Irvine Regional Park

We've been living in Southern California for a whole year now and it was hitting that milestone that made me realize, we have yet to really take advantage of this area outside of our immediate environs, really explore it, you know? So a couple of weekends ago I took the kids out to the Irvine Regional Park for a day of fun.

It's a big regional park that has a little bit of everything -- wide open lawns for picnicing and parties (there were at least two family reunions taking place the day we were there), play structures for the kids, trails for biking and hiking and horseback riding, pony rides, a mini train that gives rides, a lake where you can rent paddleboats and fish and feed ducks. The Orange County Zoo is even housed there.

There was so much to do that we definitely weren't going to fit it all into one trip, especially since it was just me and the kids, and some things like the paddle boats I wouldn't want to attempt without my second parent friend present, hehe.

The first thing we found when we drove in was a play structure area for the kids, so we spent about an hour there. Violet made some little friends right away, a family of 5 other kids, ranging from a baby in a stroller to a girl who was something like 6 or 7 I should think. Max mostly threw sand but also climbed up the baby structure and went down the slide a few times.

Eventually we made our way to the train.

 

We ended up arriving and getting our tickets just in time to catch the next ride before it left. It's a cute little train on a real track that winds around the lake and some other parts of the park in a big loop, probably 10 minutes or so altogether. Max hadn't had his morning nap so he was already pretty exhausted by this time, but he got interested once the train started moving.

There are peacocks on the property. Apparently one of the trees is famous for having been in a Lassie movie, and some other films have been shot here as well. I think the guide said like, Wuthering Heights, or something that is set on the English countryside, hehe.

After the train Violet got to ride the ponies, a first for her. She had the option of a walking pony or a trotting (faster) pony. Three guesses which one she choose. She ended up going twice, she liked it so much.

I'd intended to hit the zoo, but we were hot and getting tired and cranky, so we went to the snack shack and bought some ice cream treats and then went back to the play structure for a bit. Violet's friends were still there.
   
Then, finally, I got them back into the car, cranked up the AC, and headed home.

Maxy didn't last very long. :)

So that's one new place we've discovered that has a ton of potential for family outings, and I'm excited to bring Shawn back with us next time now that I know you can fish in the lake. I think he and Violet would have fun doing the paddleboats together.

Not sure what's next on our adventure schedule, but I'll keep you posted!

Feed Me!

(originally published on Blogging For Two on July 15, 2014)

In a delicious turn of events, I have decided to share with the world all the delicacies I'm currently eating or would eat if they were put in front of my face.

#1: Cheese Quesadillas. Pretty much all Mexican food (again) but cheese quesadillas top the list this week. So crunchy and cheesy and perfect for scooping up guac. If you're not eating this with guac, you're doing it wrong. This recipe is from Paula Dean's website, and while I've never made it myself, you know that butter-lover makes a mean fried tortilla.

#2: Cheeseburger. I'm so hungry looking at this right now. Cheese and meat, red meat. Bacon. More avocado. Yes.

#3: Fruit-based pies. We went to Nation's the other day. Well, Shawn picked up Nation's while I waited at home. And I specifically asked for strawberry pie. They sent him home with chocolate creme pie. I was devastated. Not enough to let it go to waste or anything, but you know, still pretty pissed.

#4: Peanut Butter Pretzel Milkshake. I didn't know I needed this until I saw it on the internets. But I think we can all agree that this is needful.

#5. Pickles. Yes, it's happened. I wouldn't say I crave pickles, but when they give me one with a sandwich, I suddenly find myself asking if I can have two instead. Did you know there was a National Pickle Day? It's November 14. I shall be celebrating this year.

Also, pretty much everything on my Pinterest boards dedicated to food and dessert. Also pizza. There's a strong theme of cheese running through all this, I think.

