are you ready?

Big unveil of new hair tomorrow. I was going to do it tonight but alas, I am too tired. And I want to make you wait JUST one more day.

Off to bed.

goodnight moon

five things I want my children to know before they grow up

1. It's okay to not be happy all of the time. Sometimes, you just need to work out the angries and the unhappies and the cries.

2. Sharing is SO much cooler than hoarding or selfishness.

3. Jesus loves you. NO. MATTER. WHAT. Even more than Mommy & Daddy love you.

4. Forgive generously. No matter how hard it is or how much it hurt or how many times you have to say "I forgive you".

5. Never be afraid to stand up for what you think is right, even if most of the people around you disagree.

(And the honorary #6: Middle C.)

last chance

I'm getting my hair cut tomorrow. I'm still undecided.

So please, make your voice heard and go vote for my hair. So far, looks like #1 & #3 are top contenders.

Pictures of the before and after to follow.

Love,
me

wordless wednesday: peace

random updates, volume something-or-other

My feet are chilly. This rarely happens in Florida. I love it. Tonight is supposed to be one of the coldest nights of the season, dipping down into the thirties. I know some of you reading this live in northern parts of the world, and you are probably shaking your head and rolling your eyes now, but believe me, this is BIG STUFF for us Floridians. We might even light the fireplace. WHOA.

Cloth diapering continues to be a success. I cannot believe I was so worked up about it before - it is easy peasy. And I love not having to make a last-minute run to Target to pick up a bunch of Pampers while simultaneously emptying my bank account.

I've been getting conflicting, sometimes dubious messages from my candy. On the inside of a candy wrapper, it said, "Sometimes a hug is better than flowers". In the next: "Buy yourself a dozen roses!" Uh, wait a second. Next one: "Go to your special place". Oh, good grief...

The holidays are almost upon us. I haven't written a letter to Santa in over two decades, but if I were to write one now, I'm pretty sure that this would be at the very top of the list. Followed by this.

I'm still mad at Target for the whole Britax car seat escapade. But I couldn't help being irresistibly drawn there today when Jason and I realized that Aidan needed a humidifier. I may be mad with them, but I still love them, and my irritation could never be great enough to force me to shop at The Source of All Things Evil, Slow, and Disorganized.

If you haven't already, you must vote for my new 'do. I'm going on Friday for the big cut; "just a trim" is not an option any more. So exercise your right to vote and decide the fate of my locks.

vote for my hair!

I have an appointment with my hairstylist this Friday. I made this appointment because my hair looks like crap. And it's too long. And Aidan likes to grab it a lot, and that sort of hurts, so I'm going shorter. I want something that doesn't scream "Mom hair", but not something so out there or high maintenance that I can't keep it up. So, I'm asking you, dear readership, to help me decide!

Here's me now:



And here are your options (just the cut - can't afford to color right now):
Option #1


Option #2


different view:


Option #3


different view:


Option #4


So, what do you think? #1, #2, #3, #4? Vote in the comments section and let me know...

for all you Aidan-a-holics

I've finally gotten caught up on his website. We've posted a bunch of new photos that you can download and/or order directly from Shutterfly - their prices are good, and I've always been very, very happy with their service.

Anyhoo, go check it out!

Aidan's Shutterfly website

what a memey Saturday

Yeah, I know. But I worked ALL DAY. It was a good day, but I'm tired, and I need sleep, and I'll think of something better and more original later. Plus, you guys know how much I love memes. Feel free to post your own answers in the comments section, or laugh about how terribly unfashionable I am.

A) What accessories do you wear everyday?
Usually just my wedding rings. When I remember, I'll wear stud earrings to work, cool earrings when I go out. That's about it.

B) What is your beauty routine?
Wow. Just thinking about this makes me realize how un-beauty-routiney I am. Suave shampoo & conditioner, dollop of Big Hair mousse, blow dry, round brush to smooth out. Bare Minerals make-up (THE best!) when I do wear make up: the powder foundation, blush, touch of eye shadow in some neutral color, black mascara, lip gloss. No perfume, as I can't wear it at work and so I forget to wear it when I'm not at work. When I remember, Aveeno SPF 15 brightening moisturizer before all of the makeup, or just on its own. And when I'm breaking out like a teenager - like I am, freakishly and suddenly these days - Neutrogena Acne Spot treatment. And a whole lot of prayer.

C) What was the last item of clothing (for yourself) that you purchased?
Very cute but very thin t-shirt that has a hand drawn flowering tree that says "fruits of the spirit". You can see right through it, so I have to wear something underneath. But it's very cute.

D) Do you use a dresser, closet, or both?
Both. It's a built-in dresser in the wall, too, which totally saves on space. The closet is pretty roomy, too.

E) What type of earrings are in your ears right now?
None. Sigh. I always forget.

F) What type of figure do you have (measurements)?
I am NOT giving out numbers, but I can tell you that I'm more of an apple shape than the traditional pear womanly shape. And I'm smaller than I have been in a long, long time, ironically, even though I gave birth 3 months ago. Weird, but nice.

G) Do you wear glasses?
Nope. Blessed with perfect vision.

H) What type of handbag do you carry?
This ratty green canvas thing that probably should have been replaced years ago. But I love it.

I) What is your ideal style?
Ideal? Someone would videotape me for What Not to Wear, I would get chosen, and then Stacy would help me pick out a gorgeous, classic, slightly funky new wardrobe. This is a hint to all my friends to get their video cameras, okay?

J) What is your favorite brand of jeans?
Old Navy. They always fit perfectly (as long as I pick the right size) and they make 'em in short lengths.

K) Do you wear knee-hi stockings?
Ugh. NEVER.

