Ten Great Frugal Gifts For Preemie Parents

"When my son was born full-term in January of 2005, I received the usual assortment of baby gear... tons of 0-3 month and 3-6 month outfits, blankets, bottles, rattles, baby books, prepared casseroles and meals, etc. All of these were very much appreciated. A mere eleven months later, when my daughter was born sixteen weeks early in December of 2005, I found myself again receiving precious little baby gifts. The difference? With a tiny preemie still in the NICU, our needs were drastically changed. There was nothing "typical" about our situation and what normally constituted a perfect baby gift suddenly became, well, useless. Thoughtful, but useless. So what to give the new preemie parents? Here are ten simple ideas for frugal gifts that are a perfect fit for those parenting these tiny miracles...

Please head over to Baby Cheapskate to read the rest of my guest post! I have lots of ideas to share for thoughtful gifts that won't break the bank...

Teaching An Old Dog New Tricks...

(So, this is a picture of my two kiddos in the rusty tub... except... you can't see it. Because I think Blogger thinks there's something "inappropriate" about this pic or something. All of my "tub shots" come up kind of scrambled. Anyway, I promise it's not an offensive shot. ;) I also promise you that, could you see it, you would be able to see my filthy-looking, rusty, icky tub...)



There are many, many things I love about this whole blogging thing. One that I loved even before I started my own blog and became more a part of the "community" was how I was able to learn new things through the wisdom of other women. It is really because of reading blogs that I learned how to be super frugal, how to get all sorts of free samples, how to make my own (fill in the blank), etc... I cannot even begin to tell you how many recipes, tips, and ideas I've found on the pages of blogs...

And, occasionally, I learn something that just blows my mind.

When we moved into this home four years ago, our front bathroom tub had rusty stains. No matter what I did, those stains did not go away. I've lost track of how much money we've shelled out for "rust removers" over the years. I cannot even tell you how many caustic chemicals I've exposed myself to in an effort the clear out those stains. But, rather than go away, they've gotten worse over the years. I certainly clean my tub. We even have "rust buster" water softener salt. Didn't matter; the rust stains bloomed larger and darker than ever.

Several months ago, I read a blog post that talked about using Bar Keepers Friend to remove rust stains from bathtubs, sinks, etc. (Here's where I insert my heart-felt apology that I truly do not remember where I read it... if it was you, let me know so I can give you credit!) I was intrigued enough to leave a comment and then forgot to ever look for the stuff... that is, until a nesting frenzy sent me scrambling out to pick things up at the store the other day. For $1.98, I picked up this can at Walmart.



Guess what?

My tub is white. White white. Gleaming even. My husband and I have both been guilty of just staring at it in wonder...

Learning new tricks? Well, that's a finer thing indeed.
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This post is linked to Finer Things Friday.

What Did I Have To Do With An Abortion??

So, by now I'm fairly certain that everyone in the blogosphere knows that I'm fiercely pro-life. I've struggled deeply over the past few months as we move further into a liberal-run era that, quite honestly, frightens me in terms of what it means for the unborn.

So why do I have medical paperwork that links my name with abortion? What on earth could that all mean? Did I have an epiphany at some point and come to my senses? Nope.

Actually, it has to do with the terminology we use. Terminology that I think is inaccurate and manages to leave a bad taste in my mouth.

When I was six weeks pregnant with my second child, my father-in-law had a devastating stroke and was hospitalized in the ICU. While visiting him one day, I suddenly felt crampy and realized I had started to bleed. I sat down and prayed it would ease up and stop but, when it didn't, my husband and I slipped away to the ER. At that point, no one else even knew I was pregnant.

A part of me wondered,
"Had the home pregnancy test been wrong? Was I just late that month?"

It was true that I hadn't been in to see a doctor yet...

Several tests and an examination revealed that, yes, I was indeed pregnant and, yes, the blood was cervical blood. The on-call OB speculated that it was highly likely I was in the process of miscarrying and that there was not anything we could do to stop it. He advised me to come back in two days to have my hormone levels checked. If they went up significantly, he informed me, it would be a sign that the pregnancy was intact and could most likely be sustained just like normal. If they dropped, he explained, it would mean that the pregnancy was over.