And the answer is 7.4lbs so far, at week 14. I'm still right on track to gain about 30lbs with this pregnancy, which I can totally live with. That's half of what I did before and smack in the middle of the recommended range, so I'm aiming for the middle.

We've Gone Public!

(originally posted on Blogging For Two on July 7, 2014)

With all the exciting things that have been happening with the realization that Baby #2 is on the way to our household, I'd forgotten all about the blog I wrote while I was pregnant with Baby #1 (now known as Miss Violet Jane).

It wasn't until SIL reminded me about it that I decided to jump into it again, especially now that we've made it known to everyone outside the family (Facebook Declared!). 

Here are the important statics so far:

Due date: Jan 9

Currently: 13wks

Gender: still officially unknown

Unofficially, however, there seems to be a good chance that this baby is a boy. We had an ultrasound last week as part of routine genetic screening tests, and the ultrasound technician and I both noticed at the same time that there was very obviously something sticking up from between the legs that was not the cord, or an arm, or a leg. It's early to be able to see that at what was 12.5 weeks, so we're not calling it yet, but the indications are strong.

When I got home that day, I thought, oh nice, this means I can get rid of all the girly stuff that I've been hanging on to just in case. And then I immediately got sad about it. Sort of a big deal to part with all my first baby's baby stuff. I may have to hang onto a few things that I like the best.

Looks like it's going to be another baby season, too, as at least two of my besties are also expecting, all within a month or two of each other. I cannot reveal their names at this time, but one of them is Leti, (hehe, she's already told everyone) who was a bridesmaid in my wedding, and thought she could fool all the other gals (who were already moms at least once) when she was bursting into tears for no reason and complaining about having itchy boobs. Everyone's first response was, are you pregnant? Psh. Like you can hide that from Mama's eagle eyes.

So far things are going well. Less morning sickness this time which is saving my life, and the nausea is already starting to fade.

Here's the official weekly update from BabyCenter, with a handy illustration.

Fingerprints have formed on your baby's tiny fingertips, her veins and organs are clearly visible through her still-thin skin, and her body is starting to catch up with her head -- which makes up just a third of her body size now. If you're having a girl, she now has more than 2 million eggs in her ovaries. Your baby is almost 3 inches long (about the size of a pea pod) and weighs nearly an ounce. As you start your second trimester, most of your baby's critical development will be completed and your odds of miscarriage drop considerably.

Reading People

People are so hard to figure out sometimes.

I tend to be a pretty friendly, chatty person, but I understand -- completely -- the desire to want to be quiet, keep to yourself, and just not talk for a while. I have those moments as often, if not more often, then I have my chatty periods. And I'm good at reading people; or, at least, people's current emotional state of being. It's one of the gifts of a Pisces -- we can sense the emotions of others.

Sometimes, though, I encounter someone who mystifies me.

I've recently had a person enter my life who I just can't get a read on. I see this person every day, and I see her being chatty and friendly with others. And she's been chatty and friendly with me, too. But when I try to engage her, make some of my trademark silly remarks or just some attempt at bonding through speech, it's suddenly very awkward, as if I'm the only person really interested in the conversation. There are two explanations for this fighting for prominence in my brain.

1. This gal just doesn't like me. Although why, I could not say. I haven't known her for that long. And since, due to the situation in question, we've barely exchanged the equivalent of what could be called a full conversation, I don't know what she could have to go on. But let's be honest, sometimes we don't like people for no reason at all.

2. She's just not a big chatter. I don't really buy this, since, like I said, I've witnessed multiple leisurely conversations between her and other folks, so it can't be that chit-chatting in general is against one of her rules.

It's very odd to be solicited for some light convo one moment, and then sort of brushed off and ignored the next. Is this some queen-bee, girl-drama issue? Am I confused because I am inherently unwilling to believe that a person could be so openly rude? Or am I over-thinking this and turning it into an issue when it's not? I always want to give people the benefit of the doubt, so much so that I try to correct for that by sometimes being overly suspicious, to make sure I'm not letting myself get taken advantage of or stepped on, etc.

