me following Danielle around with a camera and trying to get a good photo of her. We played a game in her crib which I have never done before. I got a video and she kept standing up and sitting down again and throwing herself on her toys. It was really cute! Also she wasn't too sure about her birthday cake- but just a few minutes later we have a little video of her all hyper. After the sugar high she crashed and was grouchy- then the next day we dealt with all the joy of a birthday party in her diaper. Yuck!

Danielle is having a birthday party next week. I am very excited and I hope she has lots of fun. She has gotten curly Q cuties for her friends and she has the cutest tutu from kennedyandfriendsco You should check the tutu's out- they are really cute and I have received so many compliments already! I wish I had some of her cards.
Well Danielle is one year old and she has a cute new car seat. I love it and my baby is getting older!

Money Mondays

Oh what a Hutch

I always wanted one but I didn't want to spend a million dollars- but she said she got her nursery furniture at JC Penny and that it was pretty reasonable. So of course this morning at 8:00 I decided to check it out. It is pretty reasonable. And Wendy's furniture looks pretty good. Thanks for the advice Wendy's mom!

I thought this one would match our crib really well. The only difficulty with this is that I really like this armoire from The Land of Nod- everything they have is so cute! and it is white. Most baby furniture I like is white. Why I got a cherry crib? I don't know. Plus just the name armoire is exciting. If I had twins maybe I would need two nurseries. Or one baby room and one different room for Danielle. Danielle could get the armoire and the kid's room could be white. That would be perfect. Maybe by then the furniture will be on sale.

Armoire 899.00
Changing Table and Hutch $499.00 and 299.00

Total Cost $1697.00 (except they don't really go together)

I am Bitter.

I am bitter about the election. First Obama is beating Hillary, my candidate. And Hillary is making mistakes.
Well it seems like Obama is also making many mistakes. John told me about some of his comments that people are bitter and he has been branded an elitist. So of course I looked it up. Yahoo didn't have anything but they like Obama so there you go. Some say he has ruined his chances- Hillary passed out buttons saying "I'm not bitter" and McCain also declares that he isn't bitter. The interesting thing about Obama?: He didn't really take it back. Probably he is an intellectual elitist. Maybe he is frustrated that idiots get to vote. I think it's fair for the idiots to be upset. Maybe he was just a little too honest. Either way it isn't looking hot for the Democrats in my mind. USA today said the comments were "ill chosen" which is what he said but really if everyone is making a big deal out of it probably your comment was at least stupid.
And with Hillary mistaking schoolchildren for snipers my Democrats are getting a little worn out. I thought they were golden- with how Bush is setting things up for them it seems like they are doing quite well.
So I did what I had to- I finally made the McCain Onesie- I was going to have it say "I need a hero." but this just had to be. Maybe something good will come from all of this. Maybe I will finally sell a political onesie.

Money Monday's

So here's what I'd like to show for money mondays: a new laptop. Not that I've looked at a ton of laptops. I just know that the laptop I have been using since starting school at BYU is getting pretty slow. Also, it is cracked and the battery lasts about 25 minutes.
One laptop that I have seen is the new Apple MacBook Air. I hear it has a lot of drawbacks as a general-use laptop, but I don't really know. I do know that it is super tiny and light, as well as super expensive.
Another laptop is the older MacBook. It is cheaper and more versatile, but also bigger and heavier. I should also mention that I have never before owned or used an Apple computer. I just really like the designs that Apple comes up with, so here's a picture of that.

The last, least exciting, and probably most realistic option would be to upgrade the laptop that I already have. I don't know how much this would cost, but I have heard it is cheaper and better for the environment to just upgrade your old laptop.

