Sunday Pins

Last week I had a dream it was summer. And I’ve been daydreaming about shorts and flip-flops ever since.  And the beach and picnics and sunshine and  my big floppy hat and everything else. It was 70 degrees twice last week so the idea of winter is over in my mind.  I was out yesterday without a coat.  I actually needed one, but that silly old brain of mine told me I didn’t before I walked out the door.  And then it snowed for a few minutes.  Sometimes that brain  does me wrong.  So I’ve been pinning images of summer and summer clothing all week.

I still stomp around in beat up old shorts like this. I don’t care.  I love them.  This outfit is pretty me.

This little girl is so precious.  She is so very into that watermelon.  She looks like she would raise hell if someone tried to take that watermelon from her. I just told Ava there were no more pancakes and I got that same look.

I wish someone had made a kid car wash for me growing up!  This looks like so much fun.  I’d probably ride through there with the kids.

I’m mentally placing myself into this image.  I am dying to get to the beach. Come on July!  I have a hat like that, but I am guessing it looks better on this chick than it does me.  It did not have the effect I was hoping for when I bought it.  I generally look stupid in hats, but I thought maybe this would be an exception. I wear it anyway though, because again, I don’t care.

I’ve never done this outside, but it looks like a lot of fun.  Actually, I don’t think I’ve played this game since I was 12.  Maybe all the Jillian Michael’s yoga I’ve been doing will pay off.

I’m just going to go sit here for a few hours.  See you guys later.

Swap It To Me

Over the past year I have signed up to attend every clothing swap event I could find.  I have things in my closet that have never even been worn.  Thanks for thinking that dress might fit me mom, but it’s been awhile since I was a size 4.  And it has not been post-baby, that’s for sure.  God love her for still thinking that of me though. Oh, it was a final sale? No problem.  It will look great in my closet. I will however, be back into a size-6 by May. There I wrote it, so it has to come true, right?  I gain a dress size every winter (sometimes two.)  I don’t know when I will learn.  Winter does not mean sit on the couch and eat cookies every night.  Because then spring comes around and I have to work twice as hard.  But I digress.

I sign up for these clothing swaps constantly because I love the idea of them, but I never actually get to one.  Either something comes up, or I’m just wiped out from the week and too tired to actually go. I used to put things on eBay once in a while, but I rarely got what my items were worth and then actually packing things up and mailing them got to be a bit much. $15 is not always worth the trouble. I donate stuff to Goodwill, but I don’t know how effective that actually is. Are my clothes doing anyone any good? I tried putting dvds up for sale, but no one wants to buy my dvds.  I don’t even want my dvds.  There’s nothing wrong with them, I’m just tired of them.  And with netflix, I don’t even need them.  So last week I discovered Swap.com and I’m becoming slightly obsessed with it.  I’ve just starting listing my items.  My goal of getting rid of stuff is obviously not going to be accomplished here, but I can get rid of stuff and get stuff in return that I might actually want.  I’ve already made offers on several books. My husband and I are at the book store all the time, but this way I can just swap for new books and get rid of some that I won’t read again.  Our bookshelves are overflowing because we have been so unwilling to part with any of them. It’s time to come to terms with the fact that overflowing bookshelves do not make us look any smarter.  We just look like hoarders.

You obviously have to do some digging because people do list a lot of crap on here. It can be like an online thrift shop that way.  But once you find people who appear to have the same interests as you, you can follow them and when they add new items it shows up on your feed.  This is also a great place to trade kid stuff.

It’s certainly not for everyone, but I thought I’d share anyway for those people like me that are compelled to belong to anything and everything that turns up on the web.

The Itch

I guess it’s getting to be time, because I am really itching for baby #2. The terrible twos have been rough, but Ava is really pretty easy in comparison to some other kids I’ve been around.  I think I can mentally have another at this point.  I am truly amazed by those women that have babies back to back because I know I could not do it.  I definitely know my limits.  And two tiny ones would not be manageable for me.  Ava will be three in September and I think she would be thrilled with a sibling.  She loves babies. Two of her little friends now have baby brothers and she can’t keep herself away from them.  Nor can I for that matter.  I can’t hold those tiny, precious things enough.

The hubby and I have been talking about it a lot and I think once the year comes to a close we’ll really do it.  I’m just nervous we aren’t ready.  He just applied to grad school and I just signed up for classes myself.  I’ve got two four-hour classes coming up this weekend alone.  I’m also gearing up to apply for my CSEP certification and I just took on some side work as a Social Media Specialist.  Ava starts dance classes on Saturdays this month and then she has Friday afternoon music classes starting at the end of summer and we are all going to California in June.  And then throw in life in general. I just got really tired typing all of that.  Five years ago I would’ve laughed at all of this.  Not only would I have laughed, but I probably would’ve been confused.  And then I would’ve been on my way to happy hour.  Life is funny that way. It doesn’t take long for things to change completely. But I see other busy moms managing multiple kids and some of them even make it look easy.  I suppose I’m afraid I won’t be able to handle it all.