Thoughts?

No More Stress!

I had a little mini revelation over the weekend. It was about my life in general, but running and working out played a part. 

I've been overloading myself, spreading myself too thin with favors for other people, or saying yes to too many things. Turning 30 recently has given me a much stronger sense of what my priorities are, and what I want to spend my time on and vice versa. I spent the last couple of days sending emails and making phone calls to cull a lot of the unnecessary things from my life, and it has made me a lot less stressed and happier already.

One of the biggest committments I had made for myself was the training for the half marathon this summer. Having trained for a halfie before, and knowing that I have knee issues, and not wanting to hurt myself by running too far too soon, I knew I needed to be very strict about sticking to the training schedule, and increase mileage gradually. There are only a certain number of weeks before the big race, and I didn't have any time to flub the schedule or I would end up hurting later.

Well, finding time to fit in long runs, even on the weekends, just isn't always possible for me right now. Yes, most days at work I have time to go for a short run on my lunch break. But sometimes meetings get scheduled, sometimes I have to work through lunch. And feeling like I was screwing up my training schedule was stressing me out.

Two weekends ago, I ran a 5K with a friend just for fun, and it occurred to me that I can do these shorter races, have a blast participating, and keep up with my running in a way that is *gasp* enjoyable and not one more thing that is an item on my to-do list. Running was becoming one more chore to get through every day; working out in general, it was just something else I HAD to do, more work, and so rather than relieving any stress it was making me more miserable, and so I was skipping it often and then feeling guilty.

Ugh, Enough!!

So, the half marathon is scrapped. I hadn't registered yet anyway, so good. There are a TON of super-fun looking 5K and even 10K races in the San Francisco area all the stinkin' time, and lots of great trails and paths to run on where I live. I do enough work and I have enough stress. I want running, and working out, to be a fun thing that I do, I need more fun things in my life. And once I ditched the self-imposed pressure and stress, suddenly, it seemed that way again.  

Oh, the Horizon...

Two of the mommies who were in my graduating class of mommyhood -- that is, who all had their first babies around the same time -- are now pregnant with their second kids. I'm happy for them, in that crazy-lady ridiculous happy way I get happy these days when I find out someone I know is pregnant. I love it. One of my favorite people from high school just announced she is pregnant with her first. It's like a cult. Once you're in, you want everyone else in too.

But, I admit to a twinge of jealousy. There were things I thought I'd have done by now that still haven't materialized, and certain parts of my life still feel like I'm on hold. I've had the bug for a second baby myself for a while now. But, I also know that I'd be happier waiting for a while, so that I can have my wedding and honeymoon and then have another baby.

But the wedding is postponed indefinitely, until there is less debt and more money.

Which means that baby #2 is just somewhere out there on the distant horizon, as well.

I hate that someone else's good news makes me slip into a funk of depression. Like, what kind of horrible friend am I? Slash, horrible person, that I can't just be happy for their good fortune without a) slipping into a funk of depression, or b) making it all about me?

Sick Baby = Sad Mama

Little Miss Pants has had the flu this week, which makes Mama very sad. Luckily, there was no vomiting involved, but she had a high fever and has been congested and sad. We took her into the doctor when she peaked at 105.6, but the Doc said that she looked okay, and to keep giving her Tylenol and Motrin, and to watch. The fever broke yesterday and we've been running the humidifier almost non-stop. She's not sleeping the best and so she's cranky, but is otherwise starting to get back to herself again.

What has made this extra hard is that on Wednesday morning, as it became suddenly clear that she was sick, Shawn was on his way out the door for a trip to Anaheim with his band until Monday. He felt really guilty leaving, but her being sick wasn't an emergency and his trip had been planned for months. It's been stressful to not have him here to help, but his mom has been amazing, coming over during the day to help me with Violet so that I could get some work done from home and not have to go into the office.

