Black Friday

Let's keep it in perspective, people. How much we spend on each other for Christmas presents has nothing to do with how much we love each other. And I am not just saying that because we are trying to save money here. I would much rather receive a small item handmade with love than anything else.

Recently Jim found a news story featuring a crazy lady who "felt guilty because she is unemployed this year and can't treat her THREE YEAR OLD to the $600 Christmas shopping spree she got last year." You know, last year when she was TWO.

Are you kidding me?? Guilt over not spending a ridiculous amount of money (that she probably didn't really have last year, either) on a kid that young when they don't know the difference between a toy that costs $5 or $50 as long as it is entertaining? What kind of expectations is this mother setting her daughter up for with behavior like this? Fast forward 13 years and I bet we find a girl demanding a BMW for her birthday. Fast forward 23 years and I bet we find a young woman with impossible monetary standard for any mate to be able to live up to. This girl believes she is entitled to the world - and will probably end up miserable because she can't have it - all because mommy let her have a $600 shopping spree at the age of two.

I think this is an important lesson we need absorb as parents and we need to pass on to our children. Money is not what is important. So when you hit those Black Friday sales (for those of you crazy enough to do this - I know who you are), keep this in perspective as you are being lured by all those sweet deals. What REALLY matters? That big ticket item you can get 25% off for, or something smaller that, perhaps, you spent time on and made by hand?

Happy shopping.
Love,
Your Conscience

Happy Thanksgiving!

Please don't eat your children...


(via Martha Stewart)

lmnop: Issue 5

It's out!

I've said it before, I'll say it again: if you appreciate tyke clothes and toys that border on art, if you have little ones in your life that you would like to instill an intrinsic sense of style and beauty into, then you MUST follow this quarterly e-zine, downloadable for free here.

As with all issues, I can really only covet the high-priced items featured, but it's fun to pick out the one or two things you might, one day, when you win the lottery, splurge on. OR, just see if you can find something that is actually affordable that you love (for instance, I wish I had the $14 Constructable Drinking Straws when I was a kid!). If nothing else, the beautiful layout of this publication just overflows with tons of inspiration.

I am also pleased to see that I don't have to wait for JUST the quarterly issue anymore! lmnop has started a blog! Ahh.... a daily dose....

Oprah: Just thought I'd mention...

For mature audiences only... (we're all adults, right?)

On Friday, if you missed Oprah, she had Dr. Laura Berman on - a sex therapist. I thought it was interesting that one of the couples had the specific problem of the husband not being able to "look" at his wife the same way after he watched their babies being born. In fact, he wasn't able to look at "her" at all, let alone get close enough for any recreational activity.

Dr. Berman went on to say that this is perhaps the one biggest mistake men make (watching birth) and one of the most common problems she sees within sex therapy. She recommends daddies stay up near their baby-mama's head, perhaps to support her through breathing and pushing via eye-to-eye contact.

I thought this was interesting because this is something that has come up in more than one conversation amongst friends and family. "Jim, will you watch? Will you cut the umbilical cord?" This question puts a father to be in a very awkward position... Amongst some crowds, say NO and it's as if he's a loon, unwilling to share in the experience, embrace this "beautiful" birth, and neglecting his wife and offspring from the get-go. There seems to be a belief that a man is supposed to have an internal switch with which he can turn on and off his sexuality in the birth situation. Men are just not wired this way. They are visual beings, and it seemed a no-brainer to me that this may pose a problem in the post-baby bedroom.

A long time ago, before Lemon was a glimmer in our eyes, we decided that whether to watch or not would be up to Jim. The way I see it there will be very little about the labor and birth experience that he can control. This is one of the things he is able to decide how to play out for himself. It was almost as if there was audible sigh of relief from Jim when I told him how I felt. If I remember correctly, he held back the "thank god" and went for a more sensitive, "I don't think I want to watch." And I am perfectly fine with that. In fact, more than fine.

If you have already had children, I am interested in hearing how you all handled the situation (if you don't mind sharing). If you have not yet had your kidlets, feel free to pipe in with your thoughts, too. Maybe we'll learn something we haven't thought of before...

Blood Sugar: Update

I finally got a call back from the doctor's office after faxing my first week of blood sugar numbers last Wednesday (sure am glad I didn't have an emergency!). She said my numbers look great, but to keep monitoring - better safe than sorry. Thursday will mark 34 weeks so it really won't be too much longer (6 weeks, give or take).

So, I will keep poking my fingers 4x a day until Lemon arrives. That's 176 times, if she arrives on her due date. Ouch. My poor fingers.

Blue or Brown eyed girl?

I like my browns eyes but I'd be lying if I said I don't not-so-secretly hope our little Lemon is born with her daddy's big blue gems. They are melt-my-heart stunning.

So, when I found this eye color predictor site this morning, I had to give it a shot! I learned in 7th grade biology how dominant and recessive genes work, and that brown eyes are dominant but that won't stop this girl from hoping, especially because I have seen recessive genes in action - my sister has the only blue eyes in a family full of brown. And our odds must be better since Jim's family is all blue and green eyes - no brown in his immediate family.

This is what our chart looks like based on six children (right!):


As predicted, there is a 50% chance Lemon will have brown eyes, 25% chance of blue, and 25% chance of green - which surprised me. As much as I can't wait to have my curiosity satisfied, we may not REALLY know what color eyes she will have until about 9 months after she is born anyway. Chances are if she is born with brown eyes they will stay brown. BUT, if her eyes are gray or muddy, it can take up to 9 months for the true pigment to build up and reveal a permanent color, whether that is brown, blue or green.

It really doesn't matter to us - I just can't wait to meet Lemon! But this is a fun little site to check out... if you haven't had your kids yet, or haven't had ALL of your kids yet, let us know what your results are!

Blood Sugar Update

I attended my gestational diabetes class on Wednesday. Two hours worth of info I could have gotten on WebMD in 10 minutes. Yes, I am an instant gratification-driven generation X'er. The interesting part of class was getting the meter and testing it out... it's sad when the best part of class involves pricking your finger.

Anyway, right after class I had my 32 week OB appointment. I discussed my concerns about "over-reacting" and being quick to diagnose - especially after I was given my full results from the GTT and all of my post-Glucola sugar levels were WELL within range. She and I agreed to go ahead and test for a full week (4x a day) and we can review the results together and see how to proceed.

Her biggest concern is that my fasting blood sugar, taken before eating in the morning, was a little high (104). Unfortunately this is the one reading that, if off, you can't control with diet. If it is consistently high it may require taking a slow acting insulin before bed at night so that my reading is normal (<95) in the morning.

Today I took my first fasting reading - 96. Just a point high. All my post-meal readings (taken 2 hours after eating) were perfectly fine (<120): Breakfast - 111, Lunch - 82, Dinner - 114).

We'll see how the week goes...