Mommy Talk

I really should stop using babytalk with my kids.  Not that babbling, cozy "Who's my ittle-wittle babykins! Oo are!!! Yes oo are!"  I never did that (at least in public).  But I do still use the sweet, sing-song tone to this day.  You know the one.  If you don't, go find a baby, say "Hi, baby!" and notice how your voice instantly goes up about three octaves.  All of a sudden you sound like sunshine and rainbows, and you would put on a full-production Broadway show just to see that little one look at you and smile!

There's a reason why we do this.  Our minds are hardwired to try to please and impress infants, to take care of them and get them at least to preschool before we seriously realize how much time and money we've spent on these defenseless, drooling little lumps.  Humans take much longer to grow and mature to adulthood than the vast majority of life on this planet.  They require care and nurturing that no animal does.  Therefore, in order to continue the species, we see babies as precious things to be loved and nourished, not something that can easily be abandoned, or even seen as a potential food source.  (I can't be the only one who's read Jonathon Swift's A Modest Proposal.  Yes, he's the guy that wrote Gulliver's Travels.  No, I'm not responsible for the chill that went down your spine when you realized you were nodding along with his logical suggestions).

Babytalk, therefore, is an instinct that is programmed in to all most of us.  And I can't seem to stop.  I don't really use it with Knight anymore.  Now that he's in school, he is much more able to have a reasoned debate and to understand when I explain the logic behind my requests - i.e. "I need you to pick up your toys so you won't trip over them and hurt yourself."  But Dragon is much more likely to do what I ask when I use that sweet, hi-baby voice.  I'm not sure if it's because of his speech/cognitive delays, or if it's because he's my "baby", my youngest, but whether I'm asking him to pick up toys, or put on a shirt, I still use that voice.

Still, I'm not sure how to stop.  I'm halfway through a sentence before I even realize I'm doing it, and it does make a difference in how he responds to me.  Maybe when he (eventually) learns how to talk, he'll ask me to stop.  Maybe it will fade away naturally.  And maybe I'll still be using it when he graduates Summa Cum Laude from an Ivy League University (aim high, right?).  However, I'd love to hear your opinions.  Do you still use babytalk, and if so, how old are your kids?  Did you ever notice yourself using it more with one kid than another?  What do you think is going to be the coolest commercial during the Superbowl this Sunday?  That last one's a freebie.  You're welcome.

Love, Leigh

Goodies Box January 2013

Oh wow.  Nothing says "party weekend!" like having two sick little boys.  So much cleaning, and laundry, and wiping noses, and trying to remember exactly when you gave that last dose of medicine so you're not OD'ing your poor kid on ibuprofen.  I also had two very different patients.  Knight was happy to just lie in bed, watching movies and being a good little patient.  I'm sure you can guess where this is going... Yep, Dragon wasn't happy unless he was cuddling in my arms and coughing in my face.  Gross.  So imagine my happiness when I staggered outside on Saturday for a breath of fresh air and found my box o'Goodies!  Nothing says love like snacks on my porch.

That's love right there.

BzzAgent TruMoo Review

Milk.  Not the most glamorous thing in the world to review, but I take my Bzz Campaigns where I can.  BzzAgent is a company that sends out products (or coupons for products) in exchange for targeted and personal reviews.  I've actually been a member since 2008, and I've gotten to try some amazing things like makeup, skincare, candy, and air fresheners.  Recently, I got invited to join a campaign for TruMoo Chocolate Milk.

Thanks! Gracias! Merci! Xie Xie!

I started this blog as something small, just a way to be creative again.  Being the mother of young children sometimes makes me feel like the joyous, giggly, spontaneous Leigh has been buried under a mountain of dirty diapers and endless loads of laundry.  I wanted to start writing again, and thought about blogging.  Then, I found out about subscription boxes late last year, and enjoyed reading the blog reviews so much that I decided to just go ahead and launch my own!  I also love that I can share embarrassing stories about my children with a global audience.  Perfect practice for when they start dating, right?

I never expected more than a few hits for each post, so imagine my surprise when a few days ago, I reached 1000 views!  Blew right past it, actually, we're now over 1200!  I also had my January review for Beauty Army featured on their Facebook page, which was AWESOME.  I've had readers from Canada, the U.K., South Korea, Germany, Poland, and Romania visit my blog, and I'm honored and amazed to have a global audience.  Of course, the vast majority of my readers are from the good ol' US of A!  But wherever you are when you read my blog, know that I appreciate you with all my heart.

Thank you.

Love, Leigh

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Love Club Box Review January 2013

Oh, the weather outside is frightful... But my Love Club Box is making this Saturday delightful!  This is the most "indie" of my subs, and it's "a delivery service providing an assortment of accessories, beauty products, paper goods, & unique items from a handful of our favorite businesses each month."*  Heather (the owner) recently announced that this subscription service will be ending in June, but I'm happy to review the remaining boxes til the very end!

I love all things indie and unknown, and this sub is great for introducing me to small business owners and little online shops.  Also, there are rarely "sneak peeks" for Love Club, so it's truly a surprise when I open the box!  Here's what I got this month:

Plain on the outside... Awesome on the inside!

Beauty Army Review January 2013

Ten-hut!  My Beauty Army box "reported for duty" today.  And if there's one thing I love more than Beauty Army's hilariously inaccurate use of military jargon, it's a subscription service where I can pick my own samples!  With most boxes, you'll either get pretty much the same thing as everyone else with a few variations (Ipsy) or you'll get a box selected for you based on your answers to a list of questions (Birchbox). While Beauty Army is a little more expensive than my other beauty subs, being able to choose my own samples is worth the $12 a month.

Beauty Army has you take a quiz based on your hair and skin type, preferred makeup and nail looks, and what types of samples you'd like to receive (i.e. makeup, haircare, fragrance).  Their system then generates 9 samples based on the quiz.  If you like what you see, you select 6 of the 9 samples and finish your order.  Don't see 6 things you like? No problem, just retake the quiz!  Personally, I love getting multi-use samples instead of foil packets, and I choose my items accordingly.  The fun thing about that is the items just barely fit in the box this month!

In fact, it popped open as soon as I took the shipping sleeve off:

Hmmm... maybe it's saluting me?

Winter School Snack

Yesterday was such a nice, normal day... until I looked at Knight's kindergarten agenda for this week and realized that it was his turn to bring in the class snack... TODAY!  Yikes!  Now, I'm not the kind of mom that throws a bag of chips and some M&M's at my kid's classroom (Although, if you're a working mom, and that's all you have time for, then you go girl!).  Because I stay at home and generally have some free time to plan these things, I try to do something special.

Like this bad boy!