"City Life"

Let me start by saying that I do not like the city what so ever. I love being from a town where the car lanes are only single or double, stores have parking lots, there are parks everywhere, and these things called trees have other trees around them, not bricks and stones because there is only one per block. I just can't stand  being in D.C. and having to pay to park anywhere you go. We went to the movies and on top of our tickets which cost $22 we had to pay $8 to park... that's crazy. There are stoplights every 20 feet, people are super rude, the second the light turns green cabs are already honking at you, people walk out in front of your car in the middle of the road, it is just crazy. Don't get me wrong, there are some great attractions here, but when it takes 45 minutes to drive 3 miles, then you look for parking for an hour, and then have to walk over a mile to your destination, by the time you get there your all frustrated and tired and it's really not even worth it.
Today we went to the Capital building, shopping, and to the National Zoo. The zoo was a lot of fun because we got there about an hour and  half before closing so it wasn't crowded at all. We actually got to see the Giant Panda's to, so that was a really neat experience. I also was able to get some great pictures of animals and of Liam at the zoo. He acted like he really liked it.... until he fell asleep lol.
Another thing about this city is that there are so many nanny's in it. I am all about working mom's if they want to have a job, but it's just really sad when some of these kids see their nannies more then their own parents. I could never do that to Liam, becuase in my opinion not having much money and seeing your kids is WAY better then having lots of money and never seeing your kids. Yes you want to give your kids nice things, but things can never replace love and memories.
I have to hand it to D.C. it is a very clean city, unlike Chicago which is discusting, but country life is the life for me. It is where Ben and I want to raise our Liam and any other children we may have. I want my kids to be able to ride their bikes without worring that a crazy cab driver will hit them, and to be able to go the park without paying for parking, and to go get ice crem cones that don't cost $10. I have also decided that I really want to see the 9/11 memorial in New York, but after that I will never visit a city again in my life unless it's to see a cubs game!
P.S. WE got Liam a Christmas present today at this super cute store Giggles.... if you ever run into one check it out it's a great baby boutique and the prices are high, but not to terrible. (btw he was sleeping when we got it so he hasn't seen it yet lol)

"Humbling Experiences"

Today was a special day. We spent most of the morning and early afternoon at Walter Reed getting Ben all prepared for his surgery on Friday. While we were there we saw so many amputees it broke my heart. These people risked their lives and linmbs for our freedom. I wanted to feel sorry for them, but I know that isn't what they would want. They knew the risks and they chose to serve anyways. These are true heros. It was also so amazing to see that several of them had wives and children by their sides still supporting them, because this is not always the case when war heros get dramatically hurt.
 After we left the hospital we drove to Gerogetown and walked around to local shops and did a little shopping. It is gorgeous there! All the old historic buildings are so beautifuly crafted. When we left there we went to Arlington Cemetery. This was the most humbling experience. I made it all the way to section 60, which is home to Afghanistan and Iraq fallen soldiers, before I broke down crying. There were graves from this month there. I am so thankful that I was here with my husband by my side standing upright and not laying down. It breaks my heart that there are so many women who are not as lucky as me. The most touching part was when Ben soluted them before we left. I really broke down then. I thank God everyday that he brought Ben home safe to me. I'm also really glad that Liam got to experience this with us. It started raining while we were there and we didn't focus on being wet, we just thought of all the tears cried in this place and it made the idea of being wet not so bad. Everyone should make a visit here in there life if they get the chance. It will change you in at least a small way.

"Flying High"

Today Liam had his first airplane ride! He did so good, he didn't cry or anything. He actually slept most of the time. He flew from Tennessee to Washington, D.C. Ben and me were talking and we think it is so awesome that Liam is so young and already experiencing life in a big way. Ben was 19 before his first flight and I was 14..... Liam is 3 months! He is also in D.C. which Ben and I have never vacationed at before. If thing's go as planned he will also be going to Florida in December. Given he is way to little to remember any of it, but hey, he'll have lots of pictures to look at when he's older!
We want to give Liam the best we can possibly give him in life! We want him to experience culture in evey way possible. I hope there are many trips in his future that he will cherish forever. I don't care if I have to work overtime, or go without my personal wants, this little boy is gonna get everything his little heart disires ... within limits of course! WE hope this will be a great week in D.C.!!!! Should be lots of fun thing's to talk about in the near future.

