Christmas Movies

As we are in full swing Christmas mode, I am really enjoying all the Christmas movies playing on TV. It really helps get me in the holiday mood and stay in it through out the month of December. (Especially thanks to ABC Family's The 25 Days of Christmas.)

I ABSOLUTELY LOVE Christmas!!! And watching all the heart-warming, love your neighbor, help the less fortunate, embrace the crazy family plots just add to the season for me.

Below are my top 10 favorite movies of the season. What's your top 10?

10. How The Grinch Stole Christmas
9. A Christmas Story
8. The Santa Clause
7. The Santa Clause 2: The Mrs. Clause
6. While You Were Sleeping
5. Four Christmases
4. The Holiday
3. Elf
2. Love Actually
1. National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation

Try watching one to help lift your Christmas spirit!! Happy Christmas!!

It's The Little Things

Have you ever heard the expression "It's the little things?"

It can be used in reference to anything from relationships, work, life expereinces. For me, it really applies to anything and everything. It's the little things that can really get to me and stress me out or the little things that lift me up and put me in a good mood. And sometimes the little things that stress me out can also make me laugh.

With that said, as many of you know, I am still nursing my beautiful daughter. She will be 10 months old this week, so my body has not been my own for almost 10 months now. Breastfeeding is something that I truely want to do and would not give it up voluntarily. However, it can get old every now and then. I am doing this and working a full time job as well....which means I am pumping too. Each day, when all is said and done, I am nursing or pumping 6 times a day.

Last week, I was working in a different building than I'm usually in and had arranged for an area I could use to "do my thing." (That's what I say when I have to pump because most of the men I work with, get wierded out if I say I'm going to pump.) This area has a motion sensored light that turns on as soon as the door is opened and connected to a timer. Now, I've been doing this for sometime now, so I have a pretty good routine to get "hooked up"....for lack of a better phrase. So I'm sitting there "doing my thing" and about 10 minutes in I am sobmerged in pitch black. The timer has shut the light off since nothing had triggered the sensor in 10 minutes. Keep in mind I am still "hooked up" and the only source of light is my cell phone which isn't exactly a flashlight. I know the sensor isn't far away so I reach over the chair and start swinging my arm...no luck. I try stretching and straining...nothing. Frustrated, I use one hand to make sure I "stay connected" and the other to pick up the actual pump. I stand up and carefully walk a few steps and luckily trigger the light. As I sit back down I thought about how ridiculous I probably looked and I just had to laugh. At that moment my frustration subsided and my mood lifted. I'm laughing now just thinking about it. It was a tiny, little part of my day that would normally have come and gone without notice, but for me.... it's the little things that matter.

Fun, Family, Friends & FOREVER Since I've Blogged

Oh Blog...how I've ignored you!

I can't even believe how long it has been since I've blogged. Time goes by so fast. While the daily chaos and work take up time and energy, we've actually been pretty busy having some fun too!!!

A few weekends ago we made the drive up to my sister's house for Halloween and Alden's birthday. It was so cute to see all the kids dressed up and ready for candy and Alden ready to dig into cake and gifts.

Our little pumpkin!!!

Hermione Granger and Superman were great protectors of little Miss Ladybug as we went trick or treating! Especially when Superman would grab Hermione's wand and cast spells as well.

"Minomus!!!"

Emma Kate looked JUST like Hermione!!! I was so proud. As a HUGE fan of Harry Potter myself, I was so excited to see my niece and nephew so into it as well. We tried to find a Hedwig costume for Mackenzie, but no luck. However, she was a very cute little ladybug if I do say so myself. :) With everyone together for one weekend, we usually enjoy the company and embrace the chaos, as we are "our own freak show," but I thought the weekend was very relaxing. We just went with the flow with no agenda other to have a little birthday party for Alden and hit a few neighborhoods for trick or treating. If only my sisters would just move to Columbus. Ahhh...to dream!

The next weekend Chris and I went on a real, live, grown-up date!! For anyone with children, you know how exciting it can be. We realized we had not been out by ourselves for dinner since March!!! Wow! Now don't get me wrong...we've been able to get out of the house and hang out with friends, we just hadn't been out, just the two of us since our anniversary.