I can’t forget how expensive kids are.  I’ve learned a thing or two after having Ava, but I still just went to Target and bought her five new outfits. And a soccer ball.  And sunglasses….I don’t even want to finish.  I literally cannot get in and out of that store without spending $100.  I should be banned from that store.  Don’t bother asking me what else I bought because I’ve already forgotten.  Maybe we’ll have another girl and we’ll be able to give her Ava’s hand-me-downs.  We’ve given some stuff away, but I couldn’t bring myself to get rid of a lot of it. But a little boy would just be so wonderful.

And then we’ll probably need a bigger house. We only have two bedrooms.  But I don’t know whether we can afford a bigger place right now.  And neither of us are ready to move any further south of the city and our neighborhood is certainly not getting any cheaper.  I just don’t feel prepared for another one. But will we ever really be prepared?  I don’t see us getting any less busy and I don’t see a lottery win in our future, but I just don’t know if I can wait much longer. Lord knows we didn’t know what we were doing the first time. That may be why I am so paranoid about being prepared this time. All I know is my clock is ticking and I want to have another one while I’m still fairly young.

Excuse while I go and find an episode of Teen Mom.  That should do the trick.

 

 

Sunday Pins

So I have to admit that Mommy had one glass of pinot too many last night. Not that it takes much these days. We had some friends over for game night last night and people stayed much later than I thought they would. I was thinking I’d be in bed by 11! I guess not everyone is on my lame schedule. I’m a bit all over the place this morning, so I’m going to have to keep this one short. But this image is powerful enough to stand alone anyway.

I almost regret pinning this one, because I struggle not to cry every time I see it.  Some pictures really are worth a thousand words.  This could be any one of us one day.  It really breaks my heart.

Sorry to be such a bummer this morning.  On the upside, I made the raspberries and antipasto kabobs from my Superbowl Sunday post last night and they were a hit, so I highly recommend giving them a try.

The Liebster Blog Award – You Shouldn’t Have!

Well look this at this everyone.  Little old me received a blogging award yesterday!  Thanks to Jenna over at Xanax or Running Shoes for nominating me.  If you don’t read Jenna’s blog, you should.  It’s honest, humorous and fun.

Liebster is German & means ‘dearest’ or ‘beloved’ but it can also mean ‘favorite’ & the idea of the Liebster award is to bring attention to blogs with less than 200 followers.

The Rules:

1. Show your thanks to the blogger who gave you the award by linking back to them.
2. Reveal your top 5 [or more] picks for the award and let them know by leaving a comment on their blog.
3. Post the award on your blog.
4. Bask in the love from the most supportive people on the blogsphere – other bloggers.
5. And, best of all – have fun and spread the karma.

As I’ve already thanked Jenna, I will jump right into my picks.

1.  Mommy Said A Swear Word   She’s already received this award, but I’m nominating her again anyway.  She’s one of my favorite mommy bloggers and she’s also a real hoot.  You know you’re a mother when you say things like “she’s also a hoot.”  Whatever.

2.  From Nonsense to Momsense  If you don’t want to laugh, whatever you do, do not go to this blog.  Stacy is a riot and she seriously does it all.   Check her out.

3.  Taking Candy From A Baby   I can’t tell you how much I enjoy reading this blog.  Although she’s been making me tear up a bit lately.  Nothing but honesty over here.

4.  Verbal Opium Sometimes you need to live vicariously through other people.  I like to do this by keeping up with my pal Gloria in NYC. She talks relationships, food, music and of course, fashion.

5.  People I Want To Punch In The Throat I really don’t think I need to bother saying anything about this one.  The title speaks for itself.  Oh the hilarity.  She has more than 200 followers, but rules and I sometimes have issues.

I tried to keep the descriptions short in hopes that you will pop over to see for yourselves.  You guys won’t be disappointed!

Now, I guess I need to get this butt off the couch and clean the house.  Is there an award that comes with a maid?  Please nominate me for it.  I will pay you in pinot.

Yo Gabba Gabba’s Biggest Fan

Yo Gabba Gabba’s biggest fan might actually be me, sadly.  I added all of the available music to my phone so Ava could listen it to on the way to and from daycare. Initially she was very excited.  But a few songs into yesterday’s commute I noticed a weird thing.  She was silent.  I turned around and she was contentedly sucking her thumb and looking out the window.  Meanwhile I had been singing along the entire time. I’m not sure how many songs we had gone through at that point, but it was at least four.  Naturally, I just assumed that she was tired, so I tried again this morning after our car routine.  The car routine, if you are curious, generally involves her telling me where we are going and who is going to be there, followed by her telling me everything she sees outside…trees, cars, buildings and sometimes and airplane.  And if we’re lucky, we’ll see a helicopter (a strange and also unexpected bonus of living near the District.) Beyond that the car ride varies depending on her mood. So this morning I put Yo Gabba Gabba back on, and started to sing along absent-mindedly as I drove and again discovered that I was singing along by myself.  She just didn’t care.  Until recently this was her favorite song (and mine too apparently:)

I asked her if she was ok and she was fine of course. I went down the list of things she likes to do in the car (sing songs, play the alphabet game, etc.) When she said no to everything I asked her if she’d like to listen to something different and she said “mommy put on Goyte please.”  So, at two years old my daughter is already cooler than me.  I have already started to cross the line when the parent becomes decidedly un-cool.  It’s only a matter of time until I become embarrassing. No more street cred over here folks.

