Amanda Mushro — Page 16

Sunshine and Mac and Cheese

July 24, 2015 by amushro

“Sunshine and mac and cheese.” That was my response to a friend that hasn’t seen my son in a few months and was shocked to see how he’s recently shot up in height. All I could say is “It must be sunshine and mac and cheese because that’s all this kid needs to grow.” The truth is, my boy should be a shade of orange because his diet consists mainly of orange colored food: mac and cheese, chicken nuggets, and cheese sticks. I’ve never really considered Aaron a picky eater because when given the foods he likes, he eats really well, is super healthy, and he is a so tall. However, when his little sister came along and was willing to eat anything we put in front of her, I realized this guy is a little tougher at meal time than I realized.

Is there anything that makes a Mamma’s heart sing more than seeing her kids eat well? No one wants to fight with their kids every single mealtime. Ugh, no thank. My mission this summer is to get creative, keep the peace, get this boy to try some new foods, and to show him a veggie will kill him.

With our free schedules during this easy breezy summer and tons of fresh fruits and veggies available right now, it was time to change the way we eat. Here’s what were are doing in this house to get a little more adventurous with our eating.

Try It Tuesday and New Food Friday- Everyone gets something new on their plates on these days and we have to try at least three bites. Even Mom and Dad. We make it a game and then celebrate when we all take at least three bites.
Small scoops- When we’re trying new foods, we start with tiny bites. So rather than dumping a pile of peas on his plate, I give him two or three. Imagine being a kid and your mom is making you try new food and there is a mountain of green stuff that looks and smells sketchy. However, two or three green things, not so bad.
Hide It- You think that’s just pizza right? (Insert Evil Laugh) I added pureded spinach! I have to be creative and sneaky and this does take a lot more planning, but the blender is getting lots of use and I feel better knowing there is zucchini in his blueberry muffins.
Smoothie Season- The kids think they’re getting a sweet treat, but this mom has packed a smoothie full of greens he would turn up his nose too. All he tastes is his favorite fruit, blueberries!
Week By Week- My pediatrician gave me this tip when I was feeling like my attempts to get my boy to eat new foods and veggies was failing. She suggested rather than look at every meal, every single day, look at the week and pat yourself on the back for trying new foods and veggies a few times a week.

Vitamins are essential for good health through every stage of life. Our bodies require a broad variety of vitamins and minerals to function properly, yet it can be challenging to get all the nutrients we need from food alone. And believe it or not, a kid can not survive alone on sunshine and mac and cheese.

We all strive to maintain a healthy lifestyle for our entire family. We know the importance of a balanced diet and exercise but for many of us, we can continue to rely on vitamins and minerals to fill nutritional gaps and enhance health.

Did you know that kids tend to gain MORE weight in the summer months? Considering my kids seem to be busy every single minute of a summer day, this statistic shocked me; however, check out this graphic from Know Your OTCS to see why this is true.

Looking for more information about dietary supplements for you and your family? Know Your OTCs created a really helpful site that can answer a lot of your questions.

What are your tips or tricks to dealing with picky eaters?

5 New Things You Need For The Beach

July 23, 2015 by amushro

It’s official WE LOVE SUMMER. We love every single part of summer and since the kids and I are living at the beach for a few months there is a good chance we are never, ever coming back. OK, school starts at the end of August so we’ll be back for that. Otherwise, we would just become beach bums. I’ve already shared with you my favorite beach parenting hacks and sanity savers and was ecstatic to share those hacks on the Today Show. So now I want to share a few things that have become a must for our days at the beach, plus a really fun giveaway. So here are the 5 new things you need for your beach trip.

1. Fine Foutas- Since the kids are spending 90% of their days in the ocean or the pool, we seem to have an endless supply of beach towels,. But this year those towels are simply taking up space in the linen closet because I’ve ditched them all for my first favorite summer product Fine Foutas. Fine Foutas (pronounced “foo-tahs”) are hand woven, 100% organic cotton towels that we’ve been using as a beach and pool towels, wraps, picnic blanket, throw blankets, and even a shawl on a chilly night.