We had the best time!!! We looked at clothes for Mackenzie at Carter's, had a FANTASTIC dinner at Olive Garden and sipped Starbucks in Barnes and Noble for a few minutes. It was so nice!! We actually got to eat dinner at the same time. Normally we do the whole "you-eat-while-I-hold-her-and-then-we'll-switch" routine. We decided we cannot go another 7-ish months without taking time for just us. (We're already thinking about when we can go next.)

Then, just this passed weekend we enjoyed an impromptu cookout with friends on Saturday night. Mackenzie came with us and stole the show. Everyone went on about how cute she was and how well behaved she was! Yay! She really did do wonderfully!! It was great to just chat and catch up with everyone. We even had a surprise visit from our friend from New York who was in town. We really must get together more often to just chill.

All in all, a great few weeks! I'm looking forward to a few more great weeks in future as well. Thanksgiving with my grandparents, decorating the Christmas tree and maybe a trip to visit Santa Claus.

Milestones for Mackenzie

Well, I know it's been forever since I've blogged, but a lot has been going on. If you are still checking my blog, I promise you'll hear from me more now that things are starting to level out a bit.

Since today Mackenzie is 9 months old, I thought I would dedicate this entry to her and some of her milestones. She is growing by leaps and bounds, and keeping Chris and I extremely busy in the process. Today I was think about how fast time has gone by...it seems like yesterday I was still on maternity leave. I thought about how much she has changed and developed in the past few months and that got me thinking about how much she will change in the next 3 months, before she turns 1. (I can't believe she is 3 months away from being 1 year old!) It's sad and exciting all at the same time.

As you can see here, she is LOVING the addition of solid (mostly organic) foods to her diet! (Still on the prowl for organic myths and facts.)

She's started on solids when she was 6 months old. First was the baby rice cereal and now she is eating just about anything we give her. She really enjoys fruit and her new favorite is applesauce and strawberries. For veggies, she is all about the peas and carrots, just like her daddy. Recently we added the meat flavored baby food. That was a bit of an adjustment for her, but she's really getting into it now. Most of it ends up in her mouth, but I think she likes to make us work to feed her. Every now and then, she'll sit in her highchair wiggling her head back and forth like Stevie Wonder with her mouth open and squeeling and looking at us like we're the ones with the problem. It's actually pretty funny! :)

While she took to solid food pretty quick, the ExerSaucer has been an acquired taste for Mackenzie.

We felt certain she would really love this toy so we just kept trying to put her in it to see what would happen. At first she was only digging it for 5 minutes and she would scream if we left her in the room by herself for few seconds. Now?!?!?! She is already kicking her legs as we lean down to put her in it. When she really gets going, her fluffy, troll-like hair starts flying up and down and she jumps. I'll have to try and get a video of it to share.

Here you can see that she is sitting up all by herself. Even though she's been doing it for a while, it's still amazing and exciting for me.

She's reaching, leaning, grabbing and pulling anything near her straight to her mouth, which has been really fun. She just seems so independent now. She's not crawling yet, and for a while I was convinced she never would since she hates being on her tummy so much. Yet, after months of trying to give her "tummy time" she has finally warmed up to the idea. She'll lay on her back and roll over and over to move across the floor, sometimes stopping on her tummy to look around or try to reach for a toy or one of Darwin's bones.

It's totally amazing to me to see her learn and grow!! It is so much fun!! When I think about it, I realize that within the next 3 months she'll probably be crawling and maybe even walking. She'll learn to pull herself up and really do some damage then. I foresee a major baby proofing of my house in my near future. I'm trying to do my best to embrace and enjoy every moment because I know it goees so fast.

I'm so lucky to be blessed with a beautiful, happy, healthy, sweet little angel!! And I get to raise her with my HOT, wonderful, loving, helpful husband!!

A Weight Lifted

Welcome to Fall friends and family!! My absolute favorite season is finally poking its head out. I was happy all day on Wednesday after walking out of my house to a cool, crisp morning. Aside from the change in weather, I can tell Summer is on the way out because my calendar isn't quite as full.