"A Mommy in School"

Being a mommy in school is no easy task. Whether your in high school or college, finding time to study and do homework in between taking care of your baby or kids is at times a nearly impossible task. I knew it was not going to be easy, but I did not realize just how challenging it would be either. I'm doing well so far, but I have not taken any test yet, and they will be the true test of whether or not this whole in college with a baby thing is going to work out or not.
I have found that with a baby, you don't always get that much sleep (big surprise right lol) and when or if your baby naps instead of catching up on sleep like I so desperately want to do, I find myself having to clean or do homework or study. Getting my degree isn't going to be easy, but I will accomplish my goal and create a better life for Liam, Ben, and me.
Another challenge of being a mommy in college is that I know that I have to succeed or life will take a great spiral downward. If I take more then 6 months off school then I have to start paying back my student loans, which would mean that I would have to get a job, and in today's world, you pay more for daycare then you make at your job. This is my personal blog so I'm gonna go here..... It kills me that women who do the right thing and get married and have a baby with their husband have to pay their own way through school, but teens who get pregnant on accident get school and daycare and an apartment for that matter handed to them on a silver platter. I understand this is part of life, but fair it is not. Now don't get me wrong if the mom is working a full time job to support her kids and is getting help from the government I commend them for not being a bum and still supporting their family while trying to achieve their goals, but the one's who set at home and live for free when they have no excuse to not be working sickens me. I don't hold grudges towards these people, but I wish someone would give them a good slap in the face of life and how you should do things.
Hope everyone has a great day. If your in college or high school and you have a baby I wish you the best of luck in completing your goals. Love your baby first, but study every second in between lol.

"Where Were You When the World Stopped Turning that September Day?"

On Tuesday September 11, 2001 like out great president George W. Bush, I was in a classroom. I was a fifth grader in my uncle Mike's classroom when we got word of the south tower being hit by a plane. The tv's were turned on in the whole school and as young children it was hard to understand why out teachers were crying and scared. I remember just watching the tv trying to figure out what I was looking at. I had no idea what the World Trade Centers were, or even where they were located. As we were watching we saw the second tower get hit and teachers were going hysterical... I was just trying to figure out what was going on around me and why I was seeing people jump out of buildings to their deaths. I remember being scared and getting under my uncle mike's desk with seth and zack. I just wanted to go home so my mom could tell me what happened. When the towers began to collapse I remember crying, but I didn't really know why I just knew something really bad just happened. Terrorism was never in my vocabulary until this day.

The rest of the day the tv's stayed on and most of the teachers didn't even speak. It was so scary and confusing. I knew something bad had happened, I was just to young at the time to understand just how bad it really was. While I was setting in my classroom in a state of confusion, my future husband Ben was in his 6th grade classroom watching the screen in a state of courage knowing that he would join the Army the second he was old enough to fight for all the people who had lost their lives that day.

On September 11, 2001 I was in a classroom a young child, and ten years later on September 11th, 2011 at 8:47 New York time I was feeding my 11 week old baby his bottle while my U.S. soldier husband was lighting 3 candle in remembrance of the people who lost their lives that day and the soldiers who have lost their lives fighting for this country. Just like that day 10 years ago, most of my morning was spent with my eyes glued to the television, although this time I understood fully what had happened. I was still sad, and it had a more personal touch this time around. Ten years ago I did not know that I would marry a U.S. soldier and be an Army Wife. I did not know that would be personally affected by this day forever in the form of the military. This day brought courage to millions of citizens who joined the military to fight for this countries freedom, and it also brought on more deaths that tied to this day. A soldier in my husbands unit died for our freedom, and as a POC in the FRG I had to call mom's, dad's, and wives of soldiers in my husbands unit along with 2 other girls and read a script to these family members that had the word "died" in the second sentence. Hearing the screaming out of crying women and men as I read this script, was the the hardest thing I have ever done. After they heard the word died they all thought I was calling about their soldier when really I was calling to inform them that yes a soldier died, but it wasn't their soldier. I can only imagine the terror of every individual who answered their phone on September 11, 2001. This terror is something I wish on no one, to receive or to experience. The candles we lit this morning were standing tall and strong, just like the towers were, and by the end of the day they are melted down and wax is all over the cardboard piece that supported them, just like by the end of the day the towers where burnt down and scattered all over the ground which supported them.

For the husband who told his wife I love you one last time before his plane went down in a field, for the wife who stopped in the stairs to call her husband to say I will love you forever, for the mothers and fathers who kissed their kids goodbye the morning they died, for the policemen who rushed in with the firemen to help get others out only to die themselves, for the soldiers who fought back and lost their lives. today, tomorrow, ten years from now, we will remember. God Bless ♥

-unknown

Thank you to all the first responders, police officers, firefighters, and American Soldiers who fought that day and who are still fighting. RIP to everyone who lost their lives that day and the soldiers who have lost their lives since then. A special remembrance to SPC Christopher Barton who died in honor for this country.

