Mold Ice With a Bundt Pan

I LOVE a good tip! Don’t you? I especially love a tip that allows me to use what I already have lying around our home. At a stage in life where parties are frequent, I thought I would pass along a great way to repurpose and everyday item.


You can give a punch bowl an elegant (and functional) touch with this floating ice sculpture. Simply fill the cake pan with nonalcoholic punch, freeze, and pop out before serving!

Source: Real Simple

Build a Better Grandparent

You might find this funny, but I have already began taking notes on how to be a better GRANDparent (God willing). I simultaneously take daily notes on how to be a better parent and I’m sure that will be a life-long process.
My children are blessed to have loving and involved grandparents. And just like parenting, I have found that “involved” is the key word. In my “How To Be a Great Grandmother” notebook that I keep, I have listed things like:

Play, play, play and play endlessly
Pretend, pretend, pretend and pretend endlessly
Send pictures in the mail
Call often
Send care packages (whether a coloring book, an age appropriate kids meal toy or balloons delivered by the florist)…just send care packages!
Read books over the phone
And much more…

While speaking with friends, I have also found that many mothers have expectations that aren’t met by their children’s grandparents. If you’re lucky, you can get a head-start on this tricky relationship by taking a look at this article posted at http://www.pregnancy360.com/you/build-better-grandparent.

Also, if you are like us, we have long-distance grandparents. A super username and password protected tool is www.myfamily.com. You can keep your family connected with a protected family blog and online events calendar. There is also a new fabulous iPhone app!

Our New Name, Our New Line...Your Thoughts

We want to hear it (at lest we think we do ;o) - the good, the bad, the ugly. Shoot it to us straight. The new company name…the new line…which style do you love...what design would you like to see...we’re putting ourselves out there and we want to know what you think.

First off, our NEW Company Name! TaDaaaa!!!

Wanna know what it means?!

Bumposity n.
1 a state of maintaining a stylish appearance during pregnancy
2 a quality of great importance which expresses beauty, sacrifice, heart and chicness

Do you want to know How to Rock Bumposity Style?!

Today’s expecting woman demands something special, yet functional, from her “new” wardrobe. Adding an extra sparkle to that motherly glow, Bumposity scarves make a great fashion accessory to any maternity wardrobe. Turn an average tee and jean into something amazing!

Stage 1: Bump in Progress
Bumposity scarves can be worn when a “maternity” label is not yet necessary. Pair with pre-pregnancy pants, jeans, skirts and shorts that are unbuttoned, and she can wear any pre-preggers favorite as long as her wombmate allows.


Stage 2: Blossoming Bump
The perfect accessory for transition wear that fits her body, but not her bump. Bumposity scarves not only smooth out panels and conceal excess fabric, but they also assist in holding up any style that her wombmate hasn’t yet grown into.



Stage 3: No Ifs Ands or Bumps About It
Her wombmate may eventually begin to push under-the-bump styles down around her hips and t-shirts up towards her lips! Bumposity scarves provide stylish reinforcement and extra coverage over low rise maternity styles and the shirts that have become vertically challenged.

The Materials:
Bumposity scarves are made of 95% cotton, 5% spandex, stylish details and just the right amount of flirt to go with the expecting lady’s style. Each design transfer is constructed with colored Swarovski crystal rhinestones and/or colored rhinestuds and domes.


The Inspiration:
During my first pregnancy, I purchased a maternity accessory with the hopes that it would help hold up my (at the time) unbuttoned pants, and later on, give length to my favorite tees that must’ve shrunk in the wash (wink, wink ;o). Things didn’t go as planned and I became unsatisfied with my accessory because it always seemed to “roll” on me. Either it “rolled” down when I sat or it “rolled” up when I sat…sometimes it “rolled” up AND down. So when I became pregnant the second time around, I quickly started searching for another solution. Enter, the NEW Bumposity scarves.

At the time, my creation wasn’t for market purposes, but to take care of my own personal needs as an expecting mother. But before I knew it, people were stopping me everywhere I went asking me, “Where did you get that wrap?! That is so adorable!”...“Where did you get that?! I’ve got to get one for my daughter!”...“Oh my! That makes me wish I was pregnant again!” That is when the light bulb came on and Bumposity was born.

WIN ONE BEFORE YOU CAN BUY ONE!
One lucky reader will win a Bumposity scarf before you can buy it!

How?
Simple! Just leave us a comment below with your thoughts on our new company name, our new product and which Bumposity scarf is your fav! All comments must be posted by June 30, 10pm CST.

Extra Entries!
Subscribe to our blog
Tweet this giveaway up to three (3) times a day
Become a fan on Facebook (search “Prego Planner”)

We use random.org to choose our winners. Winner will have 48 hours to confirm their win or a new person will be chosen. Various ways to enter so use them all!! Good luck Dolls!!

