The Cough that almost stole Christmas

Joy to the world, the Cough remains, so while Heav'n and Nature sang, yours truly could not.

Pro's and Cons of being sick during Christmas:

First, the not so great stuff:

1. It was very difficult to get into the Christmas spirit. Just when I had the work thing licked (for now), ready to get into the birthday party preparations and holidays festivities, this Cough that began as a little tickle, can now be heard around the world ...(yes, you thought that was the annoying choking motor in your neighbour's driveway, but it was really me). Well, at least according to the husband. He thinks I should take up smoking to be worthy of my cough.

2. Said husband has been sleeping in the guest room since the illness hit. Just so that he can actually get some sleep without being rudely awakened by Mt. Vesuvius erupting every 30 minutes. He moved back in for Christmas eve when the relatives needed the bed. But quickly vacated it again last night. Who could blame him, I honestly wouldn't want to wake up as a human cast of volcanic ash. I miss him though.

3. I've been so reticent with the Christmas hugs and snuggles with the kiddies and my nieces. Especially the babies (oh, I'm sooooo upset about that!) They are just the most adorable little things, just about 6 months old now. Chortling, giggling, limbs jerking wildly about as they amaze themselves with their newfound talents. I'm likely way past contagious, but I sound so horrible whenever I cough, I daren't go too close to them, just in case.

4. Bodyjam withdrawal. I am missing the gym, and my favourite hip-hop class more than I ever thought I would. It's been about two weeks! I am also dreading getting back into the gym, because I already see the expanding muffin top that I was working so hard at keeping at bay.

5. The general lack of energy during a time when we should be planning fun daytrips, and exciting family time together. At least Ian is out skiing today.

But there's a shiny side:

1. I could go out with a girlfriend who's also got a lingering cough, so we were both merrily hacking away in this little sushi restaurant. Great company, great laughs, great food... and great cough-raderie. Not so great for the rest of the clientele, I suppose.

2. I was not the head chef this year at our Christmas Eve dinner. Ian took the reins and decided, because a few of the family are vegetarian and don't eat turkey anyway, to make a turkey roll a la Ricardo instead of a full bird. It was simply delish, stuffed with pork,pear and cranberry. And he rounded out the meal with a lovely pinnacota (an Italian dessert of milk, whipping cream and gelatin) with a blueberry fruit topping.

My sisters-in-law brought all their mouthwatering Christmas baking, which actually left little room for the dessert.

I was happy to make the mash and broccoli. That much I could handle.

3. Downtime actually gives you the time to reflect. And spend quiet moments with my kids and hubby. Because although I've been choking up my lungs, at least I'm in the same room as them, and I can watch from a safe distance as they snuggle with their Daddy.

4. If you're going to be not feeling well, at least it's a happy time of year around you. My relatives were all great and happy to see us. I had warned everyone ahead of time of my lingering cough, so no one seemed overly concerned.

I even had the energy to try this great new recipe that's on Jaden's website. The Crab and Fuji apple salad went over very well last night, and blended right in with my Mom's melange of a menu that started with my salad and followed with smoked salmon, yams, ham and roast beef. With Kit Kat, Smarties Ice Cream or Strawberry Sherbert for dessert.

5. I lack the energy to Boxing Day shop; well, at least on Boxing day itself. So it's a little easier on the pocketbook, gives it a day's grace anyway.

I remember as a kid, getting up bright and early on Boxing Day and jumping in the car with my family to head out to Scarborough Town Centre. We would get into the mall, and stand outside the large glass sliding doors that opened to the Bay; then make a mad dash to the Christmas cards and wrapping sections to help my mom grab the best offerings before anyone else would get there.

And a few years later as a teenager, taking the TTC down to Yonge Street to line up for Sam the Record Man's annual Boxing Day extravaganza. I think my best score ever was when I paid $3.99 for Bryan Adams "Cuts like a Knife" LP.

