Nothing but smiles today at Rochelle’s embryo transfer! Please join me in sending positive vibes to her and her Couple on this exciting day!

As a working mom, being in the last trimester of pregnancy, I always look for ways to make my life a little easier, cost efficient, less messy, etc!  I found these tips and had to share! Do you have any tips to share?? Breann

DVD Scratches

If the disk is skipping, rub a banana over it to seal the scratches and keep the DVD playing. Remember to wipe it off before you stick it back in.

Wood Scratches

Rub a walnut on scratches in your favorite wood furniture pieces to make those blemishes disappear.

Amplify

Put your iPhone or iPod into a bowl. It will amplify the speaker and make the party even louder.

Save Ink

Whenever possible, print in Times New Roman. You’ll get 100 more pages out of a cartridge than you will printing in heavier fonts like Arial or Verdana.

New in The City

Lost or bored in a new city? Call up the concierge at a local upscale hotel. They’ll give you insider tips and answers to questions that only locals can answer.

Motion Sickness

Pop a couple of olives in your mouth if you start to feel the effects of motion sickness. They have tannins that dry up the saliva that makes you feel like you’re going to heave.

Dryer Sheets

Put a dryer sheet in your pocket next time you go hiking or camping. It will keep the mosquitoes away from you.

Popsicles

Place a muffin tin liner on the bottom of your popsicle. It will catch the drips and keep your fingers from getting sticky.

White Boards

Accidentally wrote on the white board with permanent marker? Scribble over it with dry erase marker and it will erase right off.

Unplug It

Before you leave for work or class, unplug everything. Even when electronic devices are off they suck up energy. Pulling the plug can cut up to 10% off of your energy bill.

Plane Tickets

Buy your plane tickets in the middle of the week to save $100 or more. Ticket vendors jack up the prices on the weekend to trap vacationers who make impulse ticket purchases

One of the many wonderful things about being part of the Building Families Family is getting to know our Surrogate Mothers in detail about their lives and how amazing they are!

At Isabel’s very first group meeting, we learned that she is a creator! She takes creativity and artistic ability to another level! Isabel makes bows and diaper cakes and so much more! We found out this information and put her to the test, what can I say, she delivered awesome gifts beyond our expectations. Visit and Like her Facebook page  and order when you want the best baby shower gift ever!!

https://www.facebook.com/#!/bellasbows.temecula?fref=ts

Thank you Isabel, you are amazing in so many ways and we are so lucky to have you in our program!!! – Breann

Meet Gladys.  She was born on January 29 at the Gladys Porter Zoo in Texas.  As adorable as her little face is, Gladys was rejected by her mother just days after birth.  But no worries, 30-year old gorilla M’Linzi in the Cincinatti Zoo stepped up to become Gladys’ new mom.  Awwww!

Summer is my favorite time of year.  Growing up in SoCal, summer was filled with beach days, laying out at the pool, sunsets at 8:30 PM, family vacations, and my favorite… the heat!!  I was VERY lucky to have an active mom who took us on all kinds of adventures while my dad was stuck at work; it’s safe to say we never had a “lazy” day at home!  But through all the outdoor activities, beach days, and fun camps, my mom ALWAYS made us participate in the Summer Reading Program at the Aliso Viejo Public Library.  Not exactly how my brothers and I wanted to spend our vacation AWAY from school, but of course we went.

The library gave each of us a worksheet to write down all the books we read, and we even got prizes along the way!  Most children lose some of their reading skills during the summer because they are not practicing daily.  It is so easy to pick up a book and read for 30 minutes a day, yet many parents do not know how to encourage their children to do this.  Check in with your local library and see what programs they offer.  It is a fantastic way for the kids to maintain their reading skills and have fun at the same time! – Natalia

I consider myself a person who has four jobs.  I work a regular “9-5” job.  I work for Building Families, Inc. as the initial contact for women interested in becoming Surrogate Mothers.  I am a mother to two teenagers, Jaycie & Brandi.  And, last but not least, I am the wife to a wonderful man, Jermaine. Four jobs trying to fulfill the needs of many people.  How do I manage it?  Well, I’d like to say I have excellent balance.  When it is time to work, I work hard but I also play as hard as I work.  And most importantly, I realize that I must take care of me so that I can take care of everyone else.  Here are my top five tips for busy moms like me:

1.  Treat yourself to something nice.  Even on a budget, you can come up with something. It may be a pedicure at a salon or getting your hair done.  Always look for coupons. If you can’t afford a cut and color, just go get a shampoo and blow dry.  You’ll feel like a million bucks without spending that much!