At first I couldn’t imagine how a towel that was so thin could be so useful, but I’m telling you, friends, I’m a complete convert. We took the whole family to a waterpark and everyone else was unsuccessfully shoving big, bulky towels into their beach bags, but all four of our foutas folded up nicely and were perfect towels and coverups on a hot day. I love that they get softer every time they’re washed and they really hold up to the beatings of daily uses. Plus they are so pretty and I’m a sucker for anything pretty. When I told the owner of Fine Foutas that I’m a convert, she offered to give two Fine Foutas to one of my readers! Yay for giveaways!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

2. Sunscreen Face Sticks- Before my kids head out the door, I cover them head to toe in sunscreen, but after hours of boogie boarding and cannonballs, that morning sunscreen isn’t enough. So when I can wrestle them out of the water for a quick snack or drink, I cover their faces and shoulders with a sunscreen stick in just a few seconds. No mess, no fighting, and I protect those precious faces. Right now we are using this one from Neutrogena.

3. Catch and Release Beach Aquarium- We’ve acquired roughly a million shovels, buckets, and random sand toys; however, the kids newest toy has trumped them all. The Catch and Release Aquarium is the perfect toy for catching sea creatures, studying them, and then releasing them back to their homes. The aquarium is plastic and floats (this has saved us when a big wave has taken it away) and the screen lid allows anything you have collected to still breathe. I love that we can use this toy at a lake or pond too. You can find the aquariums here.

4. Tailgate Tent- In the beginning of summer, a beach umbrella was just fine for a little bit of shade. However, now that we’re in full swing and heat of summer, sorry umbrella, our tailgate tent just kicked your colorful butt. We put the tent in line with all of the other umbrellas along the water and claim our spot for the day. Our entire family can take a break under the tent and it’s perfect for getting a little extra space when the beach gets crowded. Need one? Find it here.

5. Beach Chair With A Cooler for Your Phone– I’ll admit, even at the beach, I find it hard to disconnect from my phone. And while you can keep the sand out of your phone with a sandwich bag, I learned that if you leave your iPhone in the sun, it will lock until the temperature drops! I had no idea this could even happen. Did you? So this year my beach chair has a smaller cooler on the side that keeps my phone cool and sand-free. Here’s the one I’m using:

Hope you are having a great summer and good luck on the giveaway!

It’s Really Time to Listen To Your Mother–The 2015 Videos are here!

July 10, 2015 by amushro

Here’s what I have planned for the next few days: I’m going to stay in my jammies, all curled up in my bed, and I am going to watch hours and hours of Listen To Your Mother videos while I laugh out loud, cry happy tears, cry ugly tears, say over and over “YES! Yes, me too,” feverishly search out the readers online to tell them how much I loved and adored their readings, and thank my lucky stars that Listen To Your Mother is such an integral and life changing part of my own little life as a member of the Washington DC cast and then as part of the trifecta team that brought the show to Pittsburgh this year.

Obviously the whole “take care of your kids” thing will get in the way of these lofty dreams, so while I’d like to do all of this in the next few days, I will gladly take my time as I watch the LTYM 2015 library and I do hope you will do the same!

Look at my ladies! I could not be more proud of them and eacch and every lady played such an important role in creating such a fantastic story and perfect inaugural cast. Sniff, sniff… can you tell I LOVE these gals and this show? I’m thrilled to share with you, Listen To Your Mother: Pittsburgh 2015:

Natalie Capone Gillespie
My Declaration of Independence: Natalie’s look at the growing independence of her son … and herself.

Tina Tuminella
Now I Get It: Tina Tuminella wasn’t much of a baby person. She waited until her 40s to have kids and NOW understands babies and what a big deal it is to be a mom.

Danielle Sibley-Siegel
Email to Nowhere: In an attempt to help her deal with the raging emotional swings of PPD, Danielle wrote an email to nowhere listing things that were upsetting her. Looking back at it a year later with clearer vision, she’s amused by the kinds of things that pissed her off.

Erika Fricke
Unplanned Parenthood: After planning the birth of her second child to the last detail, Erika found out there is no amount of planning that prepares you for the experience of parenting each of your children—and the often unexpected issues that arise for both baby and mother.

Stephanie Jankowski
Let There Be Bitches: Stephanie shares lessons with her feisty-from-birth daughter about being true to herself—even if that means being labeled a “bitch.” (Blog: When Crazy Meets Exhaustion)

Jennifer Pelling
Mother Hen: Jennifer captures the quintessential mothering instinct experience as told through the life of a chicken. Her story will linger with you, I promise you that. (Blog: You Are Here Stories)

Britt Reints
Snapshots: Britt wonders if her children will remember their childhood in snapshots the way she remembers her own. (Blog: In Pursuit of Happiness)

Gina Jones
I Am a Mother: In a take-you-to-the-Church-of-Mom, Gina looks at her own life in an attempt to find her purpose and sees her greatest achievement reflected in the son she’s raised.