Money Mondays Thursday Edition

Baby shoes

I really like baby shoes and every time I like at baby shoes I think- oh that would match with Danielle's __ outfit. They are so tricky how baby outfits are bright and colorful and varied- because let's face it they don't match everything. Every outfit seems to have a coordinating print shoe- and baby shoes are really expensive. I decided to do a Money Mondays about it (I was late this week) The money Monday inspired by Wendy is on the sibling blog.
Danielle apparently has very small feet for how well she walks and we cannot find shoes for her in normal stores. Danielle doesn't have Sunday shoes and needs a basic pair of black or brown shoes. turns out that it is much easier to find pink sandals with hot orange flowers.
Zappos.com seems to have a great selection of baby shoes- and I totally want so many- luckily there are so many it is overwhelming so I don't buy any. I think Suri Cruise has some of these armani baby shoes. armani junior shoes.
The red rsvp shoes are just happy rsvp shoes. Why do baby shoes cost as much as adult shoes? I guess baby ugg's ugg kid shoes are less- only $56.00
While I was looking for Sunday Shoes I found some really cute Van's van's Shoes and Keen shoes Keen Shoes that I think Danielle needs.
One of the worst designs in new walker shoes is the baby heel. Most of the Sunday shoes have this tiny heel. Overall the best shoes I found were these super cute black ones with flowers. see kai run shoes Those would go with so many outfits! Too bad they are actually out of Danielle's size. I am sure she will be this size sometime soon though- they have a six! I put it in my shopping cart.

Costs of Shoes

Ugg Kids Erin $54.00
rsvp shoes (size 20 which is a size 5) $64.00
Keen Amsterdam Shoes $51.00
Armani Kids Shoes $234.00
Van's Shoes (size 4.5 or 4 ! $30.00
See Kai Run Shoes (they are out of her size!) $41.00
Total Cost $475.00!

Washington DC

We just got back from a conference in Washington DC which was really exciting. I thought I should post some pictures of the dress I made Danielle while we were there. OK I don't really know how to make a dress but I made this one and I think the next one would look a lot better- if I ever make another one. It is hard! Also this dress is reversible. Probably making a reversible dress wasn't the smartest first dress idea.
I got some pictures of her in the dress while we were in our hotel room in DC and when we came home. Right away Danielle started on her baby chores. She helped put the diapers everywhere. Also she put her toys away she has learned that after you get every toy in the house out of the bin you should put them back in the bin which I am pretty happy about. I think daddy taught her. These photos show her putting away the baby boy clothes for presents and dancing in her bithday tutu- the birthday is Monday! It was nice to see Wendy who is having a baby any day now (maybe Monday?) . Wendy probably has the cutest nursery ever and has been the inspiration for this week's Money Monday. You should look at the Sharp Kids website for the Money Monday featuring the StorkSak.!

The Last Easter Bunny

The Last of the Bunnies

Who likes Peeps? I feel like either you like them or hate them. Or both. My dad had this theory that Peeps should be left on the counter for a day or two to harden. Of course with 5 kids they never attained the perfect consistency. I don't know if I like peeps, but now that my cavities are filled I can eat them. This morning I wondered where the rest of the happy pink bunnies had gone to- my mom sent them for Easter and they seem to have hopped out of their package to somewhere.
I think that everyone should check out the peeps website. The super cool music featured there was playing in the background for inspiration during this post.
I lea

rned this peeps fun fact on their website It would take over 172 Million Peeps bunnies end to end to circle the moon. then I realized. My bunnies were probably

realizing their destiny. Well dad, that last peep was the perfect consistency. Here's to you, and the last Easter bunny. I think I should tell you that I ate the last easter bunny. As Danielle was sitting in her high chair eating her baby cheetos I ate it. It was perfect- not to soft and not too hard.

Danielle Walks and is awesome

Well I was going to try to pick up everything and get the lighting all right before I posted a video of Danielle walking for Jen. But I didn't. You see this way you can appreciate Danielle's baby chores. Emptying her toy bin, throwing all the fabric on the floor, emptying the bin of bottles, carrying towels from the laundry pile or bathroom to where they belong, the floor. Also taking all the shoes off the shoe rack. My chores start during her morning nap. Here she is featured wearing her teething biscuit from this morning.
Danielle has been walking since she was 10 months old (although I think her first step was earlier and she wasn't a pro until later). Now she loves to walk around stores in the mall. Yesterday she did laps at the Baby Gap. and on Sunday she does circles around the whole building. It is fun to see how proud she is of herself just for walking.
There you go Jen!

