Poor Little Bunny Foo Foo

Occasionally you have to deal with unpleasant things as an adult or parent. This week I went outside to grab my trash can to put it away. It had been pouring all day the day before and I found a rabbit who had been hit by a car. I am not sure what happened to Little Bunny Foo Foo but it was deceased. I couldn't leave it laying on the sidewalk by my mailbox. I didn't want my son to see it or any other kids. So, I grabbed a trash bag and some other bags to pick it up. The only other time I have dealt with a dead wild animal was a bird last year which I believe flew in to the back of my house. I mentioned it to my mom and she reminded me how bad it will smell. Remember that my trash day wasn't for six more days.

I am sure you are wondering why I am telling you such a sad and terrible story. I promise I have a reason. I had no idea what to do with it. I remembered that when I went to a daycare there was a raccoon and I vaguely remember animal control coming out and saving the day. I started googling to see what I should do. I didn't really find much information about it. I looked up the number for animal control and called them. I believe they were closed so it told me to call the sheriff's office. I felt like a total idiot calling. It was the non-emergency number and the woman was really nice. She told me that they don't deal with wild animals. She suggested that I call the department of natural resources. So again I felt like an idiot and called. She told me to throw it away in the trash or if I had a wooded area that I own to put it there. So, I quadruple bagged it with my apple scented trash bags. This was a moment where I wished I had a guy to take care of it. I am very self sufficient and used to doing things myself. The thought of the bunny and the smell made me sick. I took care of it though. I didn't have a choice and I am glad that I am able to do things for myself even if it's disgusting.  I am slightly traumatized I think. I saw a bunny outside hopping around and got really worried when it was close to the road.

I personally think it's silly that other people have to take care of deceased wild animals and there isn't a service that will do it. So when you accidentally hit an animal someone else has to clean up your mess. Drive safely and watch out for our furry friends. No one wants to have that in their trash can.

I need a Kid Free Vacation ASAP

I love being a mom, it brings me such joy but sometimes I just need a vacation away. I love taking time and traveling to different places usually to see friends. I love going to New Hampshire and spending girl time with my best friend Brandy. Of course her sweet little ones are there which is fine. Her daughter is so amazing and since I only have a son it's fun to have a little girl time with Brandy's daughter. I would love to go on a trip where there's only adults. It's really important to have some me time or girl time. I am hoping sometime I can get Brandy away from her daily life and go somewhere fun together where neither of us has to but our mom hat on and we can just hang out and do whatever we want to.

It's easy to feel guilty especially if you are seeing families together but it is an important and vital part of parenthood. It's not going to be the end of the world if you spend a couple days away from them. If you can't afford a vacation, how about a night in a local hotel? That one night doesn't sound like much but it is a big deal and you will feel like new. You may even want to add another night to your hotel stay.  It's really important and a requirement to have some time to yourself every so often.

Enjoy your kid free vacation!

I Wish I Could Have Traveled when I was Pregnant

Being pregnant is such a fun and magical time. You are usually the center of attention. People dote over you. Even when you travel you receive the pregnant woman special treatment. It's kind of fun to be pampered sometimes. I have heard stories of people traveling while pregnant and strangers paid for their dinner or even gave a monetary gift for the baby. I think that is such a kind thing to do.  I wasn't able to travel while I was pregnant because I was high risk my entire pregnancy. I was put on modified bed rest at 18 weeks. I had Placenta Previa with the cord under the placenta. I don't think I went farther than twenty five minutes away from home my entire pregnancy. It really sucked because I love to travel so much. I didn't go on any vacations my entire pregnancy with Noah. It was such a chore to go anywhere for me. I was pretty much bed ridden. I was allowed to go a few places. We went to the county fair because I wanted an elephant ear. The weather was so hot that I had to rest after getting one. It was early July and I was pretty pregnant by then. I gained a lot of weight.  If you are healthy and have your doctor’s approval it can be fun to travel while you are expecting.

I did go on vacation with my first pregnancy. We went to a beautiful lake and stayed on my ex-husband's family's houseboat. When I was little, I experienced car sickness so I was a little worried when we drove down. Thankfully I am one of the lucky women who doesn't get morning sickness but I wasn't sure about the car. I figured out ways to prevent it and ways to make it more fun for everyone else. Being cooped up in a car can be frustrating when you have a tiny person growing inside your womb if you aren’t prepared.

Check out my post about traveling while you are expecting. Remember it is a special time. Cherish every moment.

Traveling with a Fussy Baby

Noah is a huge traveler and I started him off young. We went on a long road trip when he was two months old. He enjoyed riding in the car most of the time. Occasionally, he would start to fuss. He didn't want to be in the car anymore. He wanted to stretch and be held by me. It's hard because you just want to hold them. It's not safe to hold a baby in the car, even though it's so tempting. If I could have just held him on long car trips it would have been easier. Thankfully I am creative and have a knack for making up songs. It helped some when we were in the car.

Even just sitting in the backseat isn't enough. I honestly think it can make it harder sometimes. If you have a snugly baby, just touching them is not satisfying. They can see you and almost beg to be held. It makes the temptation to slip them out of the seat worse. You really have to know what to do to soothe your infant in the car. It's important for everyone's sanity especially if you are traveling far. Trust me when I say this: picture it it's like nine pm we can't find our hotel and everyone is tired from driving. Noah starts crying and his toy breaks. This toy is the only thing that is stopping him from crying. I was a new mom as he was two months old. It was time to get creative. I sang rattle rattle thunder clatter boom boom don't worry call the car-x man for a half hour straight.  I tried to only sing it a few times but well Noah really loved it and he was done with the car that night.

I wrote a post about soothing your infant in the car to hopefully help other parents manage long car rides

Organizing your Car is Easy

Something happened when I became a mom, I became more organized. I used to be someone who liked what I call organized chaos. I knew where things were, they just didn't have a set home. Now I am organized and I am able to keep things organized. I still lose things sometimes but that's because someone either moved it or I put it up somewhere to keep it safe.

I used to also not really care if someone's car is clean and organized. It didn't really bother me too much. As long as it wasn't totally trashed, it was fine. Now that I am a mom I prefer for the car to be organized. It's hard to find things you may need. If we are out with friends, I am very picky when Noah is in the car. I don't expect the car to be sparkling clean but I would prefer him not to step on trash to get in the car. I totally understand that not everyone is organized. I think it's a skill you obtain, if you don't have it already, when you become a parent. It becomes a necessity because your child has a lot of stuff. You also have to be able to tell your child where something is in the car while you are driving. It's really easy to organize your car. It doesn't have to be a huge project or complicated process. It's nice to know where everything is.  If you had ever lost something in the car and spent an hour looking for something you can appreciate this. I think organizing has received a bad rep. It doesn't take a bunch of money or time to get your car in order. The hardest part is honestly putting things back where they belong. If you forget to put it back you risk losing it in the car or worse knocking it out when you get out. You can lose something really important or valuable.

Be sure to read my post about tips to organize your car and start 2015 organized.