Ilene Marshall
Lunch with Mom: Ilene reminisces about a time her mother nearly ruined her cool status with a surprise visit for lunch at her elementary school—and wishes she had known to cherish it. (Blog:These Marmalade Skies)

Tamara Reese
Mothering in the Mirror: Tamara exposes her vulnerable past as she shares her emotional journey worrying whether she would pass the same troubles to her daughter as an extension of herself.

Jennifer Hicks
’Twas the Night Before College: Jen rewrote the well-known Christmas poem to tell the story of what she imagines will happen in two short years when her son gets ready to head to college. (Blog: Real Life Parenting)

Dawn Patton Mangine
Mother of the Year: Dawn recalls the day her daughter called the police because she was “being a mean mom” as one of the funny examples of times she’s felt like the “mother of the year.” (Blog:Red Pen Mama)

Kristen Stepanczuk
Planned Parenthood: Kristen shares the story of the conception of her daughter in a way that will make you laugh every time you hear the word “spelunking.” (Blog: You Can Always Make a Little)

Camping with kids Life Hacks

June 29, 2015 by amushro

Do you have camping or “glamping” on your family fun to-do list? Or does taking your kids into the great outdoors makes you a little nervous? Don’t fret! I’ve got a few life hacks for camping with kids that will make your camping adventures a lot more fun. Just don’t forget, making S’mores every night is a camping requirement.

Kids won’t miss a minute around the campfire once they turn a 10 gallon bucket with a lid into own their personal camping seat with a hidden surprise. Let kids personalize their own “seat” with markers, stickers, and attach a small pillow for extra cushion. Their seat can do double duty by storing their games, clothes, and special camping treasures inside the bucket.
Is not showering for a few days making you and your stinky campers nervous? This hack and a box of wine is for you! The inside bag of a box of wine (called a bladder) can be cleaned and refilled once all the wine is gone. When you hit the campsite, fill the bladder with water and leave it in the sun to warm the water. Attach the wine box bladder to a PVC pipe or tree branch with clothes pins or clips (high enough above your head but you can still reach the spout) and you have a shower with WARM water! Refill with water and have your shower ready for the next day.
Now you need your shower supplies camping friendly. Create a shower necklace by using a lanyard and attach a loofa (a bath sponge) to the metal hook. Fill small travel bottles with shampoo, conditioner, shower gel, and shaving cream, and use thin plastic string to attach the bottles to the lanyard. Now all your shower supplies are in one, portable place, and it never has to touch the ground.

Outdoors good. Germs bad. Create a handwashing station from a large laundry detergent dispenser (the kind that has a spout and you can control the pressure), attach a roll of paper towels to the top with a bungee cord, and attach a bottle of soap with string. Now go wash your hands!
Multitasking moms need multitasking camping gear, so grab a large tarp (the kind with metal grommets), some plastic PVC piping and elbows, and plastic ties. You can create some privacy for the shower or potty, shade from the sun, a waterproof tent, and a dozen other uses. Super versatile and super helpful!
Before putting down your sleeping bags, lay foam tiles (the kind for playrooms and outdoors) down on the floor. The tiles keep little feet safe and make a more comfy sleeping space.

One of the best parts of camping is the food! Make cooking easier by organizer all kitchen supplies in an over the door shoe organizer so everything is visible, clean, and within reach.
Don’t forget the spices but save space by putting them into a plastic seven day pill organizer.
Need to bring eggs but don’t want an egg mess? Clean out a plastic bottle (we used a coffee creamer container) and add your cracked eggs. Use a sharpie too mark measurements so you know how many eggs you are using.
Time for S’mores! Get that fire started with these fire starters: cover cotton balls in petroleum jelly and store in an egg crate or fill empty toilet paper rolls with lint from the dryer. Light that fire!
Bugs be gone! Here’s a safe and effective homemade bug spray: Combine the following in a small dark-colored glass spray bottle: 15 drops Citronella, 15 drops Lemongrass, 15 drops Peppermint, 1 tsp Witch Hazel, and fill the rest tap water.