The vitality of youth. Actually, illness or no, I wouldn't even contemplate actually heading out today. With the sales that will likely linger until the New Year, I think I can afford another day of rest before tackling the mall.

All crankiness aside, overall it has been a great couple of days with the families. So I'll leave with some photos of the festivities...

Birthday Celebrations

Us

Cousins!

Dora gets ready for the party

Christmas Chez Nous

Birthday cousins

Bakugan - SCORE!!!

I am a Unicorn staring at the most hermetically sealed toy packaging in the universe.

Christmas at Grandma and Grandpa's

L, Grandpa and Baby R


G and Baby J

Manic Mondays

My little slice of JOY to the world.

WISHING EVERYONE ALL THE BEST OF THE HOLIDAY SEASON!!!

Happy Birthday, My Princess

Three years ago today you came into the world, a perfectly plump and rosy, 8 lb 6 oz bundle of joy. And a good thing it was that you were almost a full month early; already you did your mother proud with your consideration.


You were the baby we thought would never be. Hoping against hope, the journey to your arrival was a roller coaster ride. You don’t know the lengths that we went, the hoops we jumped through, the tears and hesitant hope that preceded your conception. The enormous efforts that were made to have you. And we would have gone further if we had to. All of that melted away as soon as I held you in my arms. And now that you, my precious, are here, you have so entrenched yourself into our hearts. There is nothing your Daddy and I would not do for you.



My baby has now grown into Little Miss Independent, a strong-willed, loquacious and precocious little thing. A mind of your own, an opinion about everything, and a fierce backseat driver, you never cease to astound us with the things that you say and that you do. And we see the love that you already have for your big brother. Although you’ll rarely admit it, even at this young age, we can see it in the way that you gaze at him, follow him about, and ask for him and talk about him whenever he’s not around.



Yes, there are moments when I miss that little baby. But those moments are overshadowed by the giggles that fill the house during ticklefests, the toy apple pies that you bake and present to us first thing in the morning, and the special times that you share with your Daddy making pancakes, with your Mommy baking cookies, and with your big brother playing hide-and-go-seek or Star Wars battle. The laughter and the joy that you bring to this household, and to your grandparents, uncles, aunts, cousins and your friends. Your proud telephone calls to your grandparents several times a day to announce another successful potty transaction. Just to make sure they know you're doing such a great job, and confirm that they will indeed provide you with three magic Skittles per potty time. Because that's the rate you negotiated. Such funny, adorable moments you are providing us. Snapshots that we will treasure always.

You continually amaze us with your fantastic personality. Where it comes from, we’re not quite sure. But we are sure about one thing… our world is such a better place with you in it.

We love you G. Happy, happy 3rd Birthday, Princess.

Fashion Friday: Fragrance

The Nose knows, right?

Fragrance is such a personal thing, and different scents carry different notes depending on one's individual chemistry. Take me, for instance. Usually within a half hour of me dousing myself with perfume or eau de toilette, you get within a few inches of me and ....nada. The stuff goes "pouf" - vanishes into thin air.

Which could explain why my first few favourite signature fragrances were the likes of these classics:

CK Obsession. Now that packed a serious punch. I suppose the overtly sexual advertising was somewhat appealing when I was in my early 20s.

Then I graduated to the following:


Opium, Yves St. Laurent. Very spicy, very Oriental. I wore this a lot when I was younger. Which puzzles me, because I think of it much more as an "older woman's" scent. I can't go near the stuff nowadays as I find it much too strong.

Speaking of when I was younger, my first real scent-ual memory of Ian was of him wearing this:

Brings me back to our first date, our first year together, the rush of young (and who would have known) everlasting love.

Back to the present. When I remember to put on fragrance these days (and I have to remind myself, as there are so many places with allergy warnings wherever you go in public places, such as the gym, the salons etc... if there's one less thing to have to remember to wear in the morning, fragrance will be it), I'll don "Lovely" by SJP.