She insisted on holding the medicine bottle. Thank goodness for child-proof caps. We had a Caillou marathon this week.

The upside was that I got some baby-cuddles at night, because the only way to get her to sleep long stretches was just to take her in bed with me, because she needed the comfort. So that was nice and snuggly.

What this has also meant is that my fitness plans have been derailed by a week. I didn't get to do any exercise for a week, and when I finally got into the gym yesterday afternoon and went for a run, I could feel the absence.

I haven't blogged much about it here, but I have been on a quest to return to my pre-baby weight before I hit my 30th birthday in March. Which means not taking a day off until then and losing somewhere in the neighborhood of 2 lbs a week. Honestly, not an unreasonable goal. But kicking oneself in the pants to get the snowball rolling on motivation and good habits can include the occasional misstep, and those become all the more frustrating when I can hear the clocking ticking away to March 11.

But I had one of my revelations this morning -- the number on the scale matters less than the ability to fit back into my old clothes again. So perhaps I should measure my success by what fits instead of that digital readout every morning. That thought was the bump I needed to stop feeling sorry for myself and refocus on target training my trouble spots, toning up, getting in shape.

I want to be a fit, happy, healthy mama, sexy and confident and excited about life, because Violet will learn my attitudes, and the last thing I want is my own personal struggle with body image, occasional bouts of semi-depression, and just that adult disenchantment with life to negatively affect her world view.

I'm sure she'll develop her own neuroses in time, she doesn't need any of mine. :)

Hot Times in the Kitchen

Recently, I have been attempting to expand my prowess in the kitchen. The reasons for this are many.

1. I like good food.
2. It stimulates the domestic goddess within me. 
3. Broke.
4. Hungry.
5. Trying to lose weight.

Am I the only one who sort of dies a little bit every time I need to spend money at the grocery store? I mean, I do love to eat delicious food (see #1, above), but damn if it doesn't seem just a little bit sad to watch money going away that I won't even have anything to show for in a couple of days. At least when I part with money in exchange for a new purse or boxed set of fantasy novels, I've got something tangible that I can enjoy forever after. Once food is in my belly, well, that's the end of it. 

On top of which, I've been doing my darnedest lately to turn over a new leaf where my finances are concerned. There are just too many things I want and want to do to allow multiple weekly $30 trips to Safeway, when at the end of the week, my cupboards, somehow, are still bare. So to that end, I've lately been trying to get creative with the things I do have on hand, and to be smarter about stocking up on staples that will go a long way.

Plus, after busting my hump at the gym during the day, I'm really a bit loath to stuff my face with frozen pizza or other pre-made entrees, however economical they might be. 

Witness tonight's culinary genius.

As I've learned, the first step in all this is to start pondering dinner just after lunch.What do I have in my cupboard? What can I do with it? Do I need any small items to make a full meal out of it? This afternoon, I remembered I had frozen chicken breasts, two zucchini, a head of broccoli, leftover chopped onions from the turkey chili we'd had a night or two before, plus some butter and olive oil and parmesan, which are staples I always keep on hand. 

Let me take a moment here and sing the praises of a bag of frozen chicken breasts. A package of regular chicken breasts will run you something like $8 or $9, and you get 4 good sized breasts in there, enough for one meal for two, and leftovers for lunch. The Safeway brand 3lbs bag of frozen chicken breasts cost about $10, and while each individual breast is a bit smaller than what comes in the fresh pack, this bag is enough to last me for a least a week's worth of dinners, they defrost in the microwave in less than 10 minutes, and they make eating healthy a breeze.

Infomercial over.

After the baby was fed, I defrosted my chicken, cut up my veggies, and dumped the lot into a casserole dish. I drizzled on the olive oil, and added my personal favorite spice, garlic powder, in a relatively generous portion (because I love it), and a tiny dash of cayenne for heat. I drizzled a bit more oil on top, and three thin pats of butter to help crisp up the veggies as they baked. Plus a little pinch of salt.

