Friday Fragments - Elyse-Mommy-Da

Welcome to another edition of Friday Fragments - please visit my friend, the lovely lady Mrs.4444.

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I haven't even started Christmas shopping yet. It sucketh.

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There's a part of me that can't really get into the whole Christmas thing this year. I feel like I'm just going through the motions. First we planned the girlie's "school" birthday party (on the bus, it was on a bus!). And then we had the family birthday dinner celebration for her last weekend. Ho hum. Just going through the motions and feeling badly about it.

The garland is up; the tree is up; we've been to a wonderful holiday feast at a friend's place - kids and all; the school holiday concert where the kids in their dollar store elf hats, gleaming glasses, teeth and braces, chimed in as close to unison as any elementary kid could be expected to, cheering about Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa and whatever other holiday celebration is happening this time of year (I'll admit it, I was just looking for my kid, who rocked it of course).

But other than that, meh. I'm not even up to sending Christmas cards this year.

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I've been trying not to think about it too much. Because thinking about it just overwhelms me. Thinking about it makes me quiver with grief inside. Most of the time I'm pretty good at quelling it. But every so often, while I'm brushing my teeth, doing the dishes, when I don't have the thousands of thoughts in my head about what I should be picking up for dinner, what I have to remember for the next lesson, when the next cheque needs to be written for the next school event ... when I let my brain breathe for a second... it hits me in a tidal wave. And then the tears.

They say the first year is the toughest, with all the family celebrations and the void that is so apparent. Just get through the first year and things should get easier.

But it's so hard, especially since it all snowballed around this time last year. The diagnosis. The running around from hospital to hospital. The frustration of not knowing the best thing to do. The frustration of the holidays getting in the way of access to procedures, to doctors, to answers ...sure we spent a lot, a TON of time with my siblings and family, but I wouldn't wish that sort of family time on anyone under those circumstances.

This is getting very depressing. So I'll post a picture of my hot boots.

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Thank goodness I have my kids. They are bringing the spirit of the holidays into our household whether I want it here or not. I especially love the singing, the excitement in the little one's eyes as she pulls out each decoration to put on the garland or tree, humming a holiday tune:

"Elyse-mommy-da, elyse-mommy-da, elyse-mommy-da, la-la-la...Elyse-Mommy-Da, mommy, guess what? It means Merry Christmas -- in FRENCH!"

God, I love my kids.

With a week to go, Elyse-mommy-da to you all ...

Friday Fragments - Oh. Mah. Gawd edition

Welcome to another edition of Friday Fragments - please visit my friend, the lovely lady Mrs.4444.

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Holy comments, Batman!

I have been totally overwhelmed by the SITS experience, as I got about 164 comments on my main blog, and so many more on the actual posts that I shared. You know, the posts that I put up when I was still doing something called WRITING? There's a paucity of that these days.

I intend to get to each and every one of the bloggers' blogs who came by for my SITS feature. I know that I've always said this blog is more of a creative outlet for me than anything else, but there's no getting around that fact that I loves me some comments. I also try to comment back to whoever visits me on FF, but I'm doing a rather crap job of that these days too. We're getting there...

So why break with current tradition - instead of quality writing, I'll post a couple of random photos.

As promised, here's a photo of me in my dress for the holiday party.

It was taken at about 1:30 AM last Saturday, aren't you impressed? I mean, that I'm still standing, even if I have a stupid grin on my face. My feet were totally killing me, but you just gotta do what you gotta do in the name of fashion sometimes. That stupid grin is actually severe pain masked by liquid band-aid in the form of 6 gin and tonics and 4 glasses of wine with dinner. So yes, it is a miracle that I am still standing.

We had a great time at the holiday party -- once they started playing music from this decade. It was funny, during dinner they played some great tunes (eg. Rihanna, ColdPlay, Maroon 5, Timbaland, Justin T ...not all danceable stuff, but pretty good tunage)...and then when they opened up the dance floor they played Kool and the Gang, Bee Gees, Lady in Red ...OMG, it's like the DJ took a look at the crowd and figured we were too ancient to know any better, it was a total wedding crowd, right?

I had to go up and request a song eventually, which thank goodness they had. You know, my favourite dance tune of late ... You could tell at the end of the evening who had young kids - the ones sticking around, who only knew the songs BECAUSE we had kids.

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And here is a photo of the mug that my mother made me keep - it gives you a bit of a hint about where I was in Europe a couple of weeks ago.

A rather big hint, wouldn't you say?

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And it's a special day today.

We'll keep it low key, but it's the man's birthday!!! I still tell him he looks great for his age, as he really does. He's a little doughier than when we first met, oh, 23 years ago (gahhh!) but he was a skinny student back then.

The boy made a card for his Dad:


Probably the best card the Man has received in a long time!