What a fresh scent, I think the name of the fragrance suits it so well. It's soft, a hint of flowery smell, maybe a bit woodsy. It smells great on me, and actually lasts a bit. Look people, I've learned to "layer" my fragrance - check the "lovely" body lotion. Which is a good thing. And it's not overpowering, which works for Ian.

Another favourite of mine, Shi for Women, by Alfred Sung. Now Alfred was a huge designer in the 80s, I think he helped found the designs for Club Monaco way back when. I used to really like his clothes. Who would have known that his fragrances would hold up a bit better than his fashions? This fragrance is also clean, bit of musk, and the bottle design and packaging make it a very "zen" offering. Which is a good thing these days.

Something I put on every so often when I'm in the mood for Chanel. I'm not a Chanel No. 5 girl, but Chance, a bit of a younger fragrance, hits the right note for me. Touch of Oriental, touch of class.

So what's the guy wearing these days? Fresh, clean, Classic by Banana Republic.

And that works for me, because honestly, he is a very classy guy.

Happy weekend fellow bloggers!!

I'm tired, of waking up tired...

What was the most important thing I forgot to factor into my pre-Christmas panic? Why, it's my once-in-three years' hacking cough/cold-that-I-don't-get-over-in-a-month freaky virus! UGGGGGGH, so I'm feeling particularly crapola these past few days, and am in the most snarly of moods.

The good news is that work is on track; Christmas shopping is just about a fait accompli. I still have to line up at Toys R Us this upcoming Saturday morning - L finally decided what he wants for Christmas, but it turns out most 7 year old boys in this part of the planet apparently want the same thing. I haven't yet made the list for Christmas Eve dinner yet, but the sisters-in-law are being the amazing party guests that they always are and will be bringing a lot of the food and goodies. My major endeavour right now is to try to get healthy so I don't make my precious two baby nieces sick during G's birthday festivities this upcoming Saturday. Yes, that's right, two days before Christmas Eve dinner, we're having another family dinner. Can you say take out?

But I'm going to do something for myself tomorrow night, a pre-Christmas treat, hopefully I'll be feeling up to it, but I'll be having dinner with one of my oldest girlfriends, to get caught up and enjoy some pre-Christmas cheer.

So speaking of old friends, I have a little dilemma. I, like millions of other people, got hooked onto Facebook earlier this year. Actually, I was invited by one of the moms in a Mothers group I belonged to, and it was great fun at first. Being so nosy about everybody's life, their family, pictures, having fun with instant "wall postings", and it was a great space to make arrangements for playdates and nights out. Like all things internet I was quickly enamored with it. To play it safe, I used a little bit of a pseudonym, as I was a bit concerned about anonymity, and not wanting people to necessarily find me. Obviously with the openness of the internet, even potential clients and workplaces could pop in and find me, and as some other bloggers have noticed, privacy is not a huge capability on Facebook.

One of my old friends from high school started this reunion group because it's a big year coming up. I won't get into the details of what year exactly, because it's a reminder of how old I really am getting. But at any rate, it was sort of fun to join it, to see if others from my graduating year joined, and just who, if anyone, I would recognize. Which wasn't a whole heck of a lot of people. A lot of them are totally unrecognizable, including the names. I thought I knew a lot of people back then, but I suppose not. The one face I did recognize was that of my first boyfriend ever. We dated the last couple years of high school, and then into university. But things got tumultuous, we had a bad breakup, and I haven't heard from or of him in over twenty years.

Well, seeing as he was quite good friends with the fellow who started the reunion group, it was only a matter of time that he noticed I was there. And of course I noticed he was there too. What I didn't expect was for him to actually contact me through the site. We had a nice e:mail exchange, got caught up on a few things; found out he got married about 4 years ago, no kids, I shared a bit with him about me and my family. Ian was of course a bit curious too; took a look at the photo and said to me "He isn't your type". Too funny, Ian. Of course he's not! That's why I didn't stay with him -- sheesh!!