I baked for 40 minutes altogether at 375 degrees.

Let me tell you, it smelled delicious.

The veggies were perfectly done, the dish as a whole had the perfect amount of flavor, and I topped mine off with some Parmesan cheese, which has like, 25 calories in a tbsp and is amazing on just about everything.

It was glorious. 

And I'm telling you, the more I just play around with ingredients, or cook from a recipe, I start doing more things like tonight, just sort of throwing a bunch of stuff in a dish and putting it in the oven and hope for the best. Which is good, because after I've done it once, it seems easy, and I begin to have fewer and fewer excuses for picking up drive-thru or falling back on the cheap and fattening option, because I know how little time and effort something better takes, and how much better I feel afterwards. Winner!

The Harvest Festival

Much as I dislike crowds and waiting in lines, I really wanted to take Violet to the Harvest Festival at Ardenwood Farm this year. This second round of the holiday season with her is going to be so much more fun, because she's so much more aware of everything than she was at this time last year, so I was excited for the pumpkin patch and the petting zoo, etc.

And I think she did have fun. What I realized, though, is that I should have brought my stroller, first of all, and second of all, that we probably could have gone to a park for free and she would have had just as much fun. But, mommy and daddy wanted photo ops. Hehe. 

Piggy!

Piggy!

We started out at the animals. Bunnies and cows are animals she's seen in her books, but never up close. She kept calling all of them piggy, though. Ironic that we didn't see any actual pigs.

Piggy!

   

We did some wandering about and eventually met up with two of my mommy friends and their little ones, both of whom seemed better equipped to handle a full day at the farm -- a 9 year old and a baby in a stroller. I felt very unprepared. I finally put Violet on my shoulders, which seemed to keep her happy for the longest amount of time. She really just wanted to run loose and get in everyone's way. In theory, I didn't mind, but it was just crazy busy and there was all kinds of farm equipment and stuff laying around. And she's too full of energy to want to be constrained for very long.

So we soon parted ways with out friends again and headed over to the pumpkin patch, again, largely for the photo op, since we didn't want to take a pumpkin home just yet. Charmingly, her first instinct was to try to pick up the biggest pumpkin she could find. 

This one looks good!

I'll just sit here for a minute.

We did have to convince her to sit on one, and because I was following behind her and daddy, I kept only getting pictures of her back. Oh well, it's still cute.

The haystack was a big hit. She loves climbing things. Going up was relatively easy, though Daddy did have to help her get her footing on the less-than-stable hay. Going down was a bit more dangerous, and definitely required help.

Going up...

Trying to take the down step at a run, note the look of panic on Daddy's face.

She had such a fun time picking up rocks and sticks and falling in the dirt that Shawn and I were both commenting on what a little tom-boy she was. But she kept holding out her hand for me to brush off the dirt, so, clearly still a princess after all.

Dirty. Clean me, please.

On Milestones and so forth

After a long absence, a milestone has urged me to post once again. And you'll no doubt be gratified to know that I've roundly scolded myself for not posting in an age. Cardinal sin of blogging, really.

Milestone -- 18 months. 

I don't know quite why that's a milestone in my brain, other than that it's the next size up in baby clothes? From 12 months to 18 months. The next will be the big 24 -- or 2 years old. But also, I've started referring to her as being "a year and a half," rather than how many months old, and that's different. Soon she'll be two. Gulp.

*sob*

We're already seeing signs of the feisty little 2-year-old she is going to grow into. "No" is a common word in our house already. She gets little attitudes when she doesn't get her way, when Calliou isn't on for long enough, etc. (Sidebar -- much as I try to interest her in Doctor Who, Torchwood, Sherlock Holmes, et al., she stubbornly refuses anything but cartoons.)

