Pretty in Pink

This is no joke people. Another one of my friends had a baby today.


Congrats to Allie and her family on the birth of their second child today, a girl.

Stats:

Isabella Grace
7 lbs. 10 oz.
19 inches
5:06p.m.

(She was thought to be 9ish lbs. whoops.)

Pic of Bella to follow. Until then, here is her big brother, Caleb.

A mere 3 hours and 36 minutes from the time they broke her water and started the pitocin. Incredible.

e

p.s. Allie was kind enough to watch Rt yesterday afternoon while I went to visit my friend Amy (see post below) in the hospital with her first baby. Allie knew she was having a baby today and still thought it was no problem to watch someone else's 2 year old for over 2 hours. She rocks.

Top 10 Target Best Bets

Now, I know everyone has Target. So, this should be fun for all. Clearly, I have a thing for Target Brand. Bare with me.

Top 10

1) Target Brand Hand Sanitizer- As I have mentioned before, this stuff is literally all over my house and car. Total bargain.

2) Hot Wheels cars- 97 cents. Keeps the entire shopping experience a positive one. Rt loves getting a new car to play with while we shop. (No Rt, Lowe's doesn't have cars to buy for you. sorry)

3) Target Brand Children's medicine- Exactly the same as brand name. Did you know they have the Target version of Mylicon? Make a note of that one!

4) Target Brand Pearl Tampons- Dude, who wants to pay full price for these? These are the bomb. Believe me, I have tried them all.

5) Target Brand Sensitive Wipes- Just like Pamper's Sensitives, my favs, but way cheaper.

6) Annie's Mac 'n Cheese- 99 cents, Organic $1.99 (Actually, I found the organic kind at Cost Co for $11.99 for 15 boxes. score.)

7) Robeez kid shoe knock off's- Just as cute and half the price! Quite durable. Believe me, I know.

8) Storage Bin Toy Organizer- Fits all of Rt's toys. He loves having them on display and accessible. I love it cause it looks organized! Yee haw.

9) Lamps, Lamps, Lamps- Bought Rt's cuuute lamp for his room. Looks very Pottery Barnish, but me no pay PB prices. nice.

10) Batteries- When they are on sale, you can get a pack of 12 for $9.99 And when you are in dire need of a battery, it's nice not to pay an arm and a leg.

What's left?


e

p.s. um, I was just searching target.com to see if their tampons were for sale online to link to, and this is what I found from my tampon search. dude, that is weird.

I see blue

It's a boy!

Congrats to my other friend Amy and her family
on the birth of their first child, a boy.

(Amy and her husband live near us in the burbs.
Amy and I worked at Yahoo! together and have
been good friends ever since.)

Here are his stats:

Name: Max Alexander
Date: Monday, March 26th, 4:00p.m. via c-section
Weight: 9 lbs 10 ounces
Height: 21 inches

Pic soon to follow.


e

Rama lama lama

Hot Damn! My Max won the role of Danny on Broadway!! Laura won the role of Sandy, which is just lovely, but having Max win was major fab. I buried my head during the finale. I couldn't take the pressure. I am still so exhausted from the nerves. My hubby thinks I have offically lost it.

I dvr'd the show to watch it again. Gotta run.

In the meantime, take this Grease quiz!


e

mundane madness

Can't wait till these day lilies bloom again. I'm in need of a Spring pick me up.

Hot damn!

So, Rt and I went to Trader Joe's today after my book study. We picked up the usual and even some hot ticket items thanks to your recommendations! (Which pizza was it by the way? I think I got the wrong ones.) Also, I couldn't remember half of what you said, so next time I'll have to remember a list. Now, if I could only remember to make a list....

Anywho, I parked far enough away from the store, so I could escape the slew of shoppers easily once we finished our mission. We were hoping to blaze a trail since nap time wasn't too far away. After I loaded up the back of the SUV, I sat Rt in his car seat and proceeded to buckle him in from outside the car. I was leaning over the backseat with my ass fully exposed when I heard,

"Whooooooooah, Seeeeeexxxyyyyyyy."

