Wordless Wednesday: My Own Little Bam Bam!

Baby's First Amputation Haircut

So, Chunky Monkey was starting to look like a tree hugging hippie. Or so the hubs said. The day before his birthday party, I gave in, and decided to take him for a hair cut. My Mom came with me. We took him to a local place, Ponytails and Buzzcuts. Geared towards kids, and they do a first hair cut special. A before and after pic, framed with a lock of their hair. Super cute, right?

C usually is a big flirt, and does really well with new people, so I wasn't too concerned about the hair cut. They put them in little airplane chairs, have TVs, and they had The Wiggles. I thought we were golden. I was SO wrong. The second we walked in, the kid developed a kung fu death grip on me. He wouldn't look at ANYONE. It was like pulling teeth just trying to get the BEFORE picture.

Then they had me carry him to the little airplane seat. I set him in there and strapped him in, and he LOST IT. The lady wasn't at ALL patient, and wouldn't let me get him settled or used to the idea. She immediately shooed me away, and he was screaming bloody murder.

Now, I don't really have a big issue with them asking me to walk away. C screamed more when he could see me. So, I walked away and sat down. But the thing is, he never even began to calm down. It got worse and worse the whole hair cut. That is what frustrated me. I don't understand why I couldn't have sat in one of the regular seats, with him on my lap. The girl cutting his hair also nicked his head with the clippers! I wasn't impressed, and we won't be going back. The hair cut was cute, though.

Anyway, for your viewing pleasure, he is a minute and a half or so of the ordeal. You would think somebody was sawing off his leg.

Birthday Bliss

We had C's birthday party on Oct. 24th. His actual birthday was a Tuesday, and that following Saturday was Halloween. My Mom helped me plan it, and it was going to be casual, but fun. Grilling hot dogs and hamburgers, a bounce house for the kids. My parents have the PERFECT backyard for a party. A gazebo (built by my Dad) a beautiful brick patio, an outdoor fireplace, and an outdoor heater.

I got there at 1 to set up. We put out the banquet tables, all the chairs. We put the table cloths down, filled the snack trays with pub mix. I put the high chair banner and balloons on his high chair. The fire was started, the heater was lit, the bounce house was out. Everyone was set to arrive at 3. At 2:50? It started to rain.

I wanted to cry. I think my Mom actually did.

So, as guests started arriving, everyone pitched in, broke everything down, and hauled it to the garage. It was a redneck birthday party!! LOL! We were pretty bummed, because we all had to cram in the garage, and the kids couldn't use the bounce house.

But, it all turned out ok in the end. It was a great time. Carson did really well, and let pretty much anybody hold him. He was even going up to people he hadn't been around since he was 2 months old, and asking to be picked up. He was NOT interested in eating, even the cake. He took a few bites, but wasn't that into it. So we don't really have any messy smash cake pictures. He also wasn't into opening presents. But, once those bad boys were opened, he was DEFINITELY into the toys!

Snuggling with Mama

The cake! Jessica helped me make it, and I am REALLY proud of how it turned out!

In his party hat and shirt. Jess made the shirt, I helped make the hat. Interested? Check out her awesome Etsy shop!

Hey! It's my birthday and I'm ONE!

The banner said "Happy Birthday Carson"

I painted the monkey on the pot!

Daddy, Carson and his Grandma Gloria, Tom's Mom

These were the center pieces, one on each table.

The older kids had a blast with the pinata!

Eating his cake. He wasn't that into it, but he sure looked cute!

Brooke Van Gory Designs- custom diaper bag!

Yes, we all know that I'm a twhore. I tweet all day long, from tweetdeck, from my phone. I heart Twitter. But the thing is, I have met some AWESOME people through twitter. I say "met" very loosely. If we have tweeted back and forth and held a conversation, then that counts in my book!

I "met" Brooke (@crossbones_inc) on Twitter. She is one hip Mama, and I yearn to be as cool as her. We have talked lots on Twitter, and I started checking out her awesome blog, and her Etsy shop. Then I saw Kim (creator of Rockin' Green Detergent!) post a picture of one totally kick ass diaper bag on Facebook. It was SOOO cool. Kim directed me to Brooke, and I just HAD to have one of her bags!

I was asking her some questions about it, mostly because she was genius enough to create a coordinating wet bag that clipped on the OUTSIDE of the diaper bag. When I showed her the diaper bag I was using, she said she didn't know HOW I could function with it, and was sending me one to review!

This bag was designed completely with the cloth diapering Mom in mind. One of the biggest bummers about cloth diapering is the wet bag issue. When you change a diaper on the go (NOT hard, for those of you considering cloth!), you toss the dirty one in the wet bag. No biggie, but the thing is, the wet bag starts to take up the ENTIRE inside of your diaper bag. When you still need to lug around baby food, a change of clothes, snacks, toys, a blanket, etc, you just run out of room, and FAST. Brooke designed a wetbag not only large enough to hold several diapers, but one that coordinates with the rest of the diaper bag, and that clips on the OUTSIDE of the bag! It has lobster clasps that clip onto the rings of the bag handles. I have no idea why nobody came up with this idea sooner. It is hands down my favorite feature of the bag. The outer of the wetbag is twill, and the inner is waterproof PUL.