More is More for an Indoor S’More

June 12, 2015 by amushro

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #LetsMakeSmores #CollectiveBias #sponsored

The old adage “less is more” really rings true in a lot of cases: when applying makeup, when decorating your home, and binge watching really bad reality TV—honest, less is more. However there are times when “more is more” is the way to go, and I’m all about “more is more” when it comes to dessert, especially my absolute favorite dessert, S’mores. Maybe you noshed on this delicious treat around a campfire as a kid, or had to wait until you were in the great outdoors to have this marshmallowie treat. However, it’s time for a S’mores Summer right now, and you can simply say “Let’s make S’mores tonight” and there’s no campfire needed. Friends, here’s my more is more indoor S’more bar that’s perfect for a quick and easy weekend get together!

We’re at the beach right now so I grabbed some coordinating plates and bowls to hold all of our ingredients and pulled out our handy, dandy S’more Maker. Already the table looked so pretty, but now we need the really good stuff, the ingredients! Obviously you have to start with the usual suspects (AKA: the three things you need for a super yummy S’more): Hershey’s milk chocolate, Kraft’s Jet Puffed Marshmallows, and Honey Maid Graham Cracker Squares,

Now it’s time to get to S’more making! Everyone has a different roasted marshmallow style and mine is slightly charred. A little sweet, a little smokey, and a whole lot of yummy.

And then adding sweet milk chocolate is, well, just a slice of summer S’more heaven.

But here’s where we get all “more is more,” friends because we are changing up recipes and making all sorts of yummy S’mores while indoors. Here are a few we tired, and let me tell you, they are good, SO, SO,SO good.

When we fired up our S’more Maker and started sampling all of our new S’more creations, one stood out to me: The Elvis. Basically chocolate and peanut butter are ALWAYS a winner in my book. So here’s a quick and easy recipe so you can make The Elvis S’more too!

Ingredients:

Two Honey Made Graham Cracker Squares

Two Kraft’s Jet Puffed Marshmallows

One Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup

Banana Slices

What to do:

Setup a S’more maker with a Sterno can (found at the grocery store) or a candle
Load up the marshmallows on the skewers and roast until brown on all sides
Place peanut butter cup on one cracker square and banana slices on the other
Slide roasted marshmallows on top of peanut butter cup and form a sandwich
Enjoy and refuse to share with anyone because it’s so good.

Here’s a sign that your S’more is perfectly ewey gooey, the marshmallow stretch. So. So. Good.

How good does this S’more look? You’re ready to make your own, right? I don’t blame you. I found everything I needed for the More is More Indoor S’more Bar at Walmart. So for our new S’more creations, finding all the ingredients was super easy.

Since S’mores are so easy, so delicious, and the perfect weekend dessert, tell me which S’more you’re going to try?

Best Apps For Kindergarten Readiness

June 10, 2015 by amushro

Right after I took this picture of my main man on his last day of Pre-K, we shouted “Next Stop Kindergarten!” Well actually we have a few sweet months of summer vacation then it’s off to kindergarten. So to make sure my little guy is ready for all the heavy lifting of elementary school when he climbs on that big yellow bus for the first time (SOB!) we’re working on avoiding that dreaded summer slide! So we’re playing lots of educational games, turning our summer outings into learning experiences, and loading up our devices with a variety of kindergarten readiness apps. We are covering all of the important parts of kindergarten with these apps and now I’m sharing some of our favorites!

ABC Mouse– If you’ve been thinking about checking out ABC Mouse, DO IT! Both of my kids love this app and I can cater their lessons to their levels educational level. ABCmouse.com members get full access to online preschool, pre-k, and kindergarten curriculum. With more than 5,000 fun and interactive learning activities that teach reading, math, beginning science and social studies, art, and music, I’m sure this app will quickly become one of your favorites too. Note: You will need an ABCmouse.com membership to access the content, but if you are already a member of ABCmouse.com, you can log in through the app to access your account.

Family Play Kindergarten- Round up the cowboys and cowgirls! The Sheriff needs your help at Cowboy Kids Academy to learn kindergarten skills like math, shapes, colors, spelling, and numbers. Through 12 activities, there is a lot of learning and playing happening! This is a great app for kids headed into kindergarten or for parents looking to give their cowboy or cowgirl a fun and challenging app.

Brain Pop Jr- Another fan favorite in this house, BrainPOP Jr. This app delivers a different animated movie every week, and kids are given quizzes and educational lessons based on the short movie. The topics are varied and teach the kids interesting subjects through an engaging movie. The topics span social studies, reading, writing, math, health, arts, and technology. Plus my kids love the characters Annie and Moby that serve as guides through each topic.