As busy as we have been, we have had a ton of fun!! Between weekends with the family, visiting with friends, weddings, the high school reunion and all the other many gatherings we have created some great memories. However, through out all of it, I have had a small worry in the back of my mind. Several blogs ago I mentioned that Mackenzie's pediatrician said he wanted her to put on some weight. After an agonizing month, we hoped that she was gaining enough weight to alleviated any concern the doctor had. Although we had no idea what that was. We didn't know if he just wanted to see that she had gained something or if he was looking for her to gain a certain amount. Finally we had her appointment this week. She has put on 1lb. 3oz. and the doctor is thrilled!! (Whew!!) It seems Mackenzie may just be a bit smaller than the average baby. And it turns out that Chris was a skinny little thing until he was about 9 -10 years old, so it's probably just genetic.

Talk about relief!!! I thought my heart was going to pound right out of my chest when the doctor walked into the room. I know it may seem trivial to what some other parents handle, so I tried to relax and just remembered how lucky I am to have such an AMAZING and BEAUTIFUL family!!!

A Ton of "Firsts"

Hello Bloggers!!! Long time, no talk. Although my life has been pretty low key for a while, recently there have been a ton of "firsts" for Mackenzie.

The first "first" was this weekend when she went to ther first wedding. The brother of a friend of mine got married this weekend and Mackenzie blew everyone away!! She was passed around while we took pictures. Everyone commented on how cute she was and how well behaved she is!! We couldn't help but enjoy being the proud parents! (Pictures to follow later.)

The second "first" is that Mackenzie had her first sleepover WITHOUT me! She was totally fine. Me?........I was a little nervous, but I made it through ok. After the wedding we were planning to just go home, put Mackenzie to sleep and watch a movie. However, we knew a bunch of our friends would be hanging out afterward (and we would love to join them). Luckily, Mimi and Papa asked if we needed a sitter. We thought it wouldn't be bad if we just took her to their house to put her to sleep and then we could pick her up later. Well, when we were deciding what to do after the weeding, no one was really up for a bar and our house was the next best option. We love having our friends over, so we asked my parents if we could just leave her there for the night. It was kind of last minute, but they were up for it and we were very grateful!! (I barely slept 6 hours...next time I need to be better mentally prepared.)

The last "first" is that after almost 5 months of Mackenzie drooling constantly, she actually has a tooth coming through!! It's on the bottom front and coming in beautifully. I've tried getting a picture, but she keeps sticking her tongue out when I try to pull her bottom lip down. She is too cute!!!

She is growing up so fast!! It's kind of sad and exciting all at the same time! As soon as I get a picture of the tooth I'll be sure to share it with everyone.

A Day Worth Remembering

On this anniversary day of September 11th in a year of economic struggle, I find myself at a loss and look to the words of Paul Sweeney.

How often we fail to realize our good fortune in living in a country where happiness is more than a lack of tragedy. ~Paul Sweeney

September 11th, 2009 - A Day Worth Remembering

The Reunion

So this coming weekend, I have a class reunion. Now, I wasn't really the "coolest" person in high school per say, but I really did enjoy it. Since high school, I have really come to grips with the fact that I am a TOTAL dork and I have learned to truly embrace it. I wasn't so secure back then and I have some mixed emotions now.

I did not wear the latest Gap and Abercrombie and Fitch clothes, I wasn't in the high school sorority, I wasn't involved in all the popular clubs, I have NO athletic ability and I was not the smartest in any subject. However, I was part of one awesome group!! I am actually closer with more of my high school friends than I am of my college friends. I'm not really sure how we did it, but to this day we make the effort to see each other during the summer and at holidays. We've traveled for weddings and special occasions and we are still very close. Even our significant others have comfortably settled into the group with ease.

We joke about why we're going to the reunion in the first place because we all see the people from high school that we want to anyways, but I think we'll be excited to reconnect with some that we were close with at the time and just seemed to drift apart from after school. I feel very strong that a person can make a big impact on your life even if you do not stay close forever. It could be a good or a bad impact, but it makes you who you are.

Through out the embarrassing moments (that I would just LOVE to forget!!) I made a lot of great friends. My friends and I made a lot of great memories and we continue to make great memories as we have transitioned to adulthood. It is because of my friends that I want to go back to revisit the good ole days and long ago friends.

So, I will tackle the reunion with confidence and excitement! And hopefully my HOT, Scottish husband on my arm and a load of adorable pictures of my daughter, I can blow them all away!!