Are you freakin kidding me? Some guy and his truck full of buddies gave ME, 33 yr old, mom of 1, ME a cat call? Hot damn!!!! Let's just put aside the fact the guy had a stash, was entirely too diiirty for my taste and I believe his posse's average age was 50 something. Still. Still people! When you live in suburbia, you don't get "the call" as often as you'd like (or hope for). I was starting to feel a little stale.

The major kicker was they most likely didn't see my KID in the backseat, just my ass........... and my designer jeans, baby.

Aweeee ya, still got it.

e

(please excuse my typos. my major was journalism.)

Night and Day

Ok, so my last post was a fluff piece. No, actually, it was just about things that are fluffy, like reality tv. But today, I am on to something much deeper. Talk about range ladies and gentlemen! Aren't you excited? Sizzle Says did get me thinking....

I grew up in a truly loving, supportive family. I felt like we were one of the "it" families. If fact, I thought we rocked. Hell, if your family was still together by the time you hit high school, you were considered a success. Most of my memories are filled with my parents and my brother doing this or that together. So, looking back, I truly have no regrets when it comes to my childhood. Well, there was that one haircut in the 5th grade, but other than that, times were good. However, once I went away to college freshman year, everything changed when I returned.

My parents split up, my father moved away and I was left to care for my mother and brother. They didn't ask for my help, nor were they incapable of taking care of themselves, but to me, the only way of coping was to care for others who "needed me". I spent a good portion of my college days staying distracted. (socializing, partying, playing cards, you name it, I did it with a smile on my face.) There was no way in hell I was able to handle my truckload of problems, so I pushed them down really far, along with the pizza and beer, and looked for others to save.

When you bring alcohol or any other addiction to the table, you are dealing with a different scenario entirely. Someone can be an asshole, just cause they are, but when someone is an asshole due to their alcoholic personality, then you aren't just dealing with the asshole, you are dealing with the disease, the asshole and what got them there in the first place. It is entirely confusing, majorly frustrating and no one can completely fathom what it's like to walk in your shoes unless you have been scarred by the disease as well.

Only recently have I been able to obtain something that resembles peace when it comes to this major downer in my life. Unless, someone recognizes they are an addict, and is willing to get help to recover and face all the crap they laid behind them, then there is no point in wasting your time hoping for a normal day. That sounds ho hum in itself, but it's really not. It shows me there is NADA I can do to fix this, it has to be fixed by someone else, the guilty party. And if they are unable to recognize their addiction, then I truly can LET GO and find another way to fill this void.

And I am ok with that.


e

Infatuation

On Sunday nights, I rarely get the wonderful opportunity to watch a delightful show while it actually airs. Hubs is so far from being able to sit down and enjoy this fabulous fluff I yearn to watch, but last night, he was busy packing for his day trip to SD.

So........... while he was off preparing for his voyage, I embraced the remote and maneuvered my way through the lame selection of shows on a Sunday night to watch......

GREASE: You're the one that I Want!

All I can say is SWEET GAHGAH. It IS the mother ship! I have been a fan of this show even before it aired. I think they began running the previews during the dancing show.(name escapes me) Anywho. I waited and waited for this puppy to air, and man o man it has not disappointed.

But, I have never been able to watch it "live" (night of, etc) due to its lack of appeal to hubs. I usually end up watching it on Monday's during naps or if I forget to tape it, on Friday afternoons after it re-airs on Bravo. Let me just say, it's even MORE marvelous watching it "LIVE" (tape delayed. whatever)

This particular episode was quite luscious since they were narrowing down the contestants to the final two before America votes who will actually become Danny & Sandy on Broadway in GREASE. The two people they did give the boot to, I wasn't bummed nor surprised, but one of the Danny's that remains is a totally lamo. He has been on DAYS before. Let me see if I can find a pic of him from his run on the soap.
I guess he played Hawk back in '01-'02. Not that there is anything horribly wrong with him, I just don't care for him. I'd rather have the other dude, MAX win. He rocks my casbah. I even tried to vote for him last night, but my cell was acting up, so I never got through. Here's hoping he makes it. Please o please!!!!