Phonics Spelling & Sight Words-Got a kiddo excited to learn to read? Then check out this fun app. With phonics, spelling and sight words, this app will get your kindergarten bound kid excited to learn phonics skills and memorize sight words. With a list of over 300 of the most common site words, your kids will come back to this app again and again for fun games and lots of learning.

Gomma Friends– Get those creative minds working with this fun app! In Gomma Friends, your kids can create and dress Gomma Friends characters and then print and assemble their characters. How fun is that? We’ve been playing with this app together and my kids love getting to create a fun toy and app based on the games they have been playing.

All of these fantastic apps can be found on Google Play. I’d love to your favorite educational apps and how you are going to prevent the summer slide during the summer months!

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Note: I was compensated for the post but all thoughts and ideas for these awesome apps are all mine!

Back on The Today Show with my Beach and Pool Hacks

June 3, 2015 by amushro

Friends, I have a happy dance that I reserve for really, really special occasions and let me tell you, I am full on happy, tap dancing, cartwheels, turn-turn-turn-kick-ball-change-jazz hands when I ‘m asked to come back to the Today Show. It gets real fancy up in here. After I finished bustin’ a move, I hopped a plane to NYC to be a part of another Parenting Team segment and I really think you will love this one. I’m sharing some of my best pool and beach parenting hacks.

P.S. Some of my readers were worried about the little girls that helped with the sunblock train and I’m telling you they were fine! They were outside for less than 2 minutes, honestly! They were so cute and their parents were so nice! So simmer down!

Also, I sorta love this clip because it literally makes me laugh out loud AND my hair and makeup looks fabulous and I would love for the Today Show hair and makeup team to just follow me around all day long.

Hey do me a favor, when I die, play this clip on repeat because it’s hilarious and fabulous. Deal?

A video posted by QuestionableChoicesInParenting (@questionablecip) on Jun 3, 2015 at 9:57am PDT

Parenting Sanity Savers Making Beach Trips With Kids A Breeze

May 7, 2015 by amushro

Summer is coming, friends and that means sun and fun and schlepping your entire family to the beach. We all know that a family vacation REALLY isn’t a vacation for you, right? It’s more of a working vacation, but if you have plans to take your kids to the beach, I’ve got a few sanity savers to make your beach vacay a breeze. Maybe not a breeze but a whole lot little easier. Lookout beach, here we come!

Use a mesh laundry bag (grab one at the Dollar Store!) and load up all of your kids’ sand toys, buckets and shovels. The lightweight bag is easy to carry or drag up or down the beach so even your older kids can be in charge of this bag. Before you head inside, rinse everything right in the bag in an outdoor shower or hose! You can let the bag drip dry on the balcony or deck and have it ready to go for the next day!

Image via Th Idea Room — Image via The Idea Room

An easy way to keep sand from overtaking your beach blanket is to ditch the blanket and grab a fitted sheet. Flip the sheet upside down and in each corner put a bag or cooler so the sides of the sheet are flipped up. You just created a little barrier from the sand–at least for a little bit.

My favorite tip for the summer! At the beach and pool I’m high alert mom because my kids always run off in different directions and if I’m distracted for a moment, I can easily can lose sight of them. Panic time! Here’s how I fix this issue with a little color coordination

Want the sand off but don’t have a place to rinse off? No problem! Stash a bottle of baby powder in your beach bag and sprinkle away. The sand magically falls off and who doesn’t love the smell of baby powder? If your kids get a little over zealous with the sprinkle part, fill a child sized knee sock with baby power and tie it off with a ribbon. You’ve created a sand-be-gone-sack. Silly name but sandless hands and feet!
A very important item you need for the beach are dog poo bags. Yes dog poo bags. Throw a roll of these bags into your beach bag for wet bathing suits, dirty diapers, sunblock explosions, taking home seashells, and every other mess or blowout you can and can’t plan for. The bags are small but super handy.

You already know to pack light on vacation. So here are a few ways to re-purpose items already on your packing list:

Pool noodles are super fun during the day while your kids are splashing around, but dry them off at night and tuck them under a fitted sheet on a bed and they work like a bumper for you kids. No need to move furniture or bring a bed rail, just use your noodle!
Sandy cellphones are no fun. So put your phone inside a plastic bag to keep the sand out but you can still use the buttons!
A day of cannonballs into the pool or dives into the ocean can lead to water in your kid’s ears. Ouch! Have them blow up a balloon for instant relief from the clogged ear! Fill the other balloons with water and freeze overnight. Use the frozen balloon in your cooler during the day and in the afternoon have a fun water balloon race on the beach with the family. Fun and functional, I like it.
Save the lid to your take-out coffee, flip it upside down, and put the stick of a Popsicle in the drink hole and ta-dah–the lid catches drips and your kiddos little hands stay clean! You can also use a cupcake liner for this trick.