Oh, How Life Has Changed

Although the transition to parenthood has brought many changes to my life, I really felt the switch over the past week. For any non-parents reading, I apologize if this post seems odd, but for all the parents out there I am sure you will understand.

Mackenzie had an appointment with the pediatrician a few weeks ago and we basically found out that she needs to put on a bit more weight. (Who'd a thunk Chris and I would produce an under-weight child?!?!) Of course, I'm terrified, but the doctor said to just increase her solid foods from what we were giving her and come back in month for a weight check. I'm really trying to keep things in perspective, I'm following the doctor's orders and not worrying...much.

Well.....the increase in solid foods has caused some..... "intestinal discomfort," if you know what I mean. My poor little girl has been so uncomfortable and unhappy. It was so hard to see her like that. She would cry, I'd pick her up to comfort her and she'd just bury her little head in my shoulder out of pure exhaustion. She was so tired and pitiful. :( The evenings were hard because she was hungry, but didn't want to eat and all the energy she'd had during the day was just gone.

Despite it all, she was doing so well. She could relax at night while she was sleeping and feel a little better in the mornings. We tried several things to help. Dark Karo syrup was suggested by the doctor and the internet suggested prunes and green veggies. Apparently prunes aren't Mackenzie's fav right now, but peas and carrots are really popular!! We've since learned that carrots do not help the "intestinal problems," but she was definitely enjoying them here.

She is now feeling much, much better!!! As we tried all the various remedies, we continued to hope that she would be "relieved" of her pain. When it did finally happen Chris and I had never been so happy!! We were truly, blissfully excited that our daughter had pooped!!! There, I said it!!!

Oh, how life has changed. However, as I laugh at Chris and I in our new found joy, I welcome the most important change our lives have had....the beautiful little face that tops my blog!! I can see it now.....change is a-comin'!!

A Good Ending

Well....last week was a pickle. You know how bad things usually happen in 3's? I guess Fate decided to give me a bonus, because I counted 4.

1. I stubbed my toe and broke it on my husband's big ass "muckle" shoes.
2. Mackenzie woke up one morning at 5:30 ready to eat. (She usually sleeps until 6:45 - 7:00.)
3. Someone from work turned to me one day and said, "Umm...you're not...you're not expecting are you?" (Seriously?!?!?! ~ FYI Men, if you do not know for a FACT that a girl is pregnant, DON'T SAY ANYTHING!!) My "No" response was professional and light-hearted as to keep from losing it.
4. Lastly, which is the worst, I found out someone I know passed away of a heart attack. I didn't know him really well, but it was just really sad. He was such a happy guy and too young to die.

However, in spite of everything that happened there was a good ending. The weekend was relaxing and fun. Chris, Mackenzie and I went shopping on Friday, I cleaned our house on Saturday and on Sunday Mackenzie and I went to the Infantry Museum with my parents.

Also, after much deliberation and weighing of facts, Chris and I purchased a new laptop. (Which I am using right now!!!) I have been wanting to get either a laptop or a netbook for a little while now so I can sit my lazy ass on the couch and check e-mail, play on Facebook, continue my vigilant search for organic facts and, of course, blog. Chris was able to get a sweet deal from Big Lots and it actually ended up being cheaper than the netbook I was looking to buy. Already I am totally addicted to it!! I wish I could take it to work with me, but I'm sure that's against policy and plus I doubt I would get any work done. How did I ever live without it?!?!?

Overall, everything ended up pretty good and I think I have to dedicate it to my husband, Chris. It may have started badly because of his shoe, but his knowlegde, help and advice about the laptop was wonderful. I'm going to believe that an optimistic attitude will carry me through to the next week and hopefully further.

Organic or Non-organic? That is the question.

Ever since I got pregnant, and even before then, I knew I wanted to try to give my baby the healthiest food I could. I'd always heard of the benefits of organic, but didn't really jump on board until I got pregnant. I decicded I was going to make it a priority to give Mackenzie only organic baby food and really try to find local organic meats and veggies for Chris and I.

However, organic food is definitely more expensive and now there are all these studies saying that organic isn't nutritionally better than conventional food. So I decided to take it upon myself to unearth the TRUTH about organic food and spread the word to all......basically, I googled it.