*Note: Soon to be sold exclusively through our www.bumposity.com website.

Just a Mum?

To all grandmothers, mothers and mother-to-bes: You may have read this before, but if not, you should...


A woman, renewing her driver's licence ,
was asked by the woman at Registry to state her occupation.

She hesitated, uncertain how to classify herself.

'What I mean is, ' explained the woman at Registry,
'do you have a job or are you just a ...?'

'Of course I have a job,' snapped the woman.

'I'm a Mum.'

'We don't list 'Mum' as an occupation,
'housewife' covers it,'
Said the recorder emphatically.

I forgot all about her story until one day I found myself
in the same situation.
The Clerk was obviously a career woman, poised,
efficient, and possessed of a high sounding title like,
'Official Interrogator' or 'City Registrar.'

'What is your occupation?' she probed.

What made me say it? I do not know.
The words simply popped out
'I'm a Research Associate in the field of
Child Development and Human Relations.'

The clerk paused, ball-point pen frozen in midair and
looked up as though she had not heard right.

I repeated the title slowly emphasizing the most significant words..
Then I stared with wonder as my pronouncement was written,
in bold, black ink on the official questionnaire..

'Might I ask,' said the clerk with new interest,
'just what you do in your field?'

Coolly, without any trace of fluster in my voice,
I heard myself reply,
'I have a continuing program of research,
(what mother doesn't)
In the laboratory and in the field,
(normally I would have said indoors and out).
I'm working for my Masters, (first the Lord and then the whole family)
and already have four credits (all daughters).
Of course, the job is one of the most demanding in the humanities,
(any mother care to disagree?)
and I often work 14 hours a day, (24 is more li ke it).
But the job is more challenging than most run-of-the-mill careers
and the rewards are more of a satisfaction rather than just money.'

There was an increasing note of respect in the clerk's voice as she
completed the form, stood up, and personally ushered me to the door

As I drove into our driveway, buoyed up by my glamorous new career,
I was greeted by my lab assistants -- ages 13, 7, and 3.
Upstairs I could hear our new experimental model,
(a 6 month old baby) in the child development program,
testing out a new vocal pattern..
I felt I had scored a beat on bureaucracy!
And I had gone on the official records as someone more
distinguished and indispensable to mankind than 'just another Mum.'

Motherhood!

What a glorious career!
Especially when there's a title on the door.

Interview With a Four Year Old

Inspired by the pregnancy and birth of my first son, I started this company. I have pictures with him in the cradle swing surrounded by tons of Prego Planners and store shipments…same with my second son. And since the beginning, I have always imagined in the back of my mind, being able to pass the company on to my children. Well, that was with the expectation that we would have a girl. And since it looks like there will be strictly frogs and snails and puppy-dogs’ tails running around this house, I had decided that there would just come a point when I would have to sell the business. That is until I discovered the incredible talent of my four year old.

Though he doesn’t know squat about pregnancy, his interview skills are through the roof! If you can answer his questions, then by all means…you’re hired! Donald Trump has nothing on my little B-man. With him as my company recruiter, we will be equipped with the best of the best to run this enterprise! However, now that I think about it, if that is the means in which we are hiring…then I’m fired!

You may know this interview process that I speak of. It’s something that my son puts me through daily to test my knowledge …and my patience. I often wonder if he is laughing inside. It goes something like this:

B: “Mommy, can I have some apple juice?”

Me: “I’m sorry Sweets, but we are out of apple juice.”

B: “Why?”

Me: “Because you drank all of it.”

B: “Why?”

Me: “Because you were thirsty.”

B: “Why?”

Me: “Because you must have played hard.”

B: “Why?”

Me: “Because you like to play hard.”

B: “Why?”

Me: “Because God made little boys that way.”

B: “Why?”

Me: “Because God is a creative God.

B: “What does ‘creative’ mean?”

Me (sifting through my “mommy dictionary): “It means being able to make neat things.”

B: “Why?”

Me (losing my patience): “Son, I’m sorry, but I don’t know why.”

B: “Why?”

Me (lost my patience): “I JUST DON’T KNOW. I’M SORRY. OKAY?!”

B: “Why are you sorry?”

Me (to distract him from the current conversation): “Would you like a cookie?”

B: “Yes! I want a cookie with some apple juice!”

And here we go again….

Now, take and implement that type of interview system in large corporations and in our government and that puts a much higher standard on qualifications!

Walking a "Faint Line"

I remember lying in bed one afternoon after arriving back home from a week-long vacation in San Diego. Suddenly, I had the "feeling" that I might be pregnant. Since we had been trying for some time, I jumped out of bed, ran to my supply of pregnancy tests (as I took them often) and immediately went through the "pregnancy potty procedure". Within seconds, the test showed positive!