Image via LifeHaccker — Image via Lifhacker

Protect your kiddo’s precious skin and reapply sunscreen every two hours (less if they have been in the water). To remind yourself, set the alarm on your phone, download an app(you can find lots of free apps), or write on the back of sunscreen bottle the times you need to reapply.

Sunburn got you down? Try these tricks:

Freeze aloe vera in ice-cube trays for cool relief or put the entire bottle in the fridge for a quick cool down.

Add two cups of apple cider vinegar to your bathtub. The vinegar will calm your hot skin
Pour apple cider vinegar on a washcloth and dab your skin. Once it dries, add coconut oil. This combo should ease your pain and reduce redness by the next day

Most important tip take grandparents…. kidding, kinda. OK, most important tip Have SO MUCH Fun! Look out beach, here we come!

Naming a Baby Should NOT Be This Stressful

May 5, 2015 by amushro

Like millions of other Royal Family fans, I stalked the internet, news stations, and gossip websites for the name of the new princess. I oohed and awwed at the first precious pictures of that sweet, little face, and was blown away by Duchess Kate’s grace, fantastic hair, and ability to pretend she wasn’t wearing mesh granny-panties under that dress. But I wanted to know her name! Just tell us already! And when we couldn’t wait a minute longer, they released her name and it was PERFECTION!

I have to wonder how much time and energy, maybe even a pow-wow in a war room in the palace, went into naming the new princess. Sure there are all sorts of rules that the future king and his lovely Duchess must take into consideration when naming their daughter, but was it anything like the ordeal I went through naming my boy?

Naming a baby is a lot of pressure. I mean what if you pick a name and the minute they hit elementary school, some creep makes up an awful nickname for the kid and THAT is the name that sticks–Like A-Man-Da-Hug-And-Kiss–like I haven’t heard that annoying name a million times before, jerks.

Maybe your kid will make it through school nickname-free but you just so happen to pick the most popular name that year and your kid’s name morphs into their first name and last initial–Nice to meet you, I’m Amanda M. because there are 10 of us.

Or what if you have nine whole months and hours of discussions about the perfect baby name but you find yourself waddling into the hospital to deliver a baby that has no name. NO NAME!

There were no personalized toys in our nursery or little signs with our first born’s name waiting for his arrival because no matter how many baby naming books or websites we checked, my husband and I could not agree on a name.

I’d love a name and my husband would hate it.

He’d suggest a name and I’d suggest divorce.

I’d mentioned a name to colleague and some moron would say something really stupid about the name and immediately they and that baby name were dead to me.

I’d always hoped for a Junior but my husband shut that idea down quickly. He felt like having a junior might be a lot of pressure or an annoyance for our boy because he shared his dad’s name. So that name got tossed onto the pile of other no-names like Greyson, Charlie, Ben, and Noah.

So here we were, in the hospital, holding our nameless bundle of joy and my husband says,”Well what about Preston? We both didn’t hate that name. Wait, why are you crying? What’s wrong??”

Through tears and wracking sobs I forced out “He’s NOT A PRESTON”

And on cue, enters the chipper nurse, “Do we have a name for this boy? You know, you can’t leave until he is named but you have up to a year to change his name!”

My husband’s eyebrow’s perked up at her last comment and I snarled at him over the head of our sleeping newborn.

We were going to be released in a few minutes, but our inability to name our baby made my blood-pressure-info rise so high I had to stay in the hospital until it lowered to a safe level.

Husband: “Well that just gives us more time to name this kid, right?”

Me: “……..”

Husband: “Should we grab another baby book?”

Me: “………”

Husband: “So, no?”

Me: “No. Just. Name. This. Kid.”

I threw the paper work at him, rolled over, and silently plotted his demise. A half hour later, he furiously scribbled on the social security form, folded it up and slid it over to me.

Aaron. Just like his daddy, my boy became my Aaron. And it was perfect.

So that sweet dark-haired and tan skinned baby that I brought home from the hospital, here’s who he became. So handsome, right? And soooo not a Preston. Just a perfect Aaron. My Aaron.