In one of the messages, the ex was quite complimentary to me; Ian thought it was nice what he said. I told my girlfriend what he'd said and she thought it was nice too, but said she probably wouldn't have appreciated that comment if she were the ex's wife! In any case, I thought I'd wrap up the e:mails with some holiday greetings, saying it was nice to get caught up, and thought that would be it. So wouldn't you know it, he's trying to add me as a Facebook friend now.

Which I think is sort of weird. When I say we had a bad breakup, it went like this. You know how things get so intense when you're 16, you think this thing will last forever? And then if you experience parental pressure to break things off, things escalate even more? When you stay in this relationship into university, you may grow apart. He broke it off with me first because he wanted to party more, see other people; I was focusing on school, didn't want to split up. So I was quite hurt, my grades suffered for the first few years of university.

But when I look back, it was probably the best thing that could have happened to me. We stayed friends, and still dated sort of occasionally over the next couple of years. But then I woke up and decided to really start dating other guys. None of those other dates were really serious, but I was having fun, enjoying being in my early 20's, and single. And that's when he wanted me back, in a bad way (isn't that always the case). So I was torn, because when you've been together for a few of those formative years, it's only natural.

What finally did it for me was when I met Ian. Then I KNEW that there was something special, and that whatever I had before was definitely over. Ian was also focused on school, but he liked to party too, just when it was appropriate to. He just had his priorities straight. I would visit him on weekends and we would study, and then we would have fun the rest of the weekend. And lo and behold, I felt really good about myself, I was totally in love, and my grades picked right up. And my parents, well, they even sort of liked this new guy.

So this time it was ME who broke it off once and for all, and then the ex REALLY wanted me back even more desperately. It was a bad scene. The sort of situation where you can' really stay friends.

I know that it is possible for exes to stay friends. Actually, Ian's first serious girlfriend is still a good friend of his, and I have no issues with them getting together for lunch etc. as we'll still socialize with her and her family every so often. But I think my situation is really quite different.

Thus, I've decided to ignore the request. I feel a bit rude about it, not answering, just letting it hang. Maybe I'm being too paranoid or sensitive about it. But I'm thinking, really, what is the point? We've both got our own lives now, it was nice to catch up and everything, but I don't really need to see more about his life, and I don't really need him to be seeing more about mine. I know I can edit my privacy settings and all, but I don't really want to get into that. But who knows, maybe with the transparency of Facebook, this whole post has already been read by him, so he'll know why I'm not answering!

Wow, what a long-winded post. I guess this is what happens when I've going through blog-withdrawal!

Weekly Winners

Look at Mommy!

The Masterpiece

The Artisan

Fashion Friday: A Little bit o' this, a little bit o'that

Can you say *procrastination big time*? I'm taking a little break from the job, for my weekly "What to wear/What not to wear segment". Some of these are winners, others are what hubby classifies as "Ug-wear". But no matter, I tend to wear what I like, always have, despite what others say. Like the hat a la Boy George that I used to wear while I walked the streets of U of T St. George Campus back in the 80's. Yes, that was me, complete with the Cyndi Lauper fuschia/purple checkered pants. That's a whole other post, believe you me...

What not to wear?:

Here we have my "touch of glitter" tank, that I love to wear under a jacket or sweater, with jeans. It is a teeny bit festive, without being over the top tacky. Ian thinks one sparkle is one too many -- whatever. I just love BCBG.

The following number, I'll admit, does look, um, well, interesting, unless it's on a person. But that isn't happening today, so I'll just describe it a bit. It can be quite the sexy look as it's interwoven with lacy mesh bits. So if I feel a bit fearless I won't wear a cami under it (braless, however, not an option, not even in the bedroom because Ian HATES this shirt). I like that it goes past the hips, it's great with jeans or leggings. Call it my homage to Gustav Klimt. I love those Free People designers.

This is one of my comfy dressier tops, perfect for winter holidays. Ian thinks it's a weird pattern. I used to even wear it to the office sometimes, under a jacket, with black pants, it would go easily from office to after work drinks... wha....?! What's that .... oh, sorry, another hotter chick's life. Comrags rule.