Bottom line is this: I went to bed sooooo excited for next Sunday's reveal of who wins. I guess no matter what the show is, if it makes you that entranced and excited for what's going to happen next, that's mighty fine programming.

e

p.s. Did I mention I am a musical theatre GEEKOID?
I played some roles in high school and can't shake the dream. tee hee.

It's a girl!

Congrats to Amy and Family on the birth of their new girl, Mallory.

Stats:

March 16th
7:55a.m.
10 lbs, 21 inches

This photo is a year old, but it's the only one I have handy.

Meet P n B.

P n B, meet everybody.



my brother's boys....

16 months apart..........

Good God, my sister-in-law IS "Woman of the Year".



e

Must Delete Prom '90

Have you ever had one of those years where it was a "transitional" one? Well, for me, it was sophomore year. I was a "late bloomer" in all sense of the word, since I quit gymnastics in the 8th grade. I didn't even get braces until the spring of my freshman year. So, all sophomore year I spent being a brace face. I am sure my mom would attest I never had any transitional years, but I strongly disagree.

So, by the time Prom '90 came around, I was sporting braces and a recent body wave gone wrong. To top it all off, I had a job as a lifeguard and had spent my first 3 days of work getting my yearly sunburn. It wouldn't have matter much, but my dress was strapless! Oh, and it was light pink with ruffles. Good God. And if you thought I might be sporting the matching dyed light pink heels, you are correct. Give yourself a medal.

My date was actually a good guy. I can bet you money, he thinks of me on a daily basis. I was that good. NO! no. The night was just that memorable. Here, I'll explain.

The night didn't get too crazy until after the Prom itself. We pre-partied at his apartment with some couple friends. (His family lived 2 hours away and got him an apartment to live close to school. How freakin cool is that?) We made it to the prom, somehow, I don't recall. Actually, I don't remember anything memorable about the prom except getting some nasty ass party pics taken of the two of us. You know, the ones with the black and white checker board floors with the white column/plant positioned next to you. Vomit.

Anywho, after the dancing ended, we all piled into the van. I believe the girls were going to change their clothes at the after-party, but some of the guys thought it would be way cool to change their clothes in the car. One of those guys, my date, put on one of my girlfriends light pink mock-turtleneck tank tops as a joke. But the joke didn't stop in the car, he wore it into the after-party. Now, I told you this guy was nice guy, I didn't say he was a smart cookie. So, the night preceded on. I made my way out to the parking lot to find someone or something, who the hell knows, only to find my date sitting outside on the steps with a nasty bloody towel covering his shoulder. Apparentely, he had fallen through a freakin window. Nice. You see, he got in a fight with a fellow "friend" at the party and was pushed up against a window. There was a bar there that broke his fall, but also kept him in the line of the falling glass. Since he was wearing that damn tank top, the glass fell down and ripped up his exposed shoulder terribly. The ambulance came, loaded him up and whisked him away to the hospital. I tried to go with him, but they wouldn't let me. I WASN'T 18. Great. So, not knowing what to do then, I caught a ride with some other friends to the early morning breakfast, fell asleep in their van and woke up at 5am wondering where the hell I was.

I finally got a ride home and walked in the door only to see my mother standing there waiting for me. She wasn't too pleased to hear my lavish tale of my date falling through a window, being whisked away to the hospital, and me the one who couldn't go with him decide to lay down and take a nap, all without calling home.

It was a night not to remember, but poor John, he remembers. And it was all because of that damn light pink mock turtleneck tank top.


Your turn!


e

Top 10 CostCo Steals

If you do not have CostCo, insert Sam's Club above.

1) 42" Vizio Plazma HDTV- Talk about getting our $50/year membership worth on this one. Yee haw.

