While you all have been enjoying first snows, holiday extravaganza's and foods I've been puking them up with a bout of food poisoning. I said I wouldn't wish this on my worst enemy but I think I actually might, just for a much longer duration. I'm sure H is quite done with emptying puke receptacles and applying cold compresses to my neck as I yell, "H! MAKE IT END!" over and over again. One good thing as Lattes and Life pointed out, I'm down a few more baby weight pounds. Now that is a happy holiday gift to me! A few more weeks of shredding and I should be pre-Fifth Element weight. In other news, and on healthier days, I am here-TheFind has the amazing Dolce & Gabbana Lip Jewel Compact. I heart this thing so bad. MPR has The Koobli for messy … [Read more...]
Giving It Up For Holiday Sanity
Cross-posted and archived from DC Metro Moms. Original post date December 11, 2007.Each year I make a promise to myself and to my family that I won't over do it. I won't over book us in holiday get togethers, parties and more. There will be more peaceful moments at home and enjoying each others company and less harried messes, traffic and season excesses. Each year I fail. I fail miserably. Last year I failed so badly it resulted in a teary exodus by my parents and them claiming they never wanted to stay at our house again. If that is not failure right there I don't know what is. It's also a damn fine wake up call.This year the invitations rolled in and faster than I could imagine we were booked from just before Halloween through to the new year. Before the holiday season was even … [Read more...]
The December 1st Countdown
Cross-posted and archived from DC Metro Moms. Original post date November 26, 2007. Growing up white candles dotted each window in our home on Thanksgiving day. When guests would leave we would turn them on and it was officially the Christmas season in our house. That weekend we would all head out to the tree farm and pick out the perfect tree. We would spend hours decorating it and putting up more lights outside. Our house quickly converted into a winter wonderland that wouldn't come down until after January 1. I loved every minute of it and it created beautiful memories for me as a child and an adult.Now an old married woman I realize I have married the Grinch. How I failed to realize this I do not know. Each year the rules get more stringent than the last. First, it was simply … [Read more...]
Veterans Day
On February 15, 2003 I dropped H off in a parking lot. I fiddled with the necklace he had given me for Christmas only a few months before as I tried to figure out what to say to him. He stood before me, we hugged and kissed one last time and he said, "OK, so I will see you....whenever..." He smiled and I smiled but they were worried, nervous smiles. We knew that we had no idea when or if he would ever come home. Our future was a giant question mark.Over the next six months I lived on a separate plane of existence. War was declared. Letters trickled in out of order. I lived for a dusty envelope to arrive in my mailbox. Flowers arrived for my birthday through H's best friend. I chuckle now that the florist sent yellow roses tied with a red, white and blue flag ribbon. At the time I was not … [Read more...]
A Letter to My Mother
Dear Mom,I suppose, it being Mother’s Day and all, I could have bought you a nice flowery, probably pink card from Hallmark or American Greetings and that would have sufficed. Except that while those cards all say wonderful and true things sometimes only a letter will do. So here you go- a nice sappy, heartfelt THANK YOU, just for you this Mother’s Day.Thank you for all that you have done for me this year whether it was coming to take care of me in my time of need, when life got too crazy and I simply needed my mother or when a beautiful deck just needed to be built. My yard is forever changed and it just goes to show that you do in fact, always need your Mom no matter how old you are.Thank you for teaching me grace and manners. In this world today, they sometimes seem antiquated or … [Read more...]
For Mom, for you, for everyone!
I'm teaming up with SanDisk this Mother's Day to offer you one great prize- The Cruzer Gator. This is one sweet flash drive too. The Cruzer Gator is stylish with its mock alligator design and cuts a unique profile in a purse, briefcase or wherever you want to store it. It looks good just sitting on your desk too. It is definitely not your standard corporate flash drive. It's 8GB! So you can upload and store not just documents but a whole slew of photos to share with friends and family for a long time.So what's the catch?It's simple really. Just send in your favorite photo of you and your mother (or mother figure) from any time, it doesn't have to be from a Mother's Day past. It can be sweet, touching, wacky or fun. Let us know why you love it too in just a few words. Don't have a photo of … [Read more...]
Happy Earth Day to You & Yours!
Yes, it is Earth Day. I think when I was in high school I wore some giant t-shirt with a globe on it to commemorate the day and that was that. Now that anything green seems to have become Eco-chic we are inundated with ideas on how to go green. It's a bit overwhelming isn't it?In our house we try to be good stewards of the earth. There is talk of a vegetable garden if we can get our collective butts in gear this spring. We recycle all we can. We reuse goods and try not to buy new if we can find an alternative. In the past year we've implemented a few other changes too.We got rid of paper napkins. It was easier than I thought it would be. I bought two twelve packs at Bed, Bath & Beyond and voila! No more paper! My mother said, "Oh! You don't have to use cloth napkins just because I'm … [Read more...]
Mother Announces that Snowy Errands with Toddler Do Not Rock
Since I have a case of W.B. I decided to forgo the whole writing thing for a day and instead focus on the beautiful snow falling outside. I wanted to bake and finish a long overdue library book. But before I could do any baking or relaxing I had to head to the store and get some supplies. First up was a trip to Kmart. After a long arduous search for the gold tinsel that we must have for our tree, I was told Kmart was the place for all things Christmas. The drive across town was quick but, then I missed the entrance to the store and narrowly missed getting on 95. Already a parking lot because hey! It’s DC and we have had two snowflakes fall in the last four hours. Heavens to Mercatroid! Snow! We must all drive like idiots because two flakes have fallen! Still it was to Kmart we must go. H … [Read more...]
A Case of the Spins and NO I’m Not Pregnant
So much and yet almost nothing went on this past holiday/birthday weekend. We headed south late Thursday in an uneventful fashion and hit my MiL's. The weather could not have been better for a relaxing weekend by the water. Relaxing to extreme itchy boredom for some. That some being me. Let's just say that by Saturday, my actual birthday, I had just about enough laying around. I was slowly losing my mind.SEQUENCE OF EVENTS 10 p.m.- Arrive. Unpack. Hit bed. Aaah.FRIDAY- Finish book by pool. Start second book (Yeah! New Jen Lancaster!) Eat a total of 6 pancakes, 2 homemade sausage patties, lots of Doritos, soda, a brownie sundae, popcorn, and various other unhealthy items but oh so yummy. Some fruit might have snuck in there but probably covered with either cheese or chocolate.SATURDAY- My … [Read more...]