What to Wear:

Here we are in the vintage section of my wardrobe. Love my mom. She's where I get the packrat gene from. Back in the day, she was a tiny fashionista in her own right. And she had the wherewithall (one word?) to actually hang on to a lot of her neat outfits, some of them sewn specifically for her, in case she ever had daughters! You should have seen what I would walk around in during high school and university, when I could fit into all those neat jackets and skirts from the 60s. You've never seen such a beautiful collection of *cheongsam* dresses either. They fit me when I was 18, and I wore a couple to my graduation and formals, but never again.

The following dress does actually still fit me. I haven't had the occasion to wear it recently, but I think it would look smashing with black leggings.

This jacket is part of my "Prince, formerly known as weird sign, formerly known as Prince" collection. Velvet with a very subtle print, and shiny silver buttons. A bit cropped, but I love the collar and the whole dress it up or dress it down capability of this one. Whenever I'm in doubt about what to wear to a function, this is a perfect standby, over a cami, glitter top, or turtleneck.

And finally, one of my favourite dresses, and apparently it is also one of my husband's... this Teenflo dress I picked up in the spring. I wore it with a turtle neck, leggings and boots to take the birthday boy out for his big dinner. It's his favourite outfit on me. Glad he noticed.

But it's all about the company. Sweet talker, he is... although he loved the meal at Terra, he said it would have been just as beautiful an evening if we were having burgers. Because it was just the two of us, and it was a very, very special evening. Verklempt.

Happy Weekend guys...

Thursday 13 and an AWARD!

I was tagged by my Bloggy pal Curiosity Killer to do this 12 of my favourite things Christmas Meme, but I thought I’d multitask and combine this with a Thursday Thirteen, after all, 13 is a baker’s dozen, and we all need more baking this time of year.

Please share 12 of your favorite Christmas things: they can be memories, traditions, songs, presents, beliefs, whatever it is about this season that you love.

So here we go, 13 of my favourite Christmas things:

1/ Our family Christmas tradition with my hubby’s family … we do the roundrobin, with the siblings taking their turn hosting every Christmas. I’ve gotten used to spending Christmas Eve with Ian’s family since we started dating, and although it wasn’t quite the same after his Mom passed away, the tradition has carried on and changed with the arrival of small children. So we have a large household of the aunts, uncles, cousins and usually Moon, the dog, who we just don’t see nearly enough during the year.

The last time it was our turn, G was two days old. I didn’t even consider cancelling it… Ian just threw the bird in the oven, and the rest of my family, primarily my two sisters-in-law, pitched in and did everything else. All I had to do was sleep, feed baby, eat, and smile occasionally in my Mother-of-newborn baby haze, while L was having the most amazing time visiting with his awesome big cousins. I remember my sister-in-law joked that it might be worth having another baby when little G turned three, just so I wouldn’t have to lift a finger. Can’t say I didn’t think about it … but then my creaky bones and tired brain reminded me that we’re done, kaput, nothing’s going in my oven anymore.

2/ Our family Christmas tradition with my family. And this year it’s going to be even more fun, with the babies’ first Christmas, and L and G's over-the-top excitement. We go over to my parents’ for an amazing feast, that usually includes a big smorgasbord of everything from shrimp to ham. It’s great to spend the time with my parents and my siblings, especially now that we’ve got so many cousins. Although we see them more than Ian’s side, it’s still never really enough.

3/ Shopping. Yes, I love to shop, and I usually love to Christmas shop. Unfortunately only doing a whirlwind job of it this year, while I’m working to make more money to help pay for the renos and to … well, shop!!

4/ The kids’ picture with Santa – only now it’s just G (L refuses to get on Santa’s knee – started last year - *sob*). G had no problems with Santa this year, although she didn’t say much because in her own words, “Mommy, I didn’t talk too much, I was a little bit nervous.”. When did my baby become a little girl?