"Sticking to Your Guns"

One lesson that I have already learned in my 2 1/2 months of parenthood is that when it comes to your parenting skills you have to stick to your guns (sometimes quite literally) on what you think is the right way. It is well known that in today's society every family has their own set of values and rules, and many of them clash. My home is protected by the good Lord and a Gun and though this used to be a common thing, it is not near as much anymore and I find that really sad.
Liam's newborn pictures were taken when he was a week old. In some of the pictures of Liam and Ben, Ben has a gun in a holster on his hip. This was not a big deal to me at all, I didn't even think about it because my husband ALWAYS has a gun in a holster on his hip. It is his American right and he takes immense pride in it. Well I had a few people make negative comments about this and I had to just take it with a grain of salt, because this is just a way of life for us.... guns are welcome in our house as a means of protection and they are not going away anytime soon. Now when Liam is mobile they will more then likely no longer be loaded and they will always be kept in a locked safe, but they will be present and there will be one on Ben's hip whether any one likes it or not.
I have also ran into issues of "oh your not feeding him enough,"or "oh your feeding him too much." Also, "honey you  need to put him in bigger diapers these are to tight," and "oh you better not use a dryer sheet that isn't specifically for babies." There are always going to be people who do not like the way you parent, but you have to just ignore what others say and do what you know is right for your children and your home. Saying this I don't mean to not listen to others opinions, because they very well may give you good advice that you want to take into account, but don't be bullied into the way you parent. Stick to your gun.

"The Great Breast Feeding Debacle"
Oh were to begin on the subject of breast feeding. Growing up and knowing that I was a breast fed baby, it was something I always said I wanted to do. I had always heard such good things about breast feeding. Things such as it's better for the baby, and that breastfeed babies are healthier. I had also heard things like the babies will be smarter... and if you breast feed then you have a less chance of getting breast cancer. Also that there are nutrients in breast milk that your baby can't get anywhere else.
Well how come no one ever talk's about the bad thing's about breastfeeding. How come no one ever told me that it can be really hard sometimes for the baby to latch on, and that the longer it takes, the longer they go without their first food. Also, that your breast can get engorged and feel like cinder blocks. Or that they will leak through layers of clothing if your baby isn't ready to eat yet and there full. Or here's my favorite... how come no one ever told me that it can hurt and even cause bruising and scabs.
Then there are side effects such as feeding in public. I wasn't embarrassed to so long as I had a cover, but pulling up 2 or more layers of clothes in public is no easy task, cover or not. Oh and not to mention it's suppose to be so much healthier for the baby, yet my doctor gave me vitamin drops to give to Liam because there were just certain vitamins in formula that are not in breast milk she said.  No one ever told me these negative effects of breast feeding so I thought I would feel you in. For some people, like my mom it works out great, for others it doesn't, and for some it never even crosses their mind to try. For example, I have one friend who say's that the idea of breast feeding make's here feel like a cow who's utters are being milked. hahaha.
Liam was born with a tongue tie that was not corrected until he was three day's old. This tongue tie made it virtually impossible for him to latch on, but we kept trying anyway. It got a little better once it was corrected but it took him about 5 days before he could actually feed just from my milk. The problem never really went away though, because even though he could move his tongue, he still couldn't physically latch on right. I tried to keep going and work through the pain for 5 weeks, but finally I had to say enough is enough and I had to switch him to formula. This was a very hard decision, one that I cried about for hours, but I knew that it was the right thing to do. I wanted Liam to have what was best for him, and a mommy who cries every time you eat is not good. So Tommy Tippee bottles and Gerber formula are Liam's means of food now.

Couponing 101

This is what I have personally learned through lots of research thus far.

·       1^st rule of couponing is you can’t be embarrassed to buy more than one paper, to use them, and to walk around with a binder full of them lol.

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·         Technically your never suppose to buy anything but produce and meat without a coupon.

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            Stacking is gonna be your best friend. It’s when you stack a manufactures coupon (ex. one’s from the Sunday paper) with a store coupon (ex. you can do this a Walgreens and Kroger, and Target) you can use say a $1.00 off post it notes coupon from the paper and $1.00 of post-it notes off target.coms coupons and get $2.00 off your post it notes.

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             Also some stores double and even triple coupons…. To find out if one’s near you do you’ll just have to fight the embarrassment and call the stores and ask them. Usually all Kroger’s double coupons 50 cents or less and triple coupons 35 cents or less…. Meaning if you use a 50 cent coupon there register should automatically double it taking a dollar off the product.