2) Carter's PJ's- Best Pj's in town at bottom pricing. Love me some footies.

3) Entertainment Center- Classic and modern wood furniture for PENNIES. Also, ASSEMBLED. Major bonus.

4) Kitchen Trash Bags- Now I have purchased two boxes of trash bags in 3 years and still have half a roll left. Not the sturdiest of bags, but they get the job done.

5) Foster Farm's Mega Pack of Chicken Breasts- All the chicken you'll ever need at a fraction of the cost. Chicken is expensive people! I also am going to buy their frozen chicken nuggets for Rt. Heard good things about those.

6) Ziploc Bags- I actually wanted to get the freezer bags, but they didn't have any at the time, so I ended up with the sandwich bags. Dude, I have found so many ways to use these things and I haven't even gotten through the first box out of 4. Nice.

7) 10.2" Widescreen MINTEK Portable DVD Player- Can we say we are SO ready when the need arises for long plane rides and even longer ass car trips?

8) Sonicare Electric Toothbrushes- These things aren't cheap to begin with. You can also buy the replacement packs too. Now, if I can just remember to brush my teeth, let alone use the electric one, I'll be set. (I'm a mom, I forget, ok?)

9) Fillets- All you need is some freezer bags and you are set to eat steak all month long. Great price and good taste. Gotta have me some meat.

10) Bottled Water- We used to buy the gallons of water when we lived in LA and all we had was our puny filtered water pitcher inside the fridge. Now that we have filtered water from the fridge itself, the bottles are nice to have on the go.

Now, I know you can add to this list. Bring it.


e

Top 10 Trader Joes Finds

1) Bag of Raw Almonds- Pefect for chomping on after lunch while watching dvr'd shows. The only ingredients in the almonds, are almonds. Nice.

2) Green Chili & Cheese Tamales- Ahh, my favorite quickie meal. Best on those nights when all I have to feed is myself and I have no energy whatsoever. Love me some chilies!

3) Microwavable Bag of Cubed Sweet Potatoes- Rt loves these! 4 minutes in the microwave and voila, ready to serve!

4) Jar of Peach or Pear halves in Juice- Perfect quick fruit for Rt. When I have no time to cut up 500 grapes or carve an apple, these are the best!

5) Frozen mini-cubes of Garlic- Who has fresh garlic on hand? I think I may have some from a month ago. Still able to use? I think not.

6) Cuties Ice Cream Sandwiches- Yum! These are half the size and taste just like the real deal, plus they're soy, so less bad stuff.

7) Cheap Butter- Love the pricing. Can't beat tons o' butter at bargain prices. ha.

8) Soy Vay Teriyaki Sauce- Major stir-fry staple. Plus, I use this in a ground turkey dish. mmmm. Love the added sesame seeds.

9) Pork Pot Stickers (Gyoza)- Even though the company went out of business, these still make the top ten. What are we going to do with stir-fry night? The replacements they have, a shrimp or veggie pot sticker are SO NOT the same. waaah.

10) Gnocchi with red sauce- Love, love, love to make this with steamed broccoli. Cook on stovetop in 7 minutes.

Ohhh, and I can't forget to mention their frozen organic fruits and veggies.


Have anything to add?


e

All in a days work

I could have written this myself, but I didn't. Enjoy.

"If you have been secretly wondering what is wrong with me, I now have
the answer... Recently, I was diagnosed with C. A. A. D. D. (Child
Activated Attention Deficit Disorder)