2. Take time each evening for “me” time.  It may be a bath (my favorite) or reading a book.  It may only be 15 minutes but make it clear to the husband and kids that you are not to be disturbed during that time unless there is blood or fire involved.

3.  Learn to be okay with messy. I said messy not dirty so don’t freak out.  Two different things.  If your house is messy and you somehow get a “night off” where you are the only one home, DON’T CLEAN!  Take a bath, watch a movie without anyone asking you any questions, read a book in complete silence, drive somewhere nice to watch the sunset. Do something for you.

4.  Give yourself an early bed time every once in awhile.  We’ve all thought about how nice it would be to get sent to bed early like we sometimes have to do with our kids. Well, do it! Go to bed early! Put the kids to bed early.  If they are younger, they won’t know better. If they are older, they can fend for themselves after 9 pm.

5.  Put your phone down.  Okay, okay…I know…I’m not so good at this.  But I’ve been working on it!  Our moms had the freedom to go to the salon, the grocery store, the mall, the post office and everywhere else and we couldn’t get in touch with them.  Why shouldn’t moms today have the same freedom?  We deserve it.

The bottom line is taking care of yourself makes you happy. And you know what they say, “Happy wife, happy life” and I also believe that Happy moms have happy kids.  – Tracy

This topic comes up frequently when I read blogs or websites related to surrogacy.  Surrogate Mom? Surrogate Mother? Gestational Carrier?  Host? Substitute Mother?  What is the proper terminology?

I looked up the word “surrogate” on dictionary.com and found the meaning to be “a person appointed to act for another or a substitute”.  I acted in a gestational sense, but never did I plan to parent the children I carried.  So, the reference of Surrogate or Substitute Mother would not apply to me.  I am a Mom, Mother and Parent to two beautiful girls, Jaycie & Brandi.

I emphatically state that I disagree with references such as Womb for Rent or Mother for Rent, so I won’t even ask for your thoughts on this as I am sure our readers will agree with this.  But I would like to know your thoughts on what the woman who carries a baby for someone else be called.  And does the choice in terminology matter if she carries for a woman or a man, single or LGBT? – Tracy

Randi loves to tell others about her amazing journeys to help a Couple have their family. And the bonus is that she is receiving an incredible prize for doing what she already does on a regular basis. We appreciate her efforts and all of our past and present Surrogate Mothers in helping us find the right women to help our cause of building families. We still have 2 Ipad Minis to give away and expect to announce those winners soon. Congrats Randi and have fun with your new Ipad Mini!!

Why did I decide to become a Surrogate Mom?  Every day I could probably give you a different answer as I have helped two special Couples have their family and have fond experiences of both journeys.  But the original reason I was prompted to call Building Families is due to my own family dynamic.  You see, I am the proud mom to two boys.  One came to us the old fashion way arriving after 9 months of pregnancy as a perfect newborn baby boy.  We named him Aiden.  My other son came to me in the form of adoption.  His name is Benjamin.  I knew that a woman could have a child given to her and she could form the same bond as every other mother – son has.  I knew this because I had this with both of my boys.

When I explained to Benjamin, when he was only 5 years old, that I wanted to be a Surrogate Mom to help a mommy have what we have, he was so happy.  He amazed me by saying he completely understood because that is how he came to me.  He said he was carried by another woman but came to live with us so I could be his mommy.  He said he was “surrogated” into my life.  I took a moment to examine his point of view and found it was based in truth.  It was the love I had for him that prompted me to help build a family…or two!  – Randi