But she's also more and more her own person, and that's a fun thing to watch and be a part of. She's learning new words by the day, picking up new skills like climbing onto laundry baskets and unlocking my iphone. Which has got me thinking about getting her enrolled in classes of some kind, baby tumbling or even just taking her to a play place to interact with other kids. She's so much more outgoing than I ever was as a child, eager to make friends with everyone and check out all the new stuff. I was the shy kid who wanted to stay in my room and read books. So I want to foster that spirit in her, get her out into all kinds of different activities, sports, music, girly stuff and tom-boy stuff, and wait to see what sticks. So whether I'll be a (hot) soccer mom or a (hot) gymnastics mom or a (hot) piano recital mom, or all three, remains to be seen.

But seriously, I'm in no rush to find out. All this growing and getting bigger business really needs to stop.

With Grandma

Watching Calliou, one of her favorite pastimes

Already sneaking into Mama's wallet

Such a big girl, eating at the table

Scandalous Overtones

You know, I've been working on a lot of stuff lately. It's keeping me very busy, which has sadly meant that the blog has been suffering from a lack of attention. I haven't forgotten you, I swear! I still have some Hot Mama profiles that I intend to shortly publish, so stay tuned for that.

It's just that trying to get a freelance writing and editing career started takes a lot of time and energy, my pets, and I've so little of that as it is. You'll be pleased to know, however, that I'm doing this for you. Half of my efforts lately have been directed at producing a series of erotic shorts for an adult product website I've been known to do a bit of business with, and you should starting seeing said stories online and available for repeated reading sometime in the next several weeks. So seriously, put down that copy of 50 Shades you're pretending not to read. Seriously. It's a bit vanilla, don't you think?

Is it scandalous to allude to naughty writing and other X-rated preferences in a blog with Mama in the title?

Not if you also put the word Hot in there, which, conveniently, I have done. So. There's that.

;)

Profile of a Hot Mom -- Lila Jane

Hello, ladies and jellys.


I know, I've been vacant. I apologize. What with the move that happened recently and then the baby pooped in the bathtub...yeah, it's been a busy month.


But, rather than blathering on about myself all day, I'd rather share with you a little bit about some of the other hot moms I know, and that, frankly, you should know too. As I mentioned in a previous post re inspiring women, I have so many fabulous ladies in my life, and the name of the game is lifting each other up, man. So, to that end, let's meet our first hot mama.


This lovely lady has been a friend of mine since the early days, and we were oh so very pleased to have the chance to be pregnant together and have our firsties so close in age. We've been swapping mommy stories from the beginning, so it makes sense that she begins this series. Her name is Lila, and part of Miss Violet's long name (Violet Elizabeth Jane) was inspired by Lila's own middle name, Jane. Such a great name. Anywho. Let me introduce you...

Name: Lila
Age-ish: 29
Residing in: Walnut Creek, CA
Occupation: Technical Writer
Kid(s): Ava Elise, 17mo


Describe your style in 3-5 words ~ Classic, sophisticated, almost European.


How would you say motherhood has affected your style? The most obvious is the change in my body's shape after giving birth, which had the biggest influence on my wardrobe choices. But even now, though my weight is back down, I feel like it's distributed a little differently and I have to cater to that. I feel like I can't get away with wearing the youthful-looking clothes I've hung onto from, literally, my youth -- like I have to dress like a mother now that I am one. Also, I have so much less time to spend getting ready now, so I've had to shorten my routine quite a bit. I wash my hair less often since it takes so long to blow-dry. While I was working from home, I was determined to shower and pull myself together at least minimally every day; no wearing pjs all day! (I succeeded about half the time.) My goal was to wear clothes that were comfortable enough to wear while taking Ava for walks, but that if I ran into someone I knew while I was out running an errand I wouldn't try to hide! In the summer, that was usually shorts and a tank top and sandals or espadrilles. When it was a little cooler out, it was leggings and a tunic. If I was going to try to fit a workout class into the day at any point, I'd wear yoga pants and a sports bra so I could be out the door in a flash. (Time sneaks up on me when I'm chasing after Ava all day.) Now that I'm back in the office and leave the house before Ava even wakes up in the morning, it's pretty much business as usual pre-baby.


