5 Things Every Mother Must Have

A picture from Gracie's birthday shoot. Isn't she cute? cheesin' it. :) 

That is a pretty bold statement, so just know that I mean business by saying it. I was thinking the other day of the things I use on a daily basis; things I would totally be up a creek without.

With that lovely euphemism, here is what I deem the 5 must haves of motherhood...so far.

Hyland's Teething Tablets. 

They were included in the My Favorite Things post, but I would only have two hairs left on my already frizzy hair without them.

Gracie is a pretty fierce teether. She has been teething since around 3 months old. She likes the plastic teethers-but mainly just to play with. She was miserable and I didn't like the idea of giving her tylenol or giving her regular teething ointment. (Something about giving my baby anything that is a local anesthetic freaks me out...) Luckily I was introduced to these and I LOVE them. Easily dissolve.  NO numbing. NO drugs. ALL natural. Work like a charm.

                                                    

Baby Vaseline

Gracie's nails have always been SUPER long. So long that when she was born it looked like she had a french manicure. Seriously, all the nurses commented on them. She also has been scratching up her face since the day she was born. (Which is why we had to wait THREE WEEKS to get her NEWBORNS done. Oi.)

ANYWAY--to this day, I put vaseline on her scratches and she heals within hours and for really deep scratches, she heals within a day or two. It has been such a help, and it doesn't break her skin out either. I don't know if this is a well-known fact and I am just now getting in-the-know--but basically: Vaseline makes your baby a miniature Wolverine.

It's also super useful when her skin dries out on her knees from crawling around. :)

  Boogie Wipes

As Gracie gets more exposed to other children and other places, she gets a little sick more often than her just staying home with us. I suppose this is a good thing?

Anyway, when she gets sick or has a runny nose I always make sure I have these on hand. They are super soft and gentle so your baby does have a raw nose by the end of the day. The saline breaks up the snot so you aren't rubbing their face raw trying to get boogies off. They also smell good (They come in different scents. I use natural.) so that your babys' face doesn't smell weird from wiping it all day.

Boudreaux's Butt Paste 

This is the stuff that I use when Gracie has had a really bad diaper rash out of nowhere. It's only happened twice, but it wasn't pretty and Grace was miserable. (I use Desitin on normal little rashes and it works fine. But Boudreaux's works faster on bigger rashes. Boudreaux's works on smaller rashes too, but I don't see the difference between Desitin and Boudreaux's on the small ones, only big rashes.) Desitin just wasn't cutting it. 

My sister used Boudreaux's on my nephew who always got baaad rashes. It worked like a charm and saved his hiney. She reminded me that I had been gifted Boudreaux's at my baby shower and to try it. Wouldn't ya know it? Severe improvement within hours. Good stuff. Gracie was relieved. From then on, it is always in the diaper bag and in her room.

                                                                      Binky Wipes

Like most babies, Gracie drops things and throws things. Some of those things are binky's and bottles. I obviously can't give them back to her once they have been on the floor--especially if I am not around a sink to wash them off. These wipes are non-toxic, easy to use and they are CHEAP. They even make some that have actual fruit in them so if your child gets into them when you aren't looking and chews on them like Gracie does, it will at least be healthy. They clean the binky/bottle and back into your babies mouths they go. Saved my life once or twice before in church and the supermarket. 

What are your mommy must-haves?

Pet Peeves

WARNING: This post is filled with sarcasm and irony. If these things amuse you--please continue on.
Thanks to Ali Brosh for the drawing that perfectly illustrates my feelings.

We all have pet peeves, right? Well, here are mine and I have a feeling you will identify with at least one of them.

Pet Peeve #1: 

People who need to go to The Derek Zoolander Center for PEOPLE Who Can't Read Good And Wanna Learn to do Other Stuff Good Too.  

It seems like every time I am at the grocery store as I head to check out--there is always SOMEONE with a bajillion items checking out at the 20 or less registers...

It really bugs me. I would say this is my #1 pet peeve.

Perhaps, I have 30 things in my cart--slightly more than 20 and all 30 things are loofa's; SOMETHING VERY EASY TO RING UP. 

But, because I have 30 loofas--and not 20--I do NOT go into the 20 things or less line.

Why?

BECAUSE I DO NOT HAVE 20 OR LESS THINGS.

I feel like this concept is not hard to grasp.

It especially bothers me when I am BEHIND these people who are, unfortunately, not educated in the ways of counting. (This has to be the only reason.) There I am, with a Sprite and a Kit Kat bar--just waiting to check out behind your mountain of groceries. 

No. No worries bro, I'll just wait. 

Pet Peeve #2: A lot is TWO words, people. TWO. WORDS.

I try really hard to not be too bad of a grammar/ spelling freak. I can't spell worth a lick, and without spell check I would be doomed. I also have a tendency to comma splice the crap out of everything. Whoops! So it would kind of be hypocritical to jump on everyone's butt all the time. 

But gosh dang it! A lot is not one word. It is two.

Two words. 

Two.