I skimmed the links and clicked on the links that "looked good." (You all know what I mean and you do it too., don't deny it. You can't explain it, but some links just "look" better than others. Like you just know their information is going to be more accurate or widely known.) Now, in the time I have been searching, I have found it very frustrating. Most of the studies are several years old or have no date to reference at all. And really, I just see one website that states organic food has not been proven to have an increase in nutritional value and another one that says it clearly does have more nutrients. Errrr?!?!?

Even with all the science and nay-saying, I am still very drawn to the idea of organic food. Have I been sucked into the ultimate conspiracy to steal consumer's hard-earned dollars? I am following the uber cool fad just because others say its healthy? I'm trying to be diplomatic and unbiased. I can't knowingly spend the money for something that may or may not have any real benefits to our bodies, the environment or animals, but I really want to give Mackenzie the best beginning to a healthy life.

I will prevail!!! Constant Vigilance!!! I will continue my tireless search for the FACTS about organic and hope I end up armed with the knowledge to make a well-educated decision to choose organic or non-organic.

Not Sure What to Think

As you many of you know, I am the proud mother of a beautiful 6 month old girl, Mackenzie! Unfortunately, we did not win the lottery before I the end of my maternity leave (shocker I know!!), so she is in day care. Now, don't get me wrong, day care is a wonderful way to take of kids and allow them to interact with others and to learn and grow, but like most Moms, I would love to be at home with her. Also, Chris and I really like our day care and feel totally comfortable leaveing her in their care.

Well, I pick her up from day care on Thursday and when I get home I start the ritual of getting ready for the next day of work and day care. For Mackenzie, we pack her bottles in a lunch box and all her extras, like a pacifier, bibs, burp cloth, change of clothes, etc in a little diaper bag. As I am getting her bag ready for the next day I see some papers inside. I take them out and begin to read. The papers are a notification letter and form for a day care fundraiser. We have been asked to sell a few pastries to help raise money for supplies. It's not a lot, we've been asked to sell just five.

However, I'm not sure what to think. I'm not offended or anything, but I guess I just thought that kind of thing happened when your kids were older. Maybe I'm showing my ignorance as a new mom, but I really was surprised. I know that our money goes to pay, not only for salaries and bills, but for toys, cleaning products, cleaning equipment, craft supplies, snacks, etc. And I know times are hard and this is a relatively easy way to bring in some funds, but I was still not expecting it.

Still not sure how to feel about this, but needless to say, we will try to sell our 5 pastries. I don't want to be "that mom" who won't help out these poor innocent children who just want a toy to play with and some crayons to color with.

Wish me luck!!

Best Mates

I consider myself one of the luckiest people in the world because I am blessed to have a TRUE best friend!

As we ended the first week back to the everyday routine after the beach I looked forward to seeing my "best mate" Brandy. She and I have known each other for about 10 years now. We meet in college and really got to know each other while we were both Resident Assistants in a female freshmen dorm. She is now living in Europe attending medical school. With the 6 hour time difference and limited travel opportunities, we haven't been able to see each other much for the last 3 years. She does come home about twice a year and we always manage to squeeze in a visit. She came down this weekend and we had a great time!!

I took Monday off, just to have the extra time we always want. We stayed up late every night, talked, watched movies, ate, drank, visited with family, went shopping, just all the things you do with your girlfriends. She shares my addiction for the ab fab British soap opera, Coronation Sreet, so we watched some recent episodes and she caught me up on the drama. (I swear, we talked about the characters as though they were real people we knew.)

She retold her exciting and hilarious adventures in Rome, Italy where a creepy Italian man tried to kiss her while she was at the Vatican and Edinburgh, Scotland where she did a pub crawl with some cute atheltic type. I'm totally jealous of all the traveling she gets to do - she's been to almost every country in Europe. I don't wish to be attacked by creepy Italian men and I am married to my own cutie from Scotland, but I would LOVE to travel like that, so I live vicariously through her.

Through all the chatting and laughing we decided that we should round off the weekend with nothing better than a box of do-it-yourself at-home hair dye. My "honey" highlights turned out a bit more like platinum blonde, so we had to tone it down with an all over color of medium brown. Now it looks like I have a wonderfully natural auburn color highlighted through out. I love it!!! It's so natural and subtle that no one said a word about it at work today. (Not sure how I feel about that.) As far as we could tell, her color (thankfully) turned out okay...whew!!! (I don't really have much, or any, hairstyling talents.)