He sent me home with a packet of papers. The diagnosis circled in bright red marker?

Threatened abortion.

What? That sounded like something a malicious mother would do to father who wanted a baby that she didn't. It didn't sound like what I was going through... the crushing devastation of thinking I may be losing this baby who was so desperately wanted. How could they call what was happening to me by the same name they call it when someone chooses to murder their unborn baby? I remember staring at that phrase kind of sickly. The nurse who was discharging me noticed and put her hand on my shoulder,

"I don't know why they call it that. It makes no sense. And, for heaven's sake, this is even a Catholic hospital..."

I believe we need to rephrase that as "threatened miscarriage" or "potential miscarriage". Abortion, whether by true definition of not, suggests that someone would choose to end the pregnancy. I think that's an unfair label to throw at a couple who are already reeling with grief at the thought of losing a wanted child...

Pregnancy Update... the homestretch!

I had yet another appointment with the OB today. I'm almost 35 weeks and still feeling great. I do have a whole lot of Braxton-Hicks contractions, but they're very manageable as long as I make sure to drink lots and lots of water. It's hard for me to remember to drink that much sometimes, but I've found that keeping flavored seltzer on hand helps a lot. As a result of being so far into the pregnancy and drinking so much, I rarely feel very hungry anymore either. I remember this feeling from my first pregnancy though and I know it's perfectly normal.

Weight, blood pressure, swelling, heart rate... all good. :)

We were all ready to welcome our little one on June 17th, but learned there had been a change of plans. Turns out I'll be snuggling our little newborn five days earlier than expected. My scheduled c-section has been moved to June 12th which means only two weeks and three more days of being a family of four. That's pretty wild to think about! I feel like there's so much planning to do before then. For some reason, having two and half weeks seems much shorter than having just over three weeks! Because we've been so involved in a job search and traveling, it often feels like time has "gotten away from me". I've not once felt anxious or in a hurry to have this baby.

I'm determined to find at least a few special things to do with my 3- and 4-year olds over the next couple of weeks. I'm not sure I can manage "big field trips", but I'm sure we can fit in some fun and meaningful little things.

My next appointment is one week from Thursday, June 4th. Some time shortly after that, I'll be asking for gender/weight predictions! :) Start thinking...

Happy Memorial Day

Wishing all of you a lovely Memorial Day. Enjoy your families, gathering together, the cookouts, and honoring those who gave so much for this country.

I'll be taking a break from "My Story..." Monday this week, but I'll be back!

Having An Old Stand-By...

If there's one thing that I've learned over the past few years, it's that life has seasons. Our family size and situations can change from year-to-year, sometimes from month-to-month. To live frugally and be a good steward of our finances, we must be willing to change and adapt with the times.

For me, one of the most crucial things I've had to adjust to was the fact that there will be times that I simply CAN'T do a thorough "bargain run". While I truly enjoy looking through the sales papers and sites and matching my coupons... and I delight in perusing my "You saved 80%!" receipts... sometimes, well, LIFE interferes. This was certainly the case early in this pregnancy when nausea and fatigue hit me like a ton of bricks. It was definitely true when my daughter arrived so prematurely.

And it's true again.

I'm eight months pregnant and my husband is currently out of state. When I realized that we needed a few items to round out our pantry yesterday, I inwardly cringed at the idea of loading up preschoolers and traipsing through supermarkets. And so I didn't.

I went to Aldi.

For me, Aldi is a great back-up plan. I know I can find my essentials there and that I won't pay through the nose. Can I often score better deals other places by matching sales and coupons? Yep. But was it worth it to get in and out lickety-split with no fuss or long prep? You better believe it.


Every season is unique and special... it pays to remember that.
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This post is linked to Frugal Friday, hosted at Life as MOM.

Final Yoplait Prize Pack Winner

Congrats goes out to MH in OH for being our final winner! Asked where she likes to "get active" with her kids, MH writes:

"Our yard! It's why we have 4 acres. But we also enjoy stopping at different parks when we are out running errands."

Enjoy trying out some fun new activities on those four acres, MH!

Here are your random numbers:

10

Timestamp: 2009-05-20 12:58:55 UTC