Why? How to get more Personality Tests

I love Personality Tests - Not online matchups. Darn.
So why are most personality types also associated with dating websites? This week Danielle is recovering from her ear infection so I've been watching Dancing with the Stars online and holding her. (otherwise she just cries- it's sad)
This results show they had the couples analyzed with someone who does the Duet personality profile.
Of course I am driven to take the test. Who doesn't love test after test about themselves? I found the test on perfectmatch.com and it's free, but I don't really want to join.
Reasons not to join

What if the website says John isn't my perfect match?
someone stole my credit card number. And possibly my identity. I hope they wouldn't mess up my test or log in as me and go on dates.
I hate making up new usernames.
Why can't I just call that lady from the show?
Priscilla Presley's psychic service told me it would "bring new change into my life" and I don't like change.

Well maybe some of these reasons aren't legitimate. But I still might have to take the test. It is just too exciting. Does anyone know how I can take more of these tests without online matchup services?

Well here they are- my perfect matches. I don't know

if it is scary or depressing or good. Maybe all three.

My Breastpump.

The Ameda elite

I will have a hard time saying goodbye to my breast pump. I finally decided it was time to stop when Wendy said in her email to the mommies that she wanted advice about pumping. I emailed her that she could borrow my pump then felt so liberated- I felt free and I decided if that was the way I felt I was probably done pumping. Now I am only pumping once a day so I am going down semi gradually. I am grateful I was able to get a pump that is meant to last a long time. We looked everywhere for a pump and it took so long to get a good one and come to terms with needed a breast pump since nursing wasn't an option. And now I am giving it to the next mommy (for a while). That was always the plan, get a pump lots of people can use. That is why I recommend to everyone the Ameda Elite. I will tell you about some of it's features since it is awesome.

It can maintain a milk supply. I have been pumping for a year minus two weeks. That is amazing. Claire on America's next top model could really use a pump like this and she wouldn't be having problems.

It comes in a tackle box. So people will ask you if you are going fishing. Then they are very embarrassed.

It grossed out my gay boss at Williams Sonoma. Should I include this on my blog? I think so.

It is quiet. Most people are shocked and astonished. They should be. It is awesome.

It is hospital grade. So it is good for multiple users- I would recommend not sharing until you are done nursing.

It costs just as much as it would do purchase formula for a year, but you get to feel good about breastfeeding. I was pretty happy to be able to give my daughter breast milk even with all the ordeal we went through trying to go to every specialist in Utah about breastfeeding. I got sick of telling the story before I moved to Philadelphia though, oh well.

I was thinking today that I should take some photos of it and post them on the blog. Then I realized how weird that would be. Which is exactly why I am doing it. Because my breast pump is one of my best friends. Or something catchy like that. It has been with me even when Danielle wasn't. I will only be using the pump until April 8th, when it will go to live with Wendy for a year or so. Then maybe someone else will have a baby. Maybe me actually. Hopefully I will be able to nurse. Now there is some birth control.
So I say goodbye for now, breast pump friend.

Danielle went to the doctor yesterday because my mom told me it wasn't normal for a baby to seem to have a sore throat because she makes a face when she swallows. OK she had a fever of 103 and an ear infection. I felt bad for getting mad at her because she was crying all day and just wanted to be helped but still kept crying and I was just at the end of my rope.
Aren't parents supposed to sense when a baby is sick? Being a mom makes me feel stupid sometimes. Even with all these books sometimes I just think I will never be able to figure this out. that's what being a mom is to me.
I know it takes time to learn and I probably shouldn't really blog about things like this but I want to. That is Danielle's first ear infection and the doctor was like- good job! P.S. I wasn't actually the reason that she's never had an ear infection before but it still felt good. Almost as good as it feels knowing she should feel better tomorrow.
I never thought about how much you care about this other person, and you feel so guilty if you don't do everything perfectly. Of course no one is perfect and I am just learning, but you are emotionally invested. My theory is that some of the emotional investment is probably from hormones- not only do you love your child, also if your child is sick, you don't get any sleep and you are miserable all day. It's really humbling.