It was a wonderful weekend of spending time with an amazing friend! We have so many good times in the past and a million to come in the future. She is like a sister to me. We don't have to talk everyday and as soon as we see each other, it's as though no time has passed and we can pick right back up from where we left off. I hope that everyone is as lucky as I am to have a best friend like Brandy.

Cheers!!

I'm On a Boat

Metaphorically speaking, the boat that took me and the family to St. George Island for our family vacation finally made it back home to the daily grind. We spent a week on St. George Island enjoying a beautiful view from our fantabulous house and wonderful weather!! We couldn't ask for a better atmosphere. It was a week of "firsts" for us as well. For Mackenzie, it was her first beach trip.

(That is actually ocean water in the baby pool with some sand, compliments of Alden.)

Mackenzie also had baby cereal for the first time while we were on vacation.

Emma Kate also swam in the deep end of the pool by herself with no floats or anything. Unfortunately, I don't have a picture of that. Sorry Emma!! :(

Now that small children are involved in the annual trip, our comings and goings are slightly adjusted to meet their needs, so things are not always movie-perfect. People....we are our own freak show!! If someone watched a movie of our trip, they would probably come away from it saying, "What the hell?!?!" or "Holy crap!!" There was a kitchen island that my mom designated for booze only, special ice for the margaritas, a keg in one of the bathroom showers and various baby items thrown about the house. If someone had heard the common conversation, they would have inevitably heard the following:

"Alden no!!"

"Millie, Sunday...Chill!!"

"OOhhhh, auuuuwwww!!!!!" (Mackenzie)

"I'm on a boat!"

"Sensuous?!?!?"

"Where's my drink?"

Needless to say, it was a great trip!! We definitely made some great memories. Here are some of my favorites.

I would actually add some more pictures, but I am somehow adding them the hardest way possible and it's taking forever. If you want to see more pictures and you are my friend on Facebook, check them out there.

And now, I am off to bed with my nautical themed pashmina afghan. Night!

Our Annual Pilgrimage

Well, I can finally say that we are on the downhill slide to my family's annual pilgrimage to the beach!!! HOLLA'....Woot Woot!!!!
(Many of my family would have started the count down a while ago, but I had to wait a little while before I actually said it, otherwise I would go nuts.)

Now when I say my family, I mean my parents (2 grandparents), 2 sisters, 2 brother-in-laws, 1 niece, 1 nephew, 1 daughter and 3 dogs...aka...Mom, Dad, Mendy, Alan, Emma Kate, Alden, Caitlin, Mack, Chris, Me, Mackenzie, Darwin, Mille and Sunday. When we go to the beach it's all about chil-laxing!! We rent a house and do pretty much whatever we want. We all chip in for the house, food and adult beverages (although Mom and Dad definitely give the most). We take turns cooking dinner, eat out once and order pizza one night usually. No wild parties, cruising the strip, crazy bars or waking up wondering where that tatoo came from. It's all about beach bumming, pool swimming, game playing, movie watching, food eating, puzzle doing(??) and, of course, beer drinking.

We all LOVE it and look forward to it every year! My husband's been counting down for 16 weeks. It is the vacation where we get to rejuvnenate and rest. We create memories that are truly unforgetable. Here is a quick list of some of my favorite memories.

1. The one where Mendy was the "hint" for EVERY Taboo card. ("This is what Mendy is!"~"This is what Mendy is doing!"~"This is what Mendy will be in the morning!"
2. The one where Chris and I saw a UFO.
3. The one where Mack was almost killed by a crab.
4. The one where Alan knew way too much about make-up and Friends (according to Mendy).
5. The one where Caitlin showed much love to the Bubba Keg.
6. The one where Emma walked for the first time.
7. The one with Hurricane Dennis.
8. The one where Dad played golf with antique clubs.
9. The one when Mom swears she wants to play the game and then falls asleep.

I can't wait for the beach!!!!!!! Only 2 days left!!!

Buying the Bathing Suit

Like most women, I HATE buying a new bathing suit. It's one of the few shopping trips I loathe having to do each year. I spend hours searching the racks for right "style," which of course means the ones that flares away from the spare tire that hangs around my stomach just enough to make the bulge look a bit smaller. Also, it must have just the right "colors" to match my skin tone, which are the ones that use abstract color splashes or large print flowers to mask the previously mentioned excess mass.