This is how it manifests: I decide to do the laundry. As I start toward
the laundry room, I notice that there are cheerios all over the floor
and my car keys are in the cereal bowl. I decide to pick up the cheerios
before I do the laundry. I lay my car keys down on the counter, put the
cheerios in the trash can under the counter, and notice that the trash
can is full. So, I decide to take out the trash. But then I think,
since I'm going to be near the mailbox when I take out the trash I may
as well pay the bills first. I take my checkbook off the table, and see
that there is only one check left, my extra checks are in my desk in the
office/playroom, so I go to my desk where I find a sippy cup full of
juice. I'm going to look for my checks, but first I decide I should put
the sippy cup in the refrigerator to keep it cold. As I head toward the
kitchen with the sippy cup a vase of flowers on the counter catches my
eye - they need to be watered. I set the sippy cup on the counter, and I
discover baby wipes that I've been searching for all morning. I decide
I better put them back in the bathroom, but first I'm going to water the
flowers. I set the wipes back down and splash some water on the
flowers, but most of it spills on the floor. So, I get some paper towels
and wipe up the spill. Then I head down the hall trying to remember what
I was planning to do. At the end of the day: the laundry isn't washed,
the bills aren't paid, there is a warm cup of juice sitting on the
counter, the flowers aren't watered, there is still only one check in my
checkbook, I can't find the wipes, and I don't remember what I did with
the car keys. Then when I try to figure out why nothing got done today,
I'm really baffled because I know I was busy all day long, and I'm
really tired. I realize this is a serious problem, and I'll try to get
some help for it, but first I'll check my e-mail. Don't laugh - if this
isn't you yet, your day is coming."


e

Beef of the Week

Ever since Rt got his first tooth at 8 months, we have called his teeth, toofies. I have no idea why, it just sounded cute, I guess. He calls them toofies as well, so I guess it will be the going phrase from here on out.

Today's Topic: Toofies

Yesterday, I went back to the dentist to get 2, yes I said 2, temporary crowns. WTF? I am in my earlyish 30's and have fakies? What next? A rod for a hip? Why,why,why??
Ok, I am over it, but come on, where is the love? I do appreciate I was given straight teeth, but these deep grooves have been a pain in my side for most of my life. When I was young, during my competitive gymnastics days, I could eat anything I wanted, and believe me, I did. After school, before practice, we would hit the 7-11 in carpool and I used all the spare change I had to buy JUNK. I can't recall all the crap I bought, but the "buy two, get one twinkie free" come to mind along with Bonkers, Mambas, and Now 'n Laters. So, obviously I acquired a few cavities. Due to the deep grooves in my teeth, the cavities were deep and wide. So, fast forward to my 20/30's, these last couple silver filings are in dire need of an upgrade. The major flippin problem is, these silver fillings cracked over the years and made way for more cavity to seep down into my tooth. And the result is: CROWN my ass will ya? So, here we are now, or here I am now, in pain due to the harassment my mouth took over a course of 2 hours yesterday. I thought it was a good thing to use the rubber mouth guard to keep my mouth propped open, but I have never been this sore due to a trip to the dentist. PLUS, I don't think these temps are sitting right. I think I can feel them first when I bite down. Oh lovely, another trip to the freakin dentist. Ya, ya, not a big deal, but when you have a little one, you have to make last minute plans to have someone watch them. Luckily, one of my mommy friend's is already watching another kid, so adding Rt to the mix wasn't a huge burden. Hopefully, it won't take too long so I can make it back and help her with the herd of 2 yr olds.

Oops. Forgot to mention yesterday that Rt is now 23 months old!
One more to go till he turns the big 2!!! I can't believe it. :)


e

Death and Taxes

The only certainty in life? Ahhh! The Today show even quoted Big Ben this morning as apart of their series on how to save money filing your taxes or something like that. I was having a hard time hearing over Rt pleading with me to watch his signing video. "Baby, Baby, Baby?". "Not now, sweetheart. Quiet now." "Baby, Baby, Baby??????". Anywho, both seem to be the going subjects out there lately.

Just yesterday, I was at my MOPS meeting (Mother's of Preschoolers)(aren't I kickass?) where an Estate Planning and Asset Protection lawyer spoke. Usually at our meetings, the mood is fluffy, the crafts are quaint, but useful, and the food takes the shape of a supposed egg casserole, but yesterday, it was MAJOR HEAVY. I even teared up during the presentation. No one wants to think about what will happen to your child if you AND your hubby dies. It literally makes my heart hurt. The whole point to the lawyer being there was to inform us, if we weren't "ready" for the worst to happen, then it could mean a lot of trouble for our offspring and family.