How do you maintain your style while juggling kids and work and home, etc? I feel like you really have to make more of a concerted effort when you add a baby to the already long list of responsibilities. At times since giving birth, a shower has been a luxury I couldn't afford. I'd be lucky to brush my teeth on a daily basis. And between loads of Ava's laundry, it may not have always been possible to throw in one of my own. I used to think leaving the house without makeup was the worst offense but now if I'm wearing makeup it's only because I applied it in the car on the way to wherever I'm going. (Or maybe I've always done that.) You just do what you can do and don't worry about it.

Who's style do you most admire? I admire any woman who has a sense of her own style, dresses to the occasion, and knows what's flattering to her shape regardless of the trends.

What's your favorite fabulous mommy accessory? Glamourmom has the most amazing nursing tops that I literally lived in for the first six to eight months while I was breastfeeding and even after. The long sleeved options are the best in the winter and they even have longer styles that are much more flattering to a protruding midsection and inflated hips while you recover from childbirth (and beyond).

Somewhat related, what is your hot-mom must have? When you want a little extra bling, I've discovered that bracelets (like bangles) are a much safer option than dangly earrings and babies love playing with them so they double as entertainment when you're out and about.

How do you stay confident? Honestly, I just try to push through and get as much done as I can, and if at the end of the day, I feel like I did my best, I guess that makes me feel like I accomplished something, and that gives me a sense of confidence.

What do you love most about being a mom? Ava is my greatest joy. I never thought my heart could hold so much love and happiness. I am enamored with everything she does and says. She's developing into this incredibly focused, intelligent, determined, and affectionate little girl who is going to change the world. And I feel like she makes me try harder to be a better person, because I want to inspire her to change the world. (Did I really just write that?)

Words to live by? As a habitual perfectionist and overachiever, it's taken me some effort to accept that you can't do everything all the time. You can't always have a spotless house and cook amazing meals and throw incredible parties when you have a baby. Something's always gotta give. But you can do any of those things sometimes if you plan ahead and prioritize your day. Also, I allow three times the amount of time it should take me to get ready if I go anywhere. Even with an abridged routine to get myself ready, I still have to get Ava dressed (and that has to be done just before we're out the door or she'll require multiple wardrobe changes), pack the bag with fresh bottles and snacks, and actually get ourselves out the door. Leaving the house is a process and it's much easier when you accept that and plan accordingly.

What's your guilty pleasure? Since depriving myself my entire pregnancy, I've really come to appreciate my daily latte and occasional glass of vino. Also, I love watching Mad Men season five whenever I can squeeze in an episode. (Since it would be impossible to plan my schedule around a show during this phase in my life, it's a huge treat to watch a show at all so I can overlook the fact that the season is over before I finally start watching it.) Oh, and my blog of course, and now this interview. It's taken me weeks to finish (sorry Katie!), not because I don't love talking about myself, but because I can only put in a few minutes at the computer at a time outside of the office. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to indulge!

Some uplifting video goodness

Hello, readers!
Apologies for the lull in my oh-so-witty writing, we spent the last week packing up our old apartment and moving into our sparkling new apartment, which really feels more like a house, or at least a condo, and I couldn't be happier with it. Pics and post re that whole adventure to follow.

For now, I wanted to share a post and video by the wonderful and hilarious Marie Forleo. I found it incredibly relevant to my life at the moment, and so many of my fabulous friends are running their own businesses and just generally being badass at what they do that I thought some of you would appreciate it too.

This is a video from Marie's website on How To Create Your Brand & Find Your Voice.

I very much recommend RSSing this gal's site. She rocks my socks right off!!