Once I've spent 45 minutes looking and have a grand total of 3 to try on I make my way to the dreaded dressing room. This part is torture as well because I somehow always go when there several cute, tall, thin, tanned high school girls or college students trying on bathing suits as well and doing a little fashion show using the dressing room as their runway. They sit and talk in front of the mirrors about which ones they can't get because they don't have enough money to buy them all. Then I come out to the mirror still trying to cover my stomach with my arms and showing off my white ankle socks, feeling TOTALLY HOT! I mean....who wouldn't want to see that?

Finally I decide on the one that does the best job at making me appear closer to what I actually want to look like and make my purchase feeling worse then ever.

Well, today I started to let some of those neurotic tendancies go. Today, my bathing suit shopping trip took a total of 30 minutes. I searched the wildly scavenged racks and found a few tops and bottoms that I could mix and match. I tried on 2 suits and picked one. I feel more confident and satisfied with my purchase than previous years and it only cost $38.00. There's no magic bathing suit out there that will give me the perfect figure, and that's okay. Although I still want to improve my figure, I'm okay with where I am. I'm actually a little proud. I have a beautiful six month old daughter and I have made it back to my pre-baby weight. (Everything didn't go back to where it was before, but the actually weight is the same as it was.) I'm no Heidi Klum, but I feel good about my bathing suit this year.

The Universal Essential

As many of you know, I love Starbucks!! I know it's over-priced and cliche, but it's an indulgence I have. I don't have it everyday, maybe once a week as a treat. (On a regular basis I make coffee at the house and take it into work with me.) For me it's something I can have often enough to feel that I can have something frivolous and not feel like I'm breaking the bank.

Yet, everytime I go I can't help but think that I appear to a yuppie or that I given into the "In" thing to do. A prime example of this was last weekend. As my husband and I (new parents) settled into what we now consider a rockin' Friday night, of reading, playing on the computer or catching up on previously Tivoed shows, I felt the need for a latte. So, at 10:30pm I jumped in the car and headed to Starbucks. I rolled up to a packed parking lot, got my latte via the drive-thru window and headed toward the exit. (Now, keep in mind I am in my car by myself for about 20 minutes on this trip, so of course I'm listening to my music pretty loud, simply because I can.) Had you been in the parking lot that evening you may have seen a short, teenage-looking white girl driving out of Startbucks in a Saturn SL1 will a Skinny Vanilla Latte jammin' to Rollout by Ludacris.

As I realized this, I wondered, "How does this look?" Ridiculous? Stupid? Odd? Hilarious? Probably any or all of these things depending on the spectator. I had to laugh at myself and the situation.

However, I justifed my actions as I thought back on the packed parking lot and the diverse crowd that had flocked to Starbucks to fulfill their indulgence. I felt even better today, as I gave into my need once again, this time for a Caramel Frappaccino. As I waited at the light to turn left, I saw a young teenager dressed in over-sized black jeans, a black shirt and many spike -covered wrist bands......In his hands was a Starbucks cup. It was then that relief hit. I wasn't some silly yuppie or guilty of falling victim to some horrible fad. I was one of many that HAD to my coffee fix every now and then. I was simply having the Universal Essential, Starbucks.

No Promises

Blog - Take One. So I'm starting a blog. For me, I feel this will be something like a journal/ scrapbook that I can keep for myself and share with my family. I'll be honest, my sister inspired me to do this. I love reading her blog and I excitedly check it as often as I can. Even though we talk regularly, I always get a little deeper insight into her daily life and it is something I really enjoy. I hope to write often, but I make no promises. I am still learning how to juggle life with a new baby and I'm sure many will agree it take practice.

However, I am excited to do this!! I already have a few ideas of things I would like to add and share with what I am sure will be masses of people. (My family is pretty big. Okay....so, I'm at least hoping that my sisters and parents will glance at it every now and then.) All joking aside, I am doing this for me. My hope is that this will be a release and not a stress in my life. I will write at my leisure and just have fun!! If you decide follow my blog, may you be relaxed and find some moments where You've Got To Laugh.