5/ Christmas music. I’m a sucker for it, and especially the “Do they know it’s Christmas” song recorded by all those cool Brits aka Band Aid, organized by Bob Geldof and Midge Ure. Yes, I heart ‘80’s. Whenever I hear that song it gets me right in the mood. It brings me back to my youth when I would listen for every word to figure out who was singing… Paul Young (the alive one); Boy George, George Michael, Bono; there’s Sting, Simon LeBon, hey, the guys from Spandau Ballet , Bananarama…who wasn’t there?

And I found an all Christmas music, all Christmas season radio station this year, which we are playing all the time. It’s EZ rock, (yeah, that station with John Tesh, I’m still not a huge fan of his, his music is a bit mellow for me. But I’m really enjoying the variety that they’re playing, from the old hits (Bing Crosby, Nat King Cole, Johnny Mathis) to the newer, Michael Buble, Diana Krall. And the drummer boy song with Bing and David Bowie… a major Christmas classic in my books.

6/ The fun Christmas television and movies. I used to get so excited as soon as Rudolph, Frosty, Charlie Brown and all those specials came on when I was a kid. Now I don’t have nearly enough time to watch TV, but I hope I’ll catch “A Christmas Story” and “Elf” this year, both hilarious, family fare.

7/ Christmas decorations. Yes, I usually deck the halls, put up the tree, get the ornaments out, the house all spiffy. I actually managed to do that even this year.

8/ My baby’s birthday is just three days before Christmas. Life has been ever so wonderful since she came along.

9/ Christmas eating. So much to eat, so little time. This will encompass the turkey, the baking, all the goodies, my sister-in-law’s wonderful coffee cake, and of course chocolate.

10/ My kids’ faces on Christmas morning, as they look in wonder at what Santa brought them, marvel that Santa took a bite of the cookie and finished all the milk left for him the night before. And usually the carrots left for his reindeer are gone as well. Lots of Christmas excitement in the house, while the adults look on, weary from all night wrapping but savouring the moment with their hot coffee, toastie PJ’s still on and bedhead disarray.

11/ Quality time as a family, our little pack of four. No homework, no work work, just play time and relaxation. Maybe a day trip here and there.

12/ Quality time with my husband. All that vacation that he hasn’t taken all year, that he has to take before the end of the year = a good solid two weeks off for him, at the very least! And although a lot of that will be family time with the kids (as above), once they’re in bed, we can settle down with a nice glass of wine, Bailey’s maybe and get to know each other again.

13/ Christmas cheer. I love a good party, and although there were no formal ones this year, I enjoy the smaller, more casual get togethers as much if not more. As long as there’s alcohol involved (hey, my newest discovery courtesy of my husband, Smirnoff’s ready made Mojito …. Yummmmmmmm!).

There are a whole lot of other memories, including some wonderful images of Midnight mass, watching my brother sing at Massey Hall when he was a little tyke as a student at St. Michael’s Choir school (the little ones were the cutest!); enjoying the lovely performance of Handel’s Messiah at Massey Hall, thinking I was going to pitch over the railing during the Hallelujah…. so many lovely memories of Christmases past.

Okay, I know I'm supposed to send this to 12 other people but I’m so bad at this tagging thing and I'm sure most of the people I would tag would have already done it. I know, bah humbug me, spoil the fun. So if you feel like doing this one, it will certainly put you in the holiday spirit.

And look here, I got another award,


this time from my great bloggy friend Badness Jones and her Adventures with Princess and Badness himself! I’m so glad I stumbled onto her blog, and I can’t believe I was the first commenter EVER there! You should check her out, she’s a wonderful writer, mother, daughter, wife, friend…just a sweetheart.

So I’ll have to pass this along to a couple of blog pals. First and foremost, a blogging sensation by the name of Heidi at Viking Conquest. I’m lucky enough to have her as a friend in person, and I’m so glad she joined this wonderful world o’ blogging. She is an amazing writer, and making me and many other fans sooooo jealous of her life right now, with her lovely descriptions of her adventures in Norway with her boys. And yes, she really is as sweet and funny as she writes, no doubt about it.