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       The rule of thumb is to buy one Sunday paper per member in your house (babies included)… when you buy your papers make sure the coupon inserts are actually in them bc now days there are a lot of insert stealers.

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             Another good place to get coupons is online. (ex. coupons.com, redplum.com…etc…)

·         Some great websites to check (more then you change your baby’s diaper lol) are

krazycouponlady.com, southernsavers.com, couponmom.com, and coupondivas.com)

·         Also check out couponing military wives, couponing to Disney, coupon connections, and extreme couponing on facebook…. These sites will give you shopping trip examples to help you reach maximum savings.

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      Here’s a guide to go buy when shopping

Your getting a good deal and need to stock up :

Ground beef $1.75 ib

Bone in beef $1.49 ib

Chicken $1.67 ib

Chicken with bones $1.00 ib

Whole milk $2.00 a gallon

Cheese $3.99 ib

Butter $1.48 ib

Cereal $1.00 per box or less

Bisquick $0.90

Gronola bars $0.50

Fruit snacks $0.50

Brownies and cookies mixes less than $0.25

Dishwasher tablets $0.75

Body wash $0.50 or less

Cleaning supplies (Lysol wipes, bathroom and kitchen cleaners, etc.) $0.50 or less

Chinet paper plates $0.50

High quality deodorant $0.50

Dish soap $0.25

Toothpaste/brushes FREE

Kotex pads FREE

Soap FREE

Cheap Deodorant FREE

Some history of the coupon is if it has

000 it can be used on any product

00 it can be used on more than one type or flavor product

0 it can be used on more than one variety or flavor product

No zero it can be used on a specific product no variation aloud

To start a coupon binder you’ll need a 2-3 inch binder

38 8.5/11 sheet protectors

65-75 clear plastic baseball card holders

This should get you started let me know if you have questions and I'll try to help.

Bringing Light Into the World

"Don't base your parenting skills on the ability to keep a hat on your child" 

                                                                                    -Stewart 

Hey everybody! Today I'm gonna tell you all a little about June 19th, 2011... which happened to be FATHER'S DAY and the day I gave birth to little Liam.
To back track a little first, I had a doctors appointment on my due date which was June 15th because I was still pregnant. I was so miserable at this point and hadn't slept but for 8 hours in 36, and I was even taking sleeping pills, they just weren't working. I was big as a house and just so discouraged that Liam hadn't came yet. I asked my doctor if there was any possible way I could just be induced. She said that labor and delivery don't really like doing social inductions, but that she was gonna put me in for one because I had been so sick for so long, and already reached my due date. Well the date she gave me was the morning after my brothers girlfriend was suppose to be induced. I did not want my mom to have to choose who to be with, but sometimes in life you have to make tough decisions and you have to put yourself before others, and she still wasn't even due for another week and a half and had not been sick so i choose myself over her and stole my mom for the day lol. It was a hard decision, but one I had to make. Plus if I would have had him even a day later then I did, Ben's mom as well as my dad wouldn't have been able to be there.
Anyways, she scheduled my induction for Saturday June 18th (3 days after my due date). I went in at 7:30 in the morning and we got the process started... and my doctor was right, labor and delivery had no faith in me. They pretty much told me "well were gonna give you this pill, but were not gonna give you any potocin and were pretty sure were gonna send you home at 11 tomorrow." Well luckily I proved them wrong. They were suppose to give me a pill every 4 hours to speed up effacement. Well after 3 pills they had to stop giving them to me because my contractions were already to close together. I was in quite a bit of pain and didn't receive any medicine until I was 5cm. Then at 7cm I finally got my epidural, which they had to do 5 times before they got it right by the way. Another complication I ran into is that they gave me Zofran in my IV because I was getting sick and it infiltrated and my hand swelled up the size of a baseball glove and it and my arm were super hard. They ended up having to redo my IV in my other hand, so when I was pushing I really didn't have a hands to help me along. I had a beautiful baby nephew born on the 18th and 14 hours later, after 45 minutes of pushing I had Liam Walker Mathias Comer. Let's just say that the next day when my first doctor and nurse came in they were very surprised to see that I had a baby and they in fact were not sending me home at 11. A little neat fact is that my brother and I are 14 months apart and our babies are 14 hours apart... pretty cool if you ask me! I was the first grandchild on my dads side therefore I always wanted to be the first to bring a great grand child into the world.... well that didn't exactly happen, and I'll admit I was pretty upset at first, but I came to terms with it and realized that it was God's plan for Aiden to come first!
Tomorrow I'm gonna share my couponing tips with you so make sure to check back!