The inside of the bag is really spacious. I told Brooke she could make mine a bit bigger, because she was wanting to play around with a bigger pattern. Inside, there are FOUR pockets. They are very roomy pockets, too. They are great for tucking away the small things you want to be able to find easily. A spoon, snacks, baby tylenol, rash cream... whatever you need. Then you still have the entire interior for bigger things, like a change of clothes, toys and a blanket.

On the outside of the bag, both sides have a large pocket. Plenty big enough for a cloth diaper, and if it's a trimmer diaper, you could fit 2 on each side. If you don't cloth diaper, you could still put disposables there (blech), or any number of other things. It is really amazing just how much stuff you can fit in the bag. Look how much stuff I had inside, and I still had plenty of room left!

The craftsmanship is really amazing. Every stitch on there is meticulous. It is SO sturdy, and beautifully made. Brooke has TONS of fabrics to choose from. Because I like C and his things to be a little Rock'n'Roll, I chose the skulls pattern. It's really fun, and a tad edgy. I also loooooove bright things, and I knew this pattern could have some bold colors with it! Brooke allows you to customize pretty much EVERYTHING on your bag. I picked the skulls pattern, and then told her to go to town on creating the rest. I told her my penchant for retina searing bold colors, and knew she would create something rockin' for me. She totally delivered.

Brooke's shop carries SO many things! Diaper bags, purses, fleece longies, the list goes on and on! Lucky for you, she LOVES designing custom items! Want to buy one for yourself? Head here, and snatch one up!

Besides being uber crafty with a rock'n'roll edge, Brooke is also VERY generous! She has offered up a completely custom diaper bag to one of my pretty little stalkers!! Are you totally pumped?? For your first MANDATORY entry, check out her Etsy shop. Come back, and tell me what you just LOVE! If it's a diaper bag, which other fabrics do you like?

Extra Entries:

1. Follow Brooke on Twitter
2. Become a Facebook Fan
3. For FIFTEEN extra entries, purchase something from her shop. Let me know what it was, and I'll verify!
4. Follow my blog publicly
5. Subscribe by email
6. Snag my button, leave a link where I can find it!
7. Blog about this giveaway
8. Become a Facebook Fan of NWNB!
9. Tweet this giveaway up to 2x per day (NOT back to back). Leave a permalink to the tweet. Don't forget to inclue both Brooke and I in the tweet!

Fine Print: Contest ends 11/22/09. Open WORLDWIDE! Winner has 48 hours to respond. PLEASE leave me a way to contact you! Winning entries WILL be verified, and falsified entries will forfeit the prize!

Two More Winners!

Wow, this bloggy birthday bash was a TON of fun! Thanks to all of you for playing along, and helping celebrate C's birthday in style! Soon to come are some pics and videos of his party, and his actual birthday!

Without further adieu, the winner of the Natural Inspirations Teething Necklace issssss:

Mama Campbell said...60

i follow!

OCTOBER 26, 2009 2:25 PM

And lets not forget the big winner of the weehuggers AIO diaper! That winner issssss:

Teresha@Marlie and Me said...101

I follow your blog publicly

OCTOBER 27, 2009 6:16 PM

Congratulations to you both! You both have 48 hours to claim your prize! If you left me contact info, I'll be emailing you shortly!

Update on IHOP

So. I am even less impressed with IHOP than ever right now. After I wrote this post about the original IHOP fiasco, I emailed their corporate office. As did Jessica. We both sent separate emails, worded differently, on different days. She sent hers first.

Here is the message she sent:

problem_code = Service
summary = Free Kids Meals that aren't.
comments = My friends and I ate at IHOP yesterday evening before going Trick or Treating at a local mall. We saw the kids eat free signs on each of the tables we pulled together, and on the window and thought, "Cool...we get to save a few bucks!" So, we ordered, eat (after waiting a LONG time for food to come, we had restless babies when the food finally arrived!), and get the checks. Imagine my surprise when my bill is much higher then I expected, as is my 2 sets of friends.When we asked the waitress about "Kids Eat Free", she informs us WE have to ASK for the Kids Eat Free deal. WHAT? In what universe do you have to ASK for an special that is plastered all over a store? None of us had to ASK for the price advertised on the holiday pancakes deals. None of us had to ASK to be charged for drinks or extra bacon.We could tell the waitress was embarrassed about this and took the meals off our tickets when we paid.However, we should not have had to ask, nor should she have!
had to look like and idiot in the process.I want for you and anyone you can forward this to in IHOP world, to know that requiring your wait staff to do this causes the wait staff to look uneducated AND causes your customers to get VERY pissed off, as in, one of my friends declared chances are she isn't coming back b/c it too so long to get our food and she felt she was being tricked into buying something that is obviously advertised for free.I'd like to know how you are going to keep the three families from abandoning IHOP for another dining establishment? Right now none of our families of 4 will be going back because of your stupid policy.Jessica R********

The response she got:

Dear Ms. R********,

Thank you for taking the time to contact us concerning your experience at the IHOP in Omaha. While it is always disappointing to learn that we have not lived up to our guest's expectations, it is invaluable to receive feedback so that we are able to continually improve our level of guest satisfaction.