Another is Kellan, although I suspect she’s got so many trophies they’re falling off her blog wall. Maybe it’s already there, but she is so deserving of another. She has this amazing spirit in her writing, a truly thoughtful and inspiring lady.

Oh so many new blog friends, so little time. Anna (great artist, wonderful mom), Melissa (my musician investor friend), Bill (you kill me with laughter), Sandy (smart, gorgeous, funny), Gina (thoughtful, soon to be famous novelist, I know it!), Lotus (photographer and blogger extraordinaire)....., I'm sure I've missed so many of you! So anyone who's reading this, take this one for yourself...I just wanna spread the love, because I HEART ALL of your blogs!

I don't know how she does it...

the "Work at home" mom (or WAHM), that is. I know it sounds like a perfect arrangement, being able to work from your home office, no commute, no travel, make your own hours. But it certainly is a major life adjustment, making room for "other than kid" stuff on your plate.

It's likely because my little one is still quite young, just turning 3, and she's had almost three whole years of me pretty much to herself (well, she does share me with her big brother occasionally). And although she's in a nursery program three mornings a week, which she really loves, there's a large part of me that feels badly about that. I know that she's better off there than sitting at home hoping that I'll play with her, but the guilt, it's there. Even when I'm working and she's playing on her own, I feel the need to be doing something with her, even though I just don't have the time because of work commitments.

I find myself working more in the evening, and not spending enough time with my boy. Often working long into the night and then waking up dreaming about diagrams, pagination, tables of contents... nightsweats about documentation! I'm thrilled to be using my "brain" this way again, but at the same time I'm stressed to the max.

I remember this episode of Nanny 911, or the Supernanny (and don't ask me why I ever watch those shows, but it's a good thing I only did AFTER I had kids) - the mother of these little "terrors" had her own business from home. She would be trying to focus on her computer, but would be constantly interrupted by her toddlers. And then she would get frustrated and angry with them, because she was trying to do so much, and her kids would be acting up to get her attention. Not bad kids, really, just doing what they would do naturally.

I don't want to be that mom, but I've found myself frustrated more often than not lately. Not only because of the work thing, but also because of the whole holiday season. It's a time of year that I usually love, because it's about family, and sharing, but I'm just not feeling too festive. I so don't want to ruin the holidays for my kids either, as they are very excited, especially my little G, who climbed right onto Santa's knee for her cutie photo today. She was even more excited about the honkin' huge candy cane which she sucked on for a bit, and then promptly dropped and watched shatter into about 20 sticky pieces. For her dutiful mommy to pick up.

But that's the beauty of the whole arrangement I suppose. That I could actually spend a day with her running some errands, doing some Christmas shopping, doing lunch. Spending a couple of hours at the local Mastermind watching her put her babies to sleep ("shhhh, Mommy, you and the ladies are too loud!"), cook something up in the kitchen, and spend some quality time with Thomas the Tank, while I shopped for the baby nieces. And so I left the work for later, or another day.

Because tonight I'm having my Pomtini refreshment after my wonderful BodyJam class led by my fave instructor TEEJ .... shout out to you my friend! After all, he did get the party started!

Weekly Winners

G-Cam...

G- Ham...

O Tannenbaum!

Fashion Friday: On hiatus

Well, time crunch prohibits me from posting more nuggets from my wardrobe at this time... haven't done much shopping lately (well, other than much needed footwear last week). And what shopping I'll be doing next will have very little to do with clothes, and a lot more to do with kidlets.

However, a fashion moment with my son this morning:

L: "Mom, can you get me an outfit?"

Me, yelling from the kitchen: "Oh, just grab yourself something from the laundry basket in the family room. The clothes are all clean, so you can have your pick."

L: "But Mom, I can't. I have no fashion sense!"

But by the time I got back into the family room he had chosen his own pair of cargo pants and surfer-dude T-shirt. The teal one with the yellow slash across ... one of my faves that he seldom wears. Cute, as per usual.