Here is what I thought you should know:

1) Make sure you have a list of FIRST RESPONDERS and their phone numbers given to ANYONE who watches your children when you/hubs are not there. These people are to be called in case you do not come home or something has happened to you. These people do not need to be the permanent guardians of your children. They should be people you trust who are local and can get to your kids quickly.

2) Give these First Responders Legal authority to take custody of your children. It must be giving in writing. (A lawyer should look over the document.)

3) Carry a CARD with you in your wallet under your driver's license to tell police how to reach your First Responders.

4) Name a PERMANENT guardian. If you don't, a COURT will do so for you and you will have no say in who raises your children.

5) Is there anyone in your family you do NOT want to raise your kids? If so, you should have an estate planning attorney prepare and ANTI-NOMINATION.

6) If you own a house or have more than $100,000 in assets, you need to make sure your property goes to your child in a LIVING trust. Without one, your loved ones will go to probate court which costs 5% of your gross estate and take 16 MONTHS to resolve. (IN CA)

7) Make sure your child never inherits anything from you OUTRIGHT. The best way is to us an ASSET-PROTECTED trust that last their entire lifetime. This trust will help protect your inheritance from being lost due to divorce, estate taxes, lawsuits, etc.

So, after reading all this, are you scared shitless? I know I was. The only MAJOR ASS kicker to getting a LIVING TRUST is, they are expensive. Now, not as expensive as how much it will cost in legal fees and taxes after the fact, but for anyone's regular budget, it can be pricey. I'd say somewhere around $1500 as a minimum would be about right. Ouch.

Now that I have made myself sick thinking of "what could be", I have to get back to filing our taxes online. Woo hoo! Let's just hope we get a whopper back from Uncle Sam, so we can actually consider getting us one of those live trust thingys.


e

Meow!

Rt's girlfriend. Isn't she puuurrrty? hehehhehe.


Happy 2nd Birthday Miss A!

e

Beef of the Week

Ok, I can't wait for you people. The BOW has to come out.
So, if you feel you have something to get off your chest, go ahead,
but I won't be sad if I don't hear from you. I'll just think:

a) You have nothing to add to my rant and rave.
b) You are stuck under something heavy and cannot reach the "publish" button.
c) You don't have anything to add AND you are stuck under something heavy.

Today's topic: Hair Salons

Do you recall my earlier post regarding my new hair color? It probably looked the same to you, but it was "new" to me. Anywho, I finally got used to it and even liked it, for awhile. But, since I was in the zone of buying $3 shampoo and conditioner to save some cash, I think the brown low-lights turned a little brassy for my liking. It's hard to tell since I don't have eyes in the back of my head, but I think it's not my thing anymore. So, off to the salon I go, again.

I am making a call this afternoon to a new place. Hell, I have been to 3 "new" places since I have lived here. I just can't find anyone who has what it takes. Such a big, fat bugger. I don't have all this free time and extra cash flow to get it wrong, you know? So, here's hoping to a better do.

As I was leaving the last salon I went to, the guy at the counter said that my $100 color job would need some touching up in only 6 weeks. 6 weeks???? That's it? I went darker to prevent going back to the salon for at least 2 months! Great. It was confirmed then that I was in the wrong place. No one was looking out for me, just themselves.

And that is the BEEF about it. I am a walking billboard for these people! If my hair looks good, and I mean, really good, people will ask where I got my hair done. If it looks like it took 5 minutes and $5 to get my look, then it's bad PR, people! No matter how often I speak up telling them to do it a certain way, don't cut it too short, or don't put in ANY hairspray after the blowdry, I always leave feeling like a big lamo. It never fails. I can't convey to them what it takes to get it the way I want it. Is it an intimidation thing? They have the power to really F'up my hair, so, don't say anything or they'll shave my sideburns? Who knows, but I am getting really tired of washing my money down the drain.

e