My second pregnancy was a different story. While we had been talking about having a second child, we were anticipating the wait of becoming pregnant to be just the same as it was the first time. For weeks, I awaited the arrival of darling Mother Nature. After being two weeks late, I took a pregnancy test which showed negative. At three weeks late, I took another pregnancy test which also delivered a negative pregnancy sign. Finally, at four weeks late, I took yet another pregnancy test and it slowly showed a positive. When I arrived at my first doctor's visit, I was seven weeks pregnant and the home pregnancy tests almost never admitted to it.

So what happens when you are in that type of situation or when you receive a "faint line" on your home pregnancy test? Dr. Tracey Telles, obstetrician and fertility specialist, explains:

That depends. For a home pregnancy test to give you a positive result, your body has to be making a detectable level of the hormone human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG). But not all pregnancy tests can detect the same amount of hCG; a sensitive test is one that turns positive even if a low amount of the hormone is present. The more sensitive a pregnancy test is, the earlier it will show a positive result.

If the test you're using is only faintly positive, it may not be very sensitive. If you still have the box, it should say somewhere what the test's sensitivity is — the lower the number, the better the test. For example, a test with a sensitivity of 20 IU/L (milliInternational Units per Liter) will tell if you're pregnant sooner than a test with a sensitivity of 50 IU/L. A good rule of thumb is that the more expensive a pregnancy test is, the more sensitive it's likely to be. But you should still read the side of the box to see what the kit says.

Many women get a faintly positive result if they're not as far along as they expected. If this turns out to be the case for you, taking another test in two or three days should give you more exact results. Most home urine tests should be positive by the time your period is due if your body is making the normal amount of hCG.

If your test is faintly positive for a few days and then turns completely negative, you may have had a very early miscarriage. Experts estimate that about 20 to 30 percent of all pregnancies end in miscarriage, so unfortunately this is very common.

Finally Going To Have A Baby

She is finally going to have a baby and she couldn't be more excited. Meet our next GlaMOMorous Expecting Mother - Kristen.

Tell us a little about your journey towards pregnancy.
My husband and I made the decision in April of 2009 to start trying to have a baby. So I finished my last pack of birth control pills and we were officially on our way towards a baby. Immediately I began having trouble with my cycles and we tried everything the doctor could do without having to go into the office. In October I saw my regular doctor and she did some blood work and determined that my testosterone levels were elevated. She referred me to a reproductive endocrinologist and after more blood work and a couple of ultrasounds it was determined that I have poly cystic ovary syndrome. In January 2010 we started Clomid. Our very first cycle on it was successful for us!!! We did a home pregnancy test on Sunday February 7 before church and it was positive!!!

What is your due date?

October 18, 2010.

Did you have a hunch you were pregnant before you found out?
I had no clue. I had been cramping the few days before I tested and I figured I was getting ready to start my period.

What was your initial reaction to being pregnant?
We were thrilled! After ten months of trying we were finally going to have a baby!

How did you tell your husband/partner?
I just woke him up and told him. Nothing fancy just that we were going to have a baby!!!

Did your husband/partner react in any certain way?
Since he was asleep when I went in there to tell him I don’t think it hit him right away. He was excited after he woke up!

Can you describe the moment you saw your baby for the first time during the ultrasound?

It was AMAZING! I was exactly six weeks so I was really nervous that we wouldn’t be able to see the heartbeat but as soon as we saw the baby we saw the little flicker of the heartbeat! It was so wonderful!

How do you feel about your changing body?
There haven’t been many changes yet but I welcome the changes.

What do you love most about being pregnant?
I love that we have this tiny little baby growing in my belly that is our baby to love and protect and raise!

What do you like least about being pregnant?
So far I love everything. I haven’t had any morning sickness, but that would be my least favorite thing if I did.

If this is NOT your first child, what does your other child/children think about a baby being in Mommy’s tummy?
This is our first child but my niece keeps asking me “Chickie, is your baby here yet?” it is so sweet. She asked me three times yesterday!

Do you know the gender of your baby? If so, have you chosen a name?
We don’t know yet. But we will definitely be finding out.

Have you been buying baby items yet?
My grandmother bought the baby an outfit and a sock monkey but we haven’t bought anything yet.

What are some necessities you would suggest to other pregnant women or women who are trying to get pregnant? Any creative alternatives to maternity clothes?
I have been buying dresses that have an empire waist to accommodate for a growing belly.

Does the thought of labor make you nervous?

Not really.

We wish you the best of luck Kristen! There is nothing in the world like being called "Mommy"!

If you or someone you know would like to be spotlighted on the GlaMOMorous World Blog, please contact us at sales (at) braelynbountybug (dot) com. Each expecting lady highlighted will receive a FREE Tot Tag of their choice.