Mommy Time

Moms: When was the last time you did something just for yourself?

I'm going to get a haircut today and I added the "Mrs. Claus" special, which involves a scalp and hand massage.

I recently cleaned out my closet and realized that, really, I HAVE NOTHING TO WEAR! So, I'm going to go shopping, probably at Banana Republic and Ann Taylor.

I'm going to consider this as my own little economic intervention. You can thank me later, Barack Obama.



What luxuries do you allow yourself?

Book Recommendations

One of the best Christmas presents I received: A $50 gift card to Barnes & Noble.

Any suggestions on what I should read? I've read plenty of young adult books (for school) and baby/toddler books (for home), so I'm looking for some grown-up reading. Fiction, non-fiction, adventure, mysteries -- it really doesn't matter.

So, what are the best books you've read recently?

Toddler Diet

I have never been much a fitness/health guru, but since Little Man was born I have transformed into The. Food. Police.

We are what we eat, right? What we eat and how we take care of our bodies can be such a controversial and emotionally-charged subject. I think that it's about more than just food. We're nourishing our bodies and, really, there's not much that's more important than that. I want to give Little Man healthy habits that will last a lifetime.

Here's a sample of what he's been eating lately.

Breakfast: 4 oz. of whole milk
oatmeal OR whole wheat toast with ricotta OR pancakes OR scrambled eggs

Snack: 4 oz. of whole milk
blueberries
chopped veggies (tomato, asparagus, or whatever we have on hand)

Lunch: 4 oz. of whole milk
mango
chopped veggies (zucchini, squash, peas, or carrots)
shredded turkey and cheese on a whole-wheat pita

Dinner: 4 oz. of whole milk + whatever we are eating.

Playing Ball

Little Man has fallen in love with a small $1 ball I picked up for him at the Dollar Store a few months back. He bounces it, chases it when it rolls away, and throws it as far as his little arms will allow.

The Smartest Man Alive, a sports junkie, is quite pleased with this new development.

This is what I overhead this afternoon.

(Little Man throws the ball, it bounces, and rolls under the Christmas tree.)

The Smartest Man Alive: Wow. You threw the ball. Look! You already have more athletic ability than mommy.

Rub it in, why don't you?

Holidays...

I took this from Swistle, who took this from Girl in a Boy House.

Eggnog or hot chocolate? Hot chocolate. I always think that I'll love eggnog if I just try it one more time, but, yeah, I really don't like it.

Does Santa wrap the presents or leave them open under the tree? They are wrapped, mainly because I never considered leaving them open under the tree. I'm glad I just spent two hours wrapping presents that could have just been left open under the tree!

Colored lights on a tree or white? They're white. Although, now that we have Little Man I'm thinking maybe we need to get some colored lights.

Do you hang mistletoe? No.

When do you put your decorations up? It takes all my willpower to wait until the day after Thanksgiving!!!!

What is your favorite holiday dish? I usually go for more Thanksgiving-ish type food. Love, love, love turkey and mashed potatoes.

Do you open a gift on Christmas Eve? Of course. More than one if I really beg The Smartest Man Alive.

How do you decorate your Christmas tree? With family ornaments, red and silver glitter ornaments and white lights.

Snow: love it or hate it? Well, we don't have snow down here in the jungle of Florida. But, I like the idea of snow and I'm always telling The Smartest Man Alive that we should move somewhere that has snow. Having lived in Ohio, he adamantly opposes this idea.

Can you ice skate? Ha. Only if I want to break a bone.

What is your favorite holiday dessert? Does candy count? I love cherry cordials and usually eat them until I get a bellyache.

What is your favorite holiday tradition? Watching Christmas movies together. We tried to get Little Man to watch Rudolph this year, but he wasn't having any of it. Maybe next year. The Smartest Man Alive and I watch Love Actually together every year. Little known fact: The husband actually owned Love Actually before we met. When I saw that DVD in his collection, I knew we were meant to be.

Candy canes: Yum or yuck? Yum, but I don't usually eat them.

Favorite Christmas show? Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer and Love Actually.

Holiday Gift-Giving (and receiving)

The Smartest Man Alive: What do you want for Christmas?

Me: I don't know. Um, um, um...I don't know.

The Smartest Man Alive: I'm going shopping tonight, so I need to know.

Me: Well, um, you know what I like.

(after about a half an hour of more of the same, which I will not bore you with...)

The Smartest Man Alive: You'll get nothing and like it!

Well. Apparently, I need some ideas. I really don't want us to spend too much on each other this year. We have a kid now. There's a recession. You know the drill. What should I ask for?

Also, I haven't done much shopping myself, so: What should I get The Smartest Man Alive?

Clearly it's a bit late in the game, so I need gifts that can be purchased in a store. That's not too much to ask, is it?

Happy Birthday!

Little Man,

One year ago today, you entered our lives. We've survived on less sleep, less money, and less free-time, but you've given us more love than we could have ever imagined. There is no greater feeling in the world than seeing you smile, giggle, and grow.

We love you.

Mommy & Daddy

Baby Toothology

My friend S has a little boy just a few weeks younger that Little Man. We share advice and stories frequently. Recently, we were commiserating about teething. S has developed a theory about teething. She says the worst teething pain for her son has been coming with odd-numbered teeth: The first tooth, the third, and so on.

It sounds a little crazy, but I think there might be something to it.

Little Man's first tooth took FOREVER to break through and he was miserable off-and-on for months. He developed a mild rash, fever, and runny nose (all at separate times for maximum panicking effect, of course).

Sometime, in the last week he has all of a sudden sprouted a new tooth. No fussing, no rash, no fever, no nothing. If we hadn't been peeking in his mouth so much to see if the aforementioned first tooth was fully through, we never would have noticed his second tooth.

So, what's your opinion? Was there any predictable pattern to your child's teething or is it just insanity to try to make sense out of the random?

Whew!

I like to think that I generally have a happy-go-lucky attitude, but lately I've been downright giddy. I don't know if it's the holidays or just an unusual amount of luck and love in our lives lately, but I feel like we're in the perfect spot right now.

Here's just a few highlights:

• The Smartest Man Alive built a deck in our backyard. He *amazingly* completed it in two weeks. I feared this would be an agonizing, months-long, expensive project. But, he is The Smartest Man Alive, so it was done under-budget and on-time.
• I got Teacher of the Year at my school. We went to my favorite restaurant, The Melting Pot, to celebrate. It is an amazing honor and a lot of work. I'll be working on my resume and application packet in the coming months, so stay tuned!
• We got our Christmas tree and decorated it. I've had nightmares envisioning Little Man pulling the tree over on himself, but so far he's kept his distance. We've debated a variety of baby proofing measures, but nothing seems to work with the layout of our house. So, we're going it alone and we've just hung the lights and ornaments out of reach.
• Little Man's birthday party is Sunday. It's just a low-key barbecue with family and friends at a nearby park. I'll be sure to post photos and video on Sunday. I still have to buy a birthday cake, BBQ food, and a few decorations, but I'm not stressing. I'm happy right where we are.

Holiday Pictures

We took holiday pictures with my favorite people at Pink Turtle Photography. This is one of the best things I've done since Little Man was born. We'll cherish these pictures forever and I can't wait to show Little Man these pictures once he's a little older.