#3: All Chip Bags

I loathe when I open up a chip bag and there are about two handfuls of chips but the dang bag is GINORMOUS. 

There should be a line on the chip bag that says "Actual chips start here." 

It's just so misleading and I get really upset when I pay 3$+ for two handfuls of chips. 

What are your pet peeves? 

Rest In Peace

Frances B. Monson, Wife of President Thomas S. Monson, has passed away.

Frances B. Monson, wife of Thomas S. Monson, President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, passed away at 6:35 a.m. this morning in a Salt Lake City hospital surrounded by family. She had been hospitalized for several weeks and passed away peacefully of causes incident to age. Sister Monson was 85 years old. Funeral arrangements are pending.

Recognized by her husband as the family’s beacon of love, compassion and encouragement, Sister Monson lived a Christ-centered life in word and deed. She will forever be remembered for her kindness and quiet, sustained support of her husband in his Church duties.

Born on 27 October 1927, Frances Beverly Johnson was the youngest and only daughter of Franz E. Johnson and Hildur Booth Johnson’s five children. Her parents were delighted to have a little girl in the family whom they promptly named Frances, after her father Franz.

She grew up in Salt Lake City, Utah as a child of the Great Depression where she learned the value of hard work and thrift, which served her well throughout her life. She graduated from East High School and the University of Utah where she excelled in math and science. When asked why she enrolled in these difficult classes she replied with a twinkle in her eye, “… because that is where all the cute boys were.” Frances was also an accomplished pianist and was often seen playing tennis in Liberty Park during her teenage years. Later, she worked in the accounting department of a large department store to help pay for her college education.

It was also during her university days she met a handsome, strapping young man also of Swedish descent, Thomas Spencer Monson, at the time known as Tommy. “The first time I met Frances, I knew I’d found the right one,” he would later say about their courtship. They met in 1944 and were married on 7 October 1948 in the Salt Lake Temple.

The couple was blessed with three children: Thomas Lee, Ann Frances and Clark Spencer. The children soon learned that they had a very special mother. She helped her sons learn about, buy and raise Birmingham Roller pigeons, at one point helping her son to travel to England to meet a Birmingham Roller expert. She allowed one son to keep a pet snake in the bathtub. Most mothers would shudder at the word snake, let alone have one in the tub. The herd, gaggle and flock of family pets eventually included chickens, more pigeons, a dog, geese and other animals.

Daughter Ann Dibb said her mother was always good at bookkeeping, budgeting and “being mindful of where the best bargains could be found.” Ann’s mother followed the Church’s provident living advice of thrift and self reliance, making her grocery money go farther by researching and buying items on sale and then storing them at home. Up until recently she continued to read both Salt Lake newspapers looking for coupons and bargains.

She was known as the family assembler and fix-it person. Early every Christmas morning found Frances assembling bikes, toys and doll houses and on other occasions fixing an electrical switch or plumbing leak. Ann said this was something her father readily admitted was her mother’s talent, not his.

She served in the Relief Society and Primary and spent many hours preparing lessons for those callings. She also served alongside her husband when he was called to preside over the Church’s Canadian Mission, headquartered in Toronto, Ontario from 1959 to 1962. Both concur that the mission was a beautiful experience that gave them many opportunities to learn and grow both spiritually and intellectually.

Frances was blessed with an endearing sense of humor, a part of which President Monson shared in a general conference talk: “Several years ago my dear wife went to the hospital. She left a note behind for the children: ‘Dear children, do not let Daddy touch the microwave’ – followed by a comma ‘or the stove, or the dishwasher, or the dryer.’ I’m embarrassed to add any more to that list.” Her recipe for life included plenty of encouragement, kindness, and hard work, with a dose of humor thrown in for good measure.

Most importantly, Frances will be best remembered for the love and support she showed to her husband and family and the service she rendered to others. Ann said, “She dearly loved my father and recognized his talents and the gifts that he’d been given and took pleasure in supporting him and helping him magnify the talents that were his.” She completely supported her husband in all of his Church duties. She also delighted in being a mother continually teaching her children the importance of sacrifice and serving the Lord.

Ann shared a tender example of her mother supporting her father in his Church callings. As a newly-called member of the Quorum of Twelve Apostles, the then Elder Monson was assigned to speak in general priesthood meeting. Frances tried to stand in the doorway of the Salt Lake Tabernacle to listen to her husband speak, but the ushers wouldn’t allow it, so she stood as near to the window as possible to hear the talk. She loved to listen and show her support, and accompanied him many times on the visits to the elderly and those with poor health.

Frances radiated patience and compassion when serving others. She tenderly cared for her mother who suffered from cancer for more than six years. In April of 1988, the Sisters of Charity of St. Joseph’s Villa, an elder-care facility, presented Frances and her husband with the Continuum of Caring Humanitarian Award, honoring both of them for their dedicated and untiring service to the senior citizens of Utah.

Never purposely in the spotlight, Frances Beverly Johnson Monson, was always gracious, kind and supportive in everything she said and did. Her quiet influence felt around the world will be missed.