Hoping that the Third Time is the Charm

Our end of summer plans got tipped on their heads yesterday.  No longer will Gabriel be enjoying the summer sun and water for the remainder of the week.

On Monday I took Gabriel to his ENT.  We had found out last month that his tube in his right ear had come out and had scheduled an appointment to check it out with his specialist.  Low and behold he has significant fluid accumulation and temporary hearing loss yet again.

It is of great concern that Gabe be able to hear and function in first grade.  It is also important to control the fluid as he has no symptoms of ear infections outwardly, but we are concerned about how frequently they are happening.  So it is back to the operating room for Gabe.

We are still processing as we have always had a week or two to prepare for Gabriel's ear surgeries.  This one will take place tomorrow morning, less than forty-eight hours from the initial doctor visit.  Thankfully, Gabriel is not at all nervous as unfortunately this has become routine for him.  This is the third time he is having tubes placed in.

Not necessarily the way we had planned on ending the summer, but I am very grateful to have an ENT who is also a mother and who wants to start Gabriel's school year out on the right note-and hopefully a note that he can hear!

So, please keep Desrochers Boy #2 in your thoughts and prayers tomorrow, and here is to hoping that the third time is the charm!

Here are some of my favorite pictures of Gabriel enjoying the summer!

We were at Yo Gabba Gabba! Live! at Bethel Woods

On Friday Daddy D and I took the three littlest boyz to see the Yo Gabba Gabba Live! It's A Party In My City tour kick off at Bethel Woods in Bethel, NY.  Although Daddy D and I have been to several concerts at Bethel Woods previously, this was the first time that we had brought our children to see a concert there.  It was a picture perfect day!

The show started within five minutes of the scheduled start time, which is wonderful when you have excited little ones anxiously awaiting the arrival of their favorite characters.  This production did not disappoint!  One of our favorite things about this tour is that the characters they see on TV are the ones that are on stage.  This means that DJ Lance Rock is DJ Lance Rock, not an imitation or stand in.

What did we think of the show?  They did an excellent job of bringing one of our children's favorite shows to life.  The characters were wonderful, the actors portraying them were animated and high energy.  During the Super Music Friends Show, where they brought out a guest band to play, there was a malfunction of the giant screens that serve as the backdrop but part to allow the band to come out.  Without missing a beat and staying entirely in character DJ Lance did a great job of keeping the mood light and the children entertained while the screen was manually removed by stagehands.

Highlights of the show included great interactive elements that aren't available to your child while they are sitting and watching the show in your living room.  One of my sons favorite parts was when the character Brobee was lifted high above the stage by his balloons.

They loved the visual effect, but were even more excited when thousands of balloons fell from the sky.

The show also included bubbles.  Lots and lots of bubbles blown by some of the most high powered and amazing bubble machines (I want one!).

And finally, the confetti was a fabulous topper to a great event.

One of the best parts of the show was Biz's Beat of the Day where Biz Markie came out.  The kids and grownups went crazy!  Biz taught the kids the beat of the day, and then took several kids up on stage to let them try to do it themselves.  Our very own Nate the Great got to be one of them!

When Biz "broke it down now" Gabriel was more than amazed!

It was wonderful to see such a quality show here in our local area, and getting to share it with great friends and neighbors like my sister and my niece, Mocha Cub.

And Mason, son of my friend Melissa, rocking his Yo Gabba Gabba shirt!

Saying goodbye to this show was hard, but Eli was belting it out with the characters at the end.

I loved seeing this performance with my sons.  I loved taking them to the original Woodstock site at Bethel Woods and giving them their first concert experience.  And as DJ Lance told us to tell our friends, we can say we were at Gabbastock!


We were the first stop on the 60 city tour, so Yo Gabba Gabba Live! might be coming to your city soon!  Check out YoGabbaGabbaLive.com to see if you can join in the fun in your neck of the woods!

I received no monetary compensation for this post.  I did receive the tickets to attend the show from Yo Gabba Gabba Live!  All opinions expressed are my own taken from my personal experience at this event.

MomSelect BSM Media Swag Suite at BlogHer '10

One of the highlights of the BlogHer '10 conference, as far as opportunities to learn about new products and try new things, was the MomSelect BSM Media Swag Suite.  I have worked with MomSelect and BSM Media for over a year now.  It has been one of my favorite groups to work with as a blogger.  I have attended several MomSelect events, but the BlogHer Swag Suite was by far my favorite.