L) Do you *have* to wear matching lingerie?
This survey is getting more and more embarrassing. I don't even call it "lingerie", if that answers the question. Matching? No. Clean? Yes. Clean. That's about as far as I take it.

M) Do you wear makeup?
When I'm onstage, on a date with the hubs, on an interview, or am going to visit people who will ask me several times if I'm "feeling okay" and tell me how pale I am if I do not wear makeup.

N) Do you wear nightgowns?
Yes - short cotton stretchy ones that my husband thinks I look totally hot in. And they're way comfy.

O) What outerwear do you put on when going out on a typical winter's day?
Winter? What's that? Okay, I do find myself in cold weather, so my charcoal grey peacoat, long oversized pink scarf tied in a cool knot, charcoal grey gloves if I need them. I usually don't need more than that.

P) What is your favorite perfume?
Clinique Simply was my all-time favorite, but they discontinued it. Boo. Thierry Mugler's Angel, Elizabeth Arden Pleasures, and Bath & Body Works' Mango Mandarin body spray round out the ones I can still buy.

Q) Is your motto "quality over quantity" when it comes to clothing and accessories?
Absolutely.

R) Do you wear rain boots?
Nope.

S) Do you wear socks or slippers when your feet get cold?
Socks... but I am a Florida girl, so my feet are forever in flip-flops. No socks needed.

T) Do you have a set of travel luggage?
I do, but it was some cheapo set I picked up on clearance at Target. Not very fashionable.

U) What is your daily uniform?
Jeans, t-shirt. In colder weather, I am totally doing the long-tshirt-under-short-tshirt look with jeans. Sometimes, I'll add a jacket. Or I'll just be wearing scrubs.

V) If you are married, did you wear a veil with your wedding dress? If not, how did you do your hair?
Married. Did the half-up, half-down deal with my hair, and wore a beautiful custom-made veil with it.

W) Do you wear a watch?
Cheap pink plastic watch from Target only when I'm at work.

X) What item of clothing always makes you feel beautiful?
A burgundy dress with large lighter-burgundy flower print on it - high neck, drapey back. It's my perfect dress-up dress, except for that a) the hem just started to come loose and b) I've worn it so much that it's lost its appeal, I think. Need to find a new dress.

Y) What is your favorite type of yarn?
Cashmere, what Kathleen said.

Z) Do you prefer zippers or buttons?
Zippers, please.

five baby products I could not live without

1. bumGenius One-Size Diapers. Yes, I've mentioned them several times in the past few days, but truly, these are awesome diapers. I think what I like best about them is their ability to absorb Niagara Falls and still have a dry top layer. None of my disposables were ever able to do that. The initial cost of buying these little suckers is dear - about $18 a diaper brand-new, unless you score some second-hand ones on a website like Diaperswappers. But the investment is so, so worth it, and you end up saving hundreds of dollars over the long run by not using disposables. And I may be concerned about the environment, sure, but above all, I AM CHEAP. So that's what speaks to me.

2. Kiddopotamus SwaddleMe swaddlers. Jason and I call these the "baby straitjackets". We have several, but our favorites are the fleece ones. Aidan often had a hard time calming down when he was a brand-new newborn, mostly because the sight of his arms flailing about got him worked up - he hadn't made the connection that those waving appendages were actually his own. And the more worked up he got, the more they flew around, which got him even more worked up... well, you get the picture. Wrapping him up in a swaddler calmed him down instantly, kept him warm (we make our house freezing at night), and help him to sleep through the night. We only use them at night now, but somehow, Aidan know that when they go on, it's his cue to head off to Nod for at least 7-8 hours. Brilliant.

3. Kolcraft Universal Car Seat Carrier. You can't really tell by the picture, but the basket down below? HUGE. Absolutely ginormous. Which is why I absolutely love this carrier. Aidan rides in his car seat (a Graco SafeSeat, in case you wanted to know) to the store, the mall, wherever I need to shop, and then I pull this baby out, stick his car seat right on top, fasten a buckle, and off we go. Unless I am making a HUGE amount of grocery purchases, everything ends up fitting in the basket underneath. Plus, there's a cupholder tray, and the whole thing is super-dooper easy to fold and unfold. It holds pretty much every car seat on the market, and it fits into the trunk of my compact car quite easily - way less bulky than the strollers that come with some travel systems.

4. Zippered pajamas. I happen to love the ones that Carter's makes, like this one, but there are lots of different brands out there - I've found some super-cute ones at Target lately. The reason I love these over onesies, gowns, and even buttoned pajamas is how EASY these are to open up. When it's 3am and I'm half-dead with exhaustion and I don't want to turn on the light to change Aidan, these are the easiest way to get to his poopy diaper: zip down, change diaper, zip up. Buttons provide too many opportunities for disaster (it WILL bother me in the middle of the night if I see the buttons don't line up), onesies don't keep him warm enough, and the elastic at the bottom of the gowns was often too tight to lift up without cutting off circulation somewhere.

5. Evenflo Purely Comfi bottles. Apparently, BPA is slowly killing us all and causing all of the world's major diseases. These bottles are BPA-free, so I can spend my nights worrying about other things. Plus, they're inexpensive ($10 for 3), come in some awesome colors, have cool bulbous silicone nipples, and can be found at pretty much any major big box store, like Tar-jay and Walmart. We've used them from the beginning without any problem. They come in 6 oz and 9 oz sizes; we have a combination of both sizes, and that's worked well, as Aidan tends to drink more in the morning and nighttime and less during the afternoon. Both sizes are super-lightweight, so I guess you could use the 9 oz exclusively.

What are your favorite baby/kids items?