 

Bjorn This Way

My friend Colleen is a creative genius. If you love Gaga like I do (and even if you don’t,) you are sure to get good chuckle out of this.

http://bjornthisway.blogspot.com/

Sunday Pins

This year I saw Harry Potter in the movie theater not once, but twice. I never get to the movies. I just really love Harry Potter.  My girlfriend and I have been planning a Harry Potter party for at least two years but something always comes up.  I know what you are thinking – are you just afraid no one will come?  No, because there are a pack of us Harry Potter nerds and they’d all be happy to come over and celebrate with butterbeer.  My husband asked me what I will do if Ava gets older and doesn’t actually like Harry Potter.  I refuse to entertain this thought because I’m pretty sure all kids like it, especially a child of mine.  All kids need a little magic in their lives.

So, in true nerdy fashion, I have hunted down Harry Potter pins on Pinterest to assist in party planning:

Hello Hedwig

These are pretty much the cutest invites of all time.  I ave to admit that my artistic talent is minimal, so I’d need help drawing these guys.  Anything beyond stick figures and I’m out of luck.

 

This I could actually do.  This is a great idea if the weather is warm enough to leave your door open.

 

How cute are these cupcakes?  I am in love with all of them.  Especially because I think they are too cute for me to eat.  Any cupcake that keeps me from actually eating it is good for me.  I love how I’m kidding myself this morning.  Like there might actually be a cupcake out there that would be too cute for me to eat.  As if.

Butter beer is a must of course.  Instructions from another HP lover can be found here:

http://bakingdom.com/2010/11/butterbeer-oh-yes-friends-butterbeer.html

The only thing  about that butterbeer is that there isn’t actually beer in it.  So for the adults (especially the adults that have been dragged along to this event) that may want a little more, try these:

Just toss a bit of vodka and soda in there.  However, if you want to actually have the magical effect, follow the instructions:

http://en.petitchef.com/recipes/magical-color-changing-drinks-fid-1112172

Parties are always better with favors.  When they are in the budget of course. These could also be used for Halloween.  I don’t have instructions for these, but they look fairly easy.  Pretzel sticks, paper bags, a bit of twine and whatever you want to put inside.

 

I Wanna Dance With Somebody

I am so sad about my namesake.  Why Whitney Houston, why??  I mean, I guess everyone could have guessed it after years of drug use, but I am still so sad about it.  They have not officially released the cause of death, but that’s my assumption. In a weird way, she’s always kind of been there.  I grew up listening to her because of my mother, and my bff Ryan and I used to listen to her while we played video games. That was actually a little weird and maybe I shouldn’t be mentioning it, but whatever.  Sorry Ryan.  But he loved the Bodyguard soundtrack and we would sit there and listen to it and play Sonic the Hedgehog on Sega.  And then never tell anyone else.  Adolescence is hard on everyone people.  My girlfriends and I had every song  committed to memory.  One of my best friends Diana used to belt out I Wanna Dance With Somebody. Like really belt it out.  We all used to laugh so hard.

I tried to read American Psycho in my early 20s.  It was the only book I have ever tried to read and not been able to get through.  Well written, but too gruesome for me. I’m a wuss that way. But the chapter about Whitney Houston is great. I think I will pull it out just to read the part where he talks about “The Greatest Love Of  All.”

Diana and I stole the line from Clueless when Dionne said that she and Cher were both “named after divas.”  But now my diva is gone! What am I going to do now?  I was much too old to actually be named after Whitney Houston of course. I was at least five before she made it big.  But I’m still going to pretend that I was anyway.

I just sent my husband to the store for wine.

 

Welcome To Earf

Welcome back to reality Whit.  While it would have been hilarious, you are not going to see the Maury Povich show.  You could not stay away from that last George R.R. Martin book for more than a week, no matter what you said.  You were also not able to go to a concert on a Wednesday night this week, even though they are one of your favs: http://wp.me/pROJ9-eE

You must accept it.  Your body and mind only allow so much.  Instead you are staying at home with your nose in that book about dragons and fighting with Home Depot who are finally after a freaking month coming to drop off the wood to finish your floors this weekend.  You will not, however, be watching tv because your first grown-up 55 inch flat screen blew out after five months.  Really Samsung?  So I will be calling the Samsung tech for the 50th time because they have still not made an appearance.  No Xbox, no Yo Gabba Gabba, no Real Housewives, no fun for anyone.  This was our first major appliance in our home and I don’t think we can ever go back to a smaller tv.  We’re spoiled now.  My husband certainly won’t be able to blow up zombies, or whatever else he’s blowing up in those games of his on a regular tv now.

Speaking of my husband, he asked me this morning if the Spice Girls were ever coming to DC. So today is a weird day.  Maybe I’m not on Planet Earf after all.