Some of the great products that I already know and love that were represented in the suite were Zhu-Zhu pets (the boyz loved the new rocker and wild ones!), Webkinz with the new Webkinz Jr. line, Build a Bear Workshop, and Halo SleepSaks.

I was happy to learn about new products like Zynks for drinks, a great idea that works like the wine glass charms for adults but are more fun and sized for kids drinks.  I am happy to announce a great review & giveaway coming up here in the next week or so!

I also adored the Hex Bug Nanos!  I loved talking with the rep, trying out the bugs and their ability to navigate whatever maze you make, and bringing one home for Seth to try.  Of all the wonderful swag items that filled my suitcases this one won Seth's attention for sure.  It was his favorite, and I am hoping to work with this company soon!

Thank you to MomSelect and BSM Media for a great event and thank you to all of the sponsors for taking the time to talk with me and my fellow bloggers about your products.  I learned a lot, found some great new things for my family and am looking forward to sharing about some of them with my readers!

I received compensation in the way of swag and free items for this post.

Studio C Collection from Carolina Pad Review & Giveaway (ends 9/4)

I recently received a great assortment of Studio C Collection Carolina Pad items to check out for review, just in time for the back to school season!  I loved getting so many different things to look at and try out from the Studio C collection.

These are exclusively available for the back-to-school season (July – early September) at Wal-Mart.  These collections include:

•     Rock-on
•    Graffiti
•    Rising Sun
•    Peace Out
•    Free Spirit
•    Eye Candy
•    Mo’ Rockin’

This is the set of items that I received.  It was a little bit from every one of the lines available in the Studio C Collection from Carolina Pad.

In a house full of boyz, our favorite was the Rock On design.  Seth, who is heading off to middle school next month, loved it so much that we went out to Walmart and bought the majority of his school supplies in this theme.  He has six of the folders (three from this review), two binders and the pencil case.  They are "cool" enough and he likes having a theme to his stuff.

We also really liked the the Graffiti collection, but for our all boy purposes it didn't work primarily because the graffiti did say things like "diva" in it, which was a bit disappointing.  Other than that, it was a very close second choice. 

I really enjoy the themes of these sets.  I like, just like Seth did, that your kid-or yourself-can coordinate as much or as little as you like with your supplies.  I tend to be a matchy-matchy person, so if I was still in school I would have bought everything in one line!

The following items were in my review package, and the Carolina Pad people are letting me giveaway another set to one lucky Momma D and Da Boyz reader!

·                               1-subject notebook – MSRP $2.50

·        18 month Planner – MSRP $4.00

·        2-pkt folder (3 pack) – MSRP $2.50

·        1” Binder – MSRP $2.50

·        Composition book – MSRP $2.50

·        Ideal Book – MSRP $2.50

·        Pens – MSRP $2.50

·        Pencils – MSRP $2.50

To win the Studio C Collection from Carolina Pad prize pack giveaway please leave a comment with

which of the designs you think you would like best by visiting here and coming back and commenting.

Please be sure that your profile has your email right on it, or be sure to leave your email address in

your comment. This contest is open to US residents only.  Individuals who have won a prize package

from Carolina Pad in the last 90 days are not eligible.

To get additional entries into the giveaway you can do the following:

1. Follow Carolina Pad on Twitter!

2.  "like" Carolina Pad on Facebook!

3. Follow me! If you become a follower of MommaDandDaBoyz, or already a follower, leave a comment for an additional entry.

4. Follow me on twitter and comment back here for another entry.

5. Tweet this giveaway on twitter.

   "Win a Studio C Collection Carolina Pad prize pack @MommaDandDaBoyz http://tinyurl.com/2w48hcr "

    Comment here with a link to the tweet for an additional entry. You can do this once a day for the duration of the giveaway for added entries.

6. Grab my button and post it on your blog. Comment and put the link to your site.

7. Blog about this giveaway! Comment here with a link to your blog entry for 2 additional entries. Be sure to label your comments #1 and #2.

8. Add our Facebook Page! Come back and comment here.

The Studio C Collection from Carolina Pad Giveaway will end at 11:59 PM on September 4th.