We are sorry to learn of the difficulties you encountered at this location. Please be assured that the matter will be shared with the proper individuals to address your concerns.

I have forwarded your concerns to the franchise owner regarding your recent dining experience in this restaurant. We have every confidence that the franchise owner or his representative will contact you shortly. It is our hope that you will once again allow us to earn your patronage.

Thank you for keeping us informed.

Sincerely,

Marcia Gettings
Guest Service Representative
IHOP Restaurant Support Center

Here is the message I sent:

summary = Very Poor Policy
comments = I came to the restaurant on Friday 10/30 with 3 other families at 5:30 pm for dinner, with our children. On our table was a sign clearly stating that Kids Eat Free Monday through Friday from 4-10pm. Each family purchased two adult entrees. Two of the families also ordered 1 childs meal each, while the third family ordered 2 kids meals. Each family clearly met the criteria in 1 free kids meal per adult meal.When we all received our bills, we were ALL charged for the kids meals. When we approached the waitress about this, she said IHOP doesn't assume we would want the free meal, and once we ask, all of our bills had to be recalculated.This is a RIDICULOUS policy. If you are going to advertise that kids eat free, (as it was clearly advertised on each of our tables, with little signs) then we should NOT have to ask for the meal free. This was really a hassle. The waitress acted annoyed with us, and it took her over TEN MINUTES to re-calculate all of the bills. We all !
had children that we finished eating, bored, and ready to go. So we had to wait over ten minutes, trying to keep them quiet and calm, while the bills were re-totaled.The waitress also argues with us about how one of the meals wouldn't be free, that it was only one free meal per family. The sign clearly said up to TWO free meals, if two adult meals were purchased. It is in very poor taste to have your employees argue with a patron.I was not at ALL pleased with any of this, and am hugely disappointed in IHOP. Next time we go out as a family, it will be elsewhere.

Here is the response I got:

Dear Ms. Rayer:

Thank you for taking the time to contact us concerning your experience at the IHOP in Omaha. While it is always disappointing to learn that we have not lived up to our guest's expectations, it is invaluable to receive feedback so that we are able to continually improve our level of guest satisfaction.

We are sorry to learn of the service level and difficulties you encountered at this location. Please be assured that the matter will be shared with the proper individuals to address your concerns.

I have forwarded your concerns to the franchise owner regarding your recent dining experience in this restaurant. We have every confidence that the franchise owner or his representative will contact you shortly. It is our hope that you will once again allow us to earn your patronage.

Thank you for keeping us informed.

Sincerely,

Teara Pendleton
Guest Service Representative
IHOP Restaurant Support Center

In case you don't want to read it all, let me save you some time. Two totally differently worded complaints were mailed to IHOP on two different days. We each got a "response" from a different customer service rep, and yet, they were the same. Word for word.

Translation? IHOP doesn't even care enough to write a response. Ten bucks said they didn't even read the complaint. Supposedly, they have forwarded our complaints to the local franchise we ate at. I'll believe it when I see it. I'm so glad to know that IHOP values my business so little. That's fine, I'll take my business elsewhere. There are PLENTY of other local restaurants who I would hope treat their customers much better.

Here is the final email I sent them:

I guess taking the time to let you know of my experience was a complete waste of time. Clearly you send the same canned response to anyone with a complaint. I doubt you even read my complaint. Since you don't have the time to bother writing me a sincere email, I won't bother continuing to eat in your establishment.

You see, one of the other members of my party that night at Ihop wrote a complaint to you, too. Lo and behold, she received the EXACT same response. Word for word! From a different customer service representative. If you don't care, then I won't bother to eat in your establishment any longer.

But you know what? I HAVE blogged about it. For all the world to see. It's times like these that I'm glad I have a blog, and hundreds of readers. Hopefully the next time they make a choice of where to dine with their family, they'll skip IHOP.

Hope you enjoy the read: http://www.newlywednewlybred.com/2009/11/update-on-ihop.html

Unimportantly yours,

Megan

Thanks for nothing, IHOP.

Rockin' Green Cloth Diaper Detergent WINNER!!

The winner of the Rockin' Green Soap is....... #301, Team Pitney!!! I'll be emailing you shortly!