His words didn't hit me until after I saw him get on the school bus and it drove away. Sitting here having my coffee, I'm thinking... maybe I'm onto something here -- even my son knows I'm a fashionista!!!

Been sitting on my butt almost ALL DAY...

working! Wow, what a concept! But it's been productive. I've had official verification that I'm not going nuts and that this project is probably one of the most complex of its type. Good one to start with after staying at home for THREE YEARS!!!!

So frankly I'm a little brain dead, since it's been about 9 straight hours of slogging through data and studies. I've got to do another couple hours tonight. We're getting there... I'm just really busting my butt to try to make room for other stuff. Like birthdays and Christmas.

And a Backyardigans edible Christmas decoration cooking lesson with G and her best buddy A and my pal Bec. That's what we did yesterday morning. It was a nice reprieve from the work-filled days just previous. After the class we did some grocery shopping together. It's amazing how two little almost 3 year old girls sitting together in a grocery cart, giggling and tossing tins of guacamole and mexican salsa into the back, can bring a perma-smile to your face. Just before naptime meltdown. It was loads of fun while it lasted! But I did get a surprise tomato out of the deal; G slipped one into my bag of apples when I wasn't looking and I didn't see it until I started putting things away in the fridge!

And the birthday dinner for the man last night. Terra restaurant, a jewel up in our neck of the woods. As expensive as many a jewel, but then not every day is a special birthday. Tomato & boccacini salad before a seafood grill platter for me; wasabi crusted seared tuna and a AAA filet for my guy. Of course, he had to have his Grey Goose Vodka martini, a Niagara Pinot Noir with dinner (which he shared with me), and a Grand Marnier to round it off after the lovely flourless chocolate torte complete with birthday message and candle (but no tacky clap-happy rendition of the Birthday song, thank goodness). That was a nice way to spend yesterday.

So such is my mundane life right now. Squeezing out a pathetic little post, for what it's worth.

Wordless Wednesday

You're Still a Baby next to these guys...

Happy Birthday, Big Daddy

Manic Monday: Ship

School buses cancelled. Windy chill in the air; roads are sheets of pure ice; miraculously, I successfully navigated the crazy school parking lot with my minivan, unscathed.

Welcome, Monday morning.

That ship above looks really good about now. I wish we were on that cruise again.

We're not exactly cruise people. However, my parents are cruise fanatics, usually going on a couple of year. When they had their 40th anniversary a few years ago, it was a dream for them to have all their kids and their spouses/families come along with them on a trip to the Caribbean. With a pitstop at Disney for their one and only grandchild at the time, theirs and our Wonderboy L.

Despite our reservations and my bouts of seasickness/morning sickness (don't ever get a room at the front of the boat, even if they have a porthole there, if you think you'll even remotely feel the waves, and especially NOT when you're pregnant!), it was actually a really fun experience. The best part was that the ship, and the ports of call in the Caribbean (Bahamas, St. Thomas, St. Martin) had something for everyone. We went on the Royal Caribbean line, so there was rock-climbing, a gym, mini golf, a couple of pools, some terrific food, fun shows and dinner was always a riot as we had amazing service. And for L there was a great kids' club that we finally convinced him to attend on day 4 (and he never came back!). For Dad, well, the casino is the calling card for him.

I was 6 weeks pregnant with little G. So she's really in that picture with us!

While I don't think I'm in a major hurry to go on another ship, this weather makes me think of all the good memories. We had some lovely quality time with my siblings and their spouses, and my parents, of course. They got to show us a bit of what they love to do, and the time with them every night at dinner (and then throughout the day sometimes as we met up with them, or just ran into them when we were all doing our own thing), was something that was very special.


And honestly, who can complain when you've got a new towel companion to tuck you in every night. Certainly not (little then) L!

But on another up note, check out Katie's new hairdo below. Look familiar? Yeah, that's the cut I wore in the fall.

It's sooooo last season, don't ya think :)