Carolina Pad provided me with the prize pack, information, and additional prize pack without

charge.  All opinions expressed are my own.

Goodbye to One

I just tucked in my one year old for the last time.  Tomorrow will dawn and a two year old shall arise with the same babbles of mommy and daddy from the confines of his crib.  But it will not be the same as today.  For he shall be two.  And I will never again be the mother of a one year old.

He is my Eli Noel Desrochers.  Named aptly for being the E.N.D. of the Desrochers brothers.  My youngest son.  My final child.  Every milestone is bittersweet for as I celebrate with the others I know I will again participate in such an occasion soon enough with the brother that comes behind.  When I celebrate with Eli I usually do so with misted eyes as I look behind him and realize that this is it.

So tonight, the eve of his second birthday, in a way I mourn.  I mourn all things One.  I bid farewell to first steps.  The way the little guys would be off and toddling and then switch direction with whatever way gravity would sway their motion.  We called it being a bumble bee.  Swirling curly q's to get from point A to point B when a straight line would have been oh so much simpler.

I say goodbye to the Christmas when they figured out that present thing.  The way they learned to tear through the paper.  The big smiles that just the sound of the ripping through the wrappings would bring.  The squeals and squeaks of delight in recognition of a brand spankin new toy.

And I remember the other things that make One special.  First sentences, the way that stringing a few small words together might mean so much more.  Likes and dislikes becoming so much clearer.  Haircuts.  Oh, how torturous first haircuts can be.  But just a few snips and a whole new, cleaned up version of a little boy emerges.  So many things.  So little time.  Memories I will remember in snippets of moments unexpected for the rest of my life.

We look forward to two.  Well, not particularly looking forward to.  But onward we must go.  I hold onto the hope that in the next 365 days Eli will accomplish the greatest of tasks in the life of a mother of four.  He shall be potty trained.  Ending almost a decade of diapering for this stay at home mom.  It is my light at the end of the Terrible Two's Tunnel.

Goodbye One.  You have given me great joys, smiles and memories.  You will be missed.

CSN Stores Upcoming Review!

I am very happy to have the opportunity to work with CSN Stores again and am really looking forward to bringing you another review of something from their 200+ online stores!

I was browsing through some of their inventory, because that is the trickiest part-picking something!  There is so very much to choose from!

I came across some great bistro sets that create a great intimate dining space.  I love the pie piece design of this set, and how each stool slips right into it's own space.

But of course while I was browsing around the boyz started to gather to see what I was looking at.  We ended up in the Boston Red Sox section of EveryGameRoom.com (yes, my boyz live in NY and are Red Sox fans).  As we can't venture to the local store and pick up their favorite team paraphernalia they were so excited to be looking through so many different things. 

Gabriel now wants this light for his room...

Who knows what we'll pick...right now the debate, and the browsing of the HUGE amount of cool stuff, is on!  Can't wait to bring you the next CSN Stores review!

My Undivided Attention

Last night we took the boyz school shopping.  For the first time that entailed purchasing three of everything.  I had already accomplished the supply shopping.  Juggled the lists in the aisles.  Crossed off the items one by one. But this, this was different for some reason.

Maybe because purchasing the lists mostly meant throwing another pack of pencils or two more folders onto the already large pile, but it didn't really hit me until we were traipsing through the mall last night trying to find the sneakers.  For three children.  75% of my offspring are headed off to school in two weeks.  Granted, Nate the Great will be only going for the afternoons.  But just the shear notion that for half of every day it will just be Eli at home, it is mind boggling.

The time has arrived that Eli gets his alone time.  Every Desrochers boy has had a little slice of time that has allowed for undivided mommy attention in their short lifetimes.  Nate had a year when Gabriel was in pre-school for three full days a week.  Gabriel had almost two years of undivided attention while Seth was in preschool and Kindergarten before the arrival of Nate.  And Seth, well he had his first four years as an only.  

The day is soon dawning where I get to shower attention, kisses, hugs and adventures on just my youngest son.  Afternoons when just Eli's little voice will reach my ears and mommy will be able to respond.  To teach. To grow.  And to listen to just the desires, whims and giggles of my darling baby boy.  Who, by the way, is not really a baby much longer.  Eli Noel Desrochers, the E.N.D. of the D boyz is turning two in a matter of days.  Oh how time flies.