I can't say enough about my husband. Sure, he forgets to take the recycling out sometimes, he never knows where his keys are, he looks at me in a daze sometimes when I'm chatting his ear off, he even humoured me once by coming up to the BodyJam class and at least looking like he would try it (but he took a look and figured he wouldn't be able to shake his white ass that low!) ...but he totally, totally gets me. He knows me, he's been my biggest supporter, never doubting my capability to do anything. He took a chance on me years ago, figuring that I would become a stronger woman - a stronger partner - when I wasn't even sure that I would be.

And the kids, they could NOT find a better father anywhere on this earth. That I am sure of.

So the girlie and I are taking the Man out for dinner tonight. I'll probably pick up the DVD "I Love You Man" (we both love Paul Rudd) and we (sans the girlie) will watch it before we pick up the boy from his first ever all-kids, no-people-over-the-age-of-13-allowed holiday party.

I love you, Man.

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Have a great weekend, all!

Friday Footwear Fragments

Well, hello Day 6 - NaBloPoMo-ing along here.

Welcome to another edition of Friday Fragments - please visit my friend, the lovely lady Mrs.4444.

Hubby got up at 5:00 AM this morning for a flight - so what's a girl to do - go back to bed?

No, she must take pictures of her shoes. And then post them. A nutcase, for sure.

As promised, an overview of the latest additions to the foot wardrobe...

Sexy librarian/habberdashery:

Gray's the new black
Too taupe to handle (I know, corny, but it's early)
Pretty bowed
Remember these shooties from last year? I'm still wearing them even though the combination of not 100% knee and bunion is killing me. But they are killer, aren't they?

My Dorothy shoes... taking it home...

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The school sent my boy home on Wednesday, his first day back, for a cough. I was in a meeting, and the boy was "quarantined" in the office until the hubs picked him up. We were pretty ticked, though. Granted, the boy had been off sick for a couple days previous, but he'd been home, had a full course of treatment, and had no fever. He's got allergies and refuses to take medicine, and this is what happens. Grrrr!!!

We sent him back the next day, with a note outlining that very fact. Funny, he'd been in class all day but they kicked him out at 2 PM. What was the difference between 2 and 3:30 PM. I understand that it was protocol, but annoying nonetheless. And my boy felt like a pariah.

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Is there anyone else out there as old as I am who remembers the original "V" miniseries? I LOVED it, watched it religiously, as mad as I am about Mad Men today. So I was naturally excited but a bit skeptical about the ability of the new series to capture my mad passion.

Not anymore. Whoa, have you seen the first episode? Sexy aliens (and Scott Wolf,

but who's looking?). I am officially hooked, and conflicted, as it's on at the same time as So you think you can dance AND my Bodyjam class.

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Oh my crap, I've got to post over the weekend too. Forgot about that! Catch you then.

Fashion Friday Fragments

Welcome to another edition of Friday Fragments - please visit my friend, the lovely lady Mrs.4444.

And freewriting Sara at Ordinary & Awesome:

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This week has just flown by. It's scary how fast things go when you've got a deadline. Or you see the doors closing on one phase of your life, while new ones open into the next.

The kids were in daycare all this week and they were absolute troopers. To be honest, I think it's better for them there, interacting with friends and playing outside. If they were at home, it would be so hard to pull them away from the TV or computer.

What did I do with all my "free" time?

I finally bought a new vacuum hose and accessory set for our busted hose that we've had taped together the last two years. I did get to the gym, and I went shopping. For work clothes.

The last time I went shopping for suits was over 10 years ago. And a lot happens after 10 years and 2 kids. I went through my closet of existing work clothes, most that I haven't worn in almost 5 years and, uh, had to get rid of quite a few pairs of pants.

But I was lucky, I think I did well. And either the sizes have gotten bigger or all those efforts to get pregnant and sitting on my butt working in an office all those years ago had me two sizes bigger than I should have been.

Enough with the preamble, here are a few of the outfits I picked up. (Please ignore the greasy and tired face, I couldn't get to this until I had a free moment, once the kids were in bed and I should have been...)

This is how I usually look at 9 AM...

This is how I'll have to start to look come Monday morning...

Mexx

Mexx again...

Banana Republic

BCBG Max AzriaMax Studio
Yes, a cape! (from a new brand I found called Enjoy!)
Still Enjoying...
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Today, on my last full day as a stay-at-home mom, I'm going to go to my final BodyJam day class, meet my Mom for lunch and shopping, and get a mani-pedi that was my Mother's Day gift from the man.

And speaking of the man, he'll be home again after being away for the week. I can't wait.

Happy Friday and weekend!

"What to wear?" Wednesday

"Mom, you really like to take pictures of yourself, don't you?", he said with a smile.

"Yeah, I guess I do. I guess your Mom's crazy that way." I replied, with a smile back.

This blogging addiction has made me do a lot of things I wouldn't have thought I would do in a million years.

I haven't put up a Fashion Friday post in a while. Not much posting about anything, truth be told. There's a lot of stuff happening lately, my head is spinning and my stomach is doing flip flops as I re-examine my life, my goals and how they fit in with my precious family. Emotions have run high and low. Pretty serious stuff.