Parade of Good Times

Well, this week has been short and weird. Thursday felt like Monday. 

BUT...we had a fun 4th, and I have the pictures to prove it. 

The hometown parade was better this year than I've seen it in several years. And Miss Violet was intrigued by the shenanigans, versus last year when she mostly slept in her bassinet. My mom bought her a fancy Minnie Mouse t-shirt with stars and stripes and cute pair of jean shorts, so she was quite stylish. 

Some of the highlights of the parade:

The Alameda Theatre made a float with a gorgeous scale model of the iconic, historic marquee. 

The Alameda Chamber of Commerce made a Cinderella Pumpkin coach. I don't know why. But it was awesome.

The Swell Bar had a jaunty little nautical themed float, complete with mermaids, vintage sailor girls, and Neptune, God of the Sea

Violet, in her Minnie Mouse stars and stripes, and Grandma

Violet watching the parade with Auntie Shannon

Sleepy baby fell asleep halfway through the parade. Guess it wasn't all that exciting.

Rhythmix Cultural Works, an arts center in town, had a cool float with cogs and gears

This gal had more American spirit than anyone!

And my personal favorite, the period costumes, courtesy of the Dickens Fair float

Independence-eve

I like any excuse to bring out my inner hostess. For the family BBQ tomorrow, I decided to make a cupcake flag.

I used a boxed mixed this time around. Partial as I am to baking from scratch, I was more focused on the decorating tonight. I used a French vanilla Betty Crocker mix and whipped cream frosting from Duncan Hines.

I had intended to make the flag 6x6 but I ran out of cupcakes and space in my tray. So, rather than decorating each cupcake with a different color, I frosted them all, arranged them in the tray, and used the red and blue sprinkles to make my design.

Side note, I'd never had french vanilla cake until now, and it tastes like freakin pancakes. Win.

Home Again

Baby Violet has been spending the last several days with my mom at my grandfather's house. Since Mom won't be here during our moving weekend, she's pitching in now by giving us baby-free time to pack up the house, as well as hogging some nana time for herself with the Little Missy.

As much as I love to get some free time to accomplish a few tasks, the second night of having her away from home found me just a little bit sad. I missed my little monkey while she was away. So tonight, even though Mom was going to keep her again, I every so subtly suggested taking her home for the night, so that she could get back on her sleep schedule in her comfortable environment and give my mom a chance to rest up as well. Of course, baby was cranky and and tired, and so she went to bed an hour early and I haven't had much time with her tonight, but just knowing that she's curled up with her blankie in the other room makes me feel better.

Ode to Hot Papas

Without giving you the details, let's start out by saying that I spent most of Sunday night being sick. Spontaneously. I called Mr. Shawn at band practice to tell him to come home early, as I suddenly couldn't manage on my own.

He was wonderful. He rushed home, got the baby out of her playpen and made sure I was doing okay before leaving me in peace.

Once I managed to get some sleep, and woke a few hours later with a powerful thirst, he brought me tissues and water and my phone and my blankie, hehe. All while holding a sleeping baby on his chest.

All of which served to remind me just how lucky I am to have the man that I have. A lot of men would have turned tail and run when their girlfriend of less than one year - and live-in for only one week - had woken them up one Wednesday morning with a positive pregnancy test. A lot of guys would have grumbled about the sudden dramatic drop off of sex during said pregnancy or pressured to get some even though their lady friend was feeling anything but. A lot of guys, including some husbands I know, would have gone home to sleep in a nice comfy bed while I coped alone with a newborn and ice diapers in a hospital room for two nights.

Not Mr. Shawn. I know I would have lost it during the early months without his support and shoulder to lean on. He has always been, as I knew he would be, an amazing father. Amid the sordid details of the night Violet was conceived, I very clearly remember telling him that I was only okay with us taking the risk of not using a condom because I knew he would be a good daddy.

And he is.