Win a stroller ...

http://www.momdot.com/?p=466#comment-11174 Another great stroller giveaway. This time by momdot.com and strollermama! Check it out ladies!

Chic Shopper Chick is giving away a microlite stroller! I suggest you get on over there and try to win it! This looks like an awesome stroller, our combi is starting to show a little wear from all the planes, trains and Automobiles that it's been on. When we decide to have baby#2 I think this would be a great stroller to have. And,since we spent so much on the graco and the combi I don't see Darling hubby letting me buy another, so winning one is the only option :D

http://www.chicshopperchick.com/2008/08/micralite-fastfold-stroller-giveaway.html

Pet Allergies?!!?

A few days ago I posted about what I would do with the 3 puppies being offered for adoption by the wonderfuly ladies over at 5 minutes for Mom. Well, naturally I've been checking out the competition on all the comments and the Mr. Linky. I cannot tell you how my heart breaks for all the kids who are either allergic or have someone in their family who is allergic to pets! Well, I came from a family that always had pets, many pets and a house without a pet would just seem empty to me! So, today I am here to tell you all about my hypoallergenic cat, Barnie! Yes, you read right, Barnie is an allergen free cat! He is a purebred Russian Siberian and this breed of cat does not produce the allergen causing hormone. He's awesome, not only is he allergen free but this particular breed of cat are very large (small dog size), very fluffy and extremely cuddly! My husband's mother would never let him have a pet for I have no idea what reason. So 6 months before we got married I bought him his first kitten for Christmas. Well, a very long sad story later we had to put the kitten to sleep for health reasons. So, I was due to have our Audrey in 3 months time and I knew that having such a horrible experience with his first pet (My husband took it really really, extremely, tragically hard) that we had to get him a new kitten and fast. (The whole if you fall off the horse get right back on thing). So, this time rather than adopting a shelter cat I was going to a breeder for a full on health guarantee etc... Well, in all my reasearch I stumbled across an article on the russian siberian cats and it mentioned how they did not produce the allergenic dander and I thought to myself, what if our little girl who is due to arrive in 3 months happens to have allergies? So I did some more research, found a breeder and off we went to meet Barnie! I have to say his father Ivan sealed the deal. Ivan was the biggest bundle of love and fur I had ever seen. Not only was he easily the size of a small bulldog, he was not intimidated by the fact that there was only about an inch and a half of lap for him with my huge baby carrying belly. He popped right up in my lap and startedto purr and cuddle and I wanted to take him home right that instant, unfortunately Ivan was not available. So, then we were brought his son, soon to be Barnie. Now Barnie was fixed and not used for breeding so he is about half the size of his father Ivan but he is amazing. He is also an excellent "mouser". We don't have mice but anything that moves or crawls doesnt last long in our house. If i see a spider I don't get a shoe, I get Barnie. He can leap 4 ft into the air and catch a fly! So, I say if your kids want a bundle of fur to love, find a breeder and go do a test run, let your allergy stricken family member nuzzle one and see what happens. I have 3 close friends who visit often all with cat allergies, they have never had a problem cuddling Barnie.

The Great Unknown ... School

So my little Audrey is 2 and 6 months old this month. Come September 8th she will start school. When she was born I never thought I would send her to preschool until she was 3 almost 4. However, Audrey is VERY extroverted. She loves people and has no fear. She is always on average or above average when it comes to her develpmental skills especially language. I think that is mostly because she is getting two languages at home and because I have the luxury of being a fulltime mom. Anyway, my pediatrician has recommended that we put her in school. He says she needs it, and I'm inclined to agree. While my daughter is so excited about going to school I have fear, anxiety and trepidation with the impending start of a new chapter in her life. Here on the island we only had two choices. We can send her to one of the local village schools where they only speak greek and the facilities are government regulated or we could send her to the very pricey private schools that are available. Well, since my husband's company will pay for her schooling when she starts kindergarten we decided to front the costs for the private preschool til then. This is going to be one of my biggest challenges since moving abroad. She'll be learning on the English school system, which is "Greek" (hahaha) to me. As the "headmaster" was trying to explain the way it works to me I couldn't help but feel like a charlie brown character and he was the teacher .... It made absolutely no sense to me. Also, my daughter is required to wear a uniform. I'm adamently opposed to uniforms on any level of education except for inner city schools. However all schools on the island wear a uniform so the only way around that was to move or not go to school, neither of which were an option. I'm also worried that most of her classmates will be British or Russian and she is most likely to be the only American/German in class. I want my daughter to speak American English not the "Queen's" English. Not because I don't like the English (I could listen to Hugh Grant for hours :D) but because being so far from home it is a small partof her American heritage that I can pass on to her. I also don't want her self esteem effected negatively because she talks different. And, then of course I have all the other fears of what school will bring. Is she going to be Sick all the time? Can I manage without her for that long each day? What the heck do you pack in a preschooler's lunchbox? What should she have in her backpack? Is she going to be as happy as we think she will be? Is it the right choice to send her off to school so young? Is it worth the money? Will she get enough attention? Will she be bored? Will the teachers take good enough care of her, since I won't be there to see? Did I hem her skirt too short? Did I get her the right shoes for playing on the playground? Am I already "THAT" parent who causes the teachers/staff to run and hide when they see me coming? I know I must sound silly, but I know that is part of being a mommy too, right?

Wordless Wednesday #8

Puppies!

The lovely ladies at www.5minutesformom.com are having give aways all over the place! Today there are 3 lifesize puppies up for adoption from their store http://www.a-rocking-horse-to-love.com I would love to adopt these cute little guys! Audrey says she wants the german short hair and agree I think he is just adorable. I have several options for the other two dogs. I think I would either give one each to my sister and her roommate as guard dogs. They live on the Union university Campus that was destroyed by the tornados in TN this year and I can see that these two beautiful dogs would make them feel much better, and safer, especially since they aren't allowed to have pets on Campus. My sister still has nightmares about the buildings crashing down on them. The other option I have for the other two dogs is to take them to the rehab/nursing facility that my grandmother spent the last two years of her life in until she passed away in January. My mother spent every day there with her and really got to know the residents and staff very well. They were so kind to our family. My sister and I would perform concerts for them off and on and of course visit my grandmother everday when we were home. I can see these dogs bringing lots of joy as a sort of mascot for them! So anyway, I can assure these adorable little puppies very good homes if you choose us. Thanks again ladies for all the great giveaways! If you would like to adopt the puppies then follow the links above!

Summer fun photo contest

http://www.5minutesformom.com/ and The skinny cow (http://www.skinnycow.com/) are giving away $500 in their summer fun photo contest. I had a really hard time deciding which photo to use but I chose this one. It's from the fourth of July while my sister and I are trying to keep audrey entertained until the fireworks start. I love this photo for several reasons. Now that we are grown and not living under the same roof anymore I cherish the memories I make with my sister that much more. She is and always will be my best girl friend! I also love watching my sister and Audrey interact because I can see the same admiration for her in Audrey's eyes that I have in my heart. And, in the name of summer fun how many people have their most awesome magical summer memories from trying to pass the time until the fireworks started?