It's time to do something completely frivolous again.

This time, however, there's an actual goal to this posting of my wardrobe. What to wear to BlogHer? It didn't seem that important to me at first, but the stakes are higher now. (And if you're sick of reading about BlogHer, please feel free to plug your ears, sing "la-la-la" and look away - that's what I did last year. I'm trying to keep these posts to a minimum but I'm just too freakin' excited to completely shut up about it.)

It appears that fashion guru Tim Gunn of Project Runway fame, will be in attendance at BlogHer 09, next week. And as I read about the various fashion dilemmas floating around the blogosphere, I noted that I myself, have no idea what I will be donning for the three day whirlwind. I'm going to check out his appearance, and if I'm lucky, might get a one-on-one session with him.

I guess the grunge, "I borrowed my 16 year old daughter's Ed Hardy Tee" look probably won't work, especially since I don't even have a 16 year old daughter. (Get this: my son says that my new hair cut is pretty and reminds him of Demi Lovato; so perhaps I am trying a mite too hard):



But I hear that butterflies are all the rage this year. I am contemplating this outfit, and because my husband hates this dress, it's probably better that he's not accompanying me to Chicago. And never say never to leggings, even though I did and lived to blog about it:


Or maybe another boho look (no, I'm not pregnant, but where the heck were these clothes when I was?):


And finally, I think I will pack this little mini number:

With another LBD under consideration.

Decisions, decisions.

In all seriousness, I'm not too stressed about this. After all, I'm not attending as part of my business; sure, I'll be there to learn a little about this whole blogging explosion, but my mission is to finally meet and have good times with some people who have become friends. To be a part of this blogging community, in real life. And perhaps make new friendships along the way. Two hundred of them if I'm lucky, as I don't want to be stuck with a whole buncha Mini Moo.

I'll be trying my darnedest to be just: Me.

In cute shoes, of course.

Fashion Friday- Losing my kool

It's been a while since I've done a frivolous post with pictures of my wardrobe. But dear reader, you know me by now, and realize that retail therapy is one that at least provides me with a band-aid solution for all that ails.

Remember my trip to NYC? I never did a followup to show you how I fared at Century 21, Anthropologie, and in Soho in various retail establishments.

Ever wish you were Carrie Bradshaw, or a talented designer/ shop-owner in an up-and-coming artsy neighbourhood, and had the guts to be attired in fun, funky numbers and wear them well? I think this is what I was thinking when I went with this...

And paired with an almost conservative swingy jacket...



Or with a Michael Stars T, "sleeping on snow" woolen hoodie and knock-off necklace,

Free People ... squeeee!!!

Ed Hardy T, because I'm too chicken to get a real tattoo...

But times have changed. Hitting the clearance racks and warehouse sales for quick drive-by shopping for more "functional" items in light of recent physical events and the recession, these are my recent buys:

Giraffe? Well, not exactly big on the function quotient, but it was only $9 and it seemed like a good idea at the time...

Ecco boots - I wrestled with a 65 year old grandma for these... but they are comfortable...

A good pair of hiking boots, at least they're in red, not so funky, but red nonetheless...

But my sexiest functional item has got to be this,:

Heck, even Ian says it's hawt, in a volleyball player (although I'm thinking more "Crash") like way.

Thank gawd Anthropologie is coming our way soon...please?

Fashion Friday - Loud

It's been a while since I posted one of these Friday nuggets. But I had to capture the rarity of shopping downtown in the middle of the week.

The Man had a meeting downtown for a couple of nights earlier this week. He packed first thing in the morning of the meeting (he's been doing a fair bit of travelling again, so this is old hat to him), got into his car and then joined the legions of vehicles making the trek into the city. About an hour and a half later, I got a phone call:

"Uh, Karen, could you do me a favour?".

"Uh, what might that be?"

"Well, I forgot my bag ... with my laptop and all my work in it. Could you bring it down for me?"

At first I was exasperated ... driving downtown can be tricky at the best of times, but if you time it right it can be smooth sailing. I'm always concerned about making it back home in time to pick up the boy.

Of course, I then snapped out of it and realized that his hotel was right in the middle of the Mink Mile.

"Sure, I'll pick up the girl and bring your bag down."

I'm not in the position to be buying Prada, Gucci ... but it was fun getting some holiday ideas at Pottery Barn. Of course I wasn't going to go home empty-handed, so a visit to Zara was in order ...



Cuter on...



Yeah, a little loud, eh? I yell so well because my clothes often chime in with me. Here are a few other items I've purchased in the recent past...







And I guess I've always had a soft spot for paisley, as this has been in my closet for about 8 years...



But alas, not all is lost. I did pick up practical mom wear which I wore today because it was the coldest day of the season so far, brrrr ...



So the favour did cost someone somewhat... but at least I didn't go ballistic at Tiffany's.

Happy Weekend all!