Need your help!

Joe's holiday party is this weekend and I need help on what to wear. It's at a nice hotel in Huntington Beach.  And let me just add that PIMCO is located in Newport Beach and the employees are a classy and rather conservative bunch.  The PIMCO wives wear designer clothes, have designer bags, and I'm sure they are not shy of getting things augmented.  So, that being said, I have none of the above, in my closet, or on my body.  So I borrowed a couple of dresses from my girlfriend Brenda, who has impeccable taste and style.  Here are my two options:

The Red Dres:
Pros: This is a stunning Diane Von Furstenburg.  It is breath taking when on.  It is fun, sexy, and says happy holidays as it is bright red.  It's also quite giving. I could eat a steak dinner and not have to worry about my tummy growing an inch or two.

Cons: I'm 5'11.  This dress shows some leg!! Yikes.  And I never wear red.  Ok, let's face it. I never wear color because I'm a boring house wife!!!

The Black Dress:
Pros:  This is classic.  Black satin.  Shows leg, but not too showy.  I love black. This is my comfort color.

Cons: I literally feel like I'm wearing a sausage link.  This thing is tight. And I mean tight. It's my size, but it's one of those form fitting dresses so I'm sure I'll be passing up on the hors d'oeuvre platters for the evening.  Also, I always wear black.

 

I've pretty much narrowed it down to these two. I have one more choice, but I don't think it compares. I'll post it though.

Lacy black dress: Lace seems to be in right now...since I rarely look at magazines I could be totally wrong here. Comfy and sexy since it has that nude look under the black lace. But I've had this forever. Might be dated.

 

 Please let me know what you think.  I've asked a few friends and I'm getting votes for both. Thought I'd reach out to my readers.

It's that time of year!

The holiday lights were up in our neighborhood the day after Thanksgiving.  It seems like folks in Ladera Ranch can't wait to get into the Christmas spirit.  Our neighborhood even has a holiday light contest for the best lighted house.  For some, this is taken seriously.  I hope to one day invest in a crap load of Hanukkah stuff so we can win one year.  You'd think they'd have to let us win at some point if only for not wanting to look like they passed up the Jews!

This past weekend I made an attempt at hanging some blue lights outside.  Yikes - I was not aware of what it takes to light a two story house!  I quickly learned this was beyond my skill set and that we'd have to hire a light installation company to do our lights or I would have to settle for some nicely lit shrubs.  Sigh...

Liam is psyched for the holidays.  He's been asking about Santa and I tell him that Santa won't be coming to our house, but he will go to Grandma Kathy's house.  He seems a bit confused by this.  All his friends keep talking about Santa and it's hard not to become bombarded with Christmas everywhere you go.  I've decorated for Hanukkah in out living room.  I have a table with our menorahs and other festive items.  I also hung  various blue and silver bulbs from our windows and put up some glittery Stars of David that Liam and I made last year.   I doesn't compare to the Christmas decor in most people's homes.  And this wasn't my goal.  I know Christmas and Hanukkah are not equal holidays for Christians and Jews.  But I wanted Liam to experience the holiday spirit in his home since he's been asking about the holidays.

For gifts, the kids are mostly getting books and puzzles.  But Liam is also getting a Razor scooter and  kid's digital camera.  He's obsessed with taking pictures.  Maybe he inherited it from Grandma Kathy? 

Oh, and we took our holiday picture!  It's pretty darn cute!  It was not easy trying to get both kids looking and smiling at the camera at the same time. But we got a shot of Liam smiling and Marlo looking like a cutie pie.  Maybe it's because I was raised by a photographer, but our family pictures mean the world to me.  I'll wait until the holidays are closer to post it!

Family Matters

And I did it! I cooked my first Thanksgiving turkey!  Granted, once my mother-in-law got to our house, she did most of the basting.  But I prepped the turkey - massaged it, seasoned it.  And I have to admit, if I never have to touch the inside of a turkey again, I don't think I'll be disappointed.

Overall, I'm glad we hosted.  It was wonderful to spend our first Thanksgiving in our new home.  But, as it goes with hosting, I felt like I was working all day.  Between cooking since 6 a.m., trying to keep the house clean for guests, and catering to Marlo who woke up with an ear infection and a fever, I was pooped by the time it was all said and done.  Oh, and not to mention cleaning by hand all the fine china.  Ugh!! What a  pain!  But, I loved using my china.  Little things like that do make my day.

Poor Joe was exhausted.  He's been working like a crazy person and had to be at work on Black Friday at  6 a.m.  He was so tired that he wished my mom "Happy Birthday" instead of a Happy Thanksgiving when she left!   But at least he was well fed!  We all were!

Joe's entire family was there and my mom and brother Chris and his girlfriend were there.  I wish my entire family could have made it, but so be it.  My older brother and his wife had their own Thanksgiving and my younger sister has been MIA for a while living up north.  Since Joe's immediate family is just his parents and his sister, we always know that they will take part in family gatherings. But with multiple siblings I guess it's harder for everyone to get together.  When I told Liam that his aunt and uncle weren't coming to Thanksgiving because they were having their own, he responded, "But mom,Thanksgiving is for family."  This made me smile and broke my heart at the same time.  I love that my three year old is aware of the importance of holidays and family.  But it also made me sad to think that although this is true, not everyone thinks this way, and it doesn't always work out with people's schedules and what have you.  I can't expect all my siblings to come together for every Thanksgiving.  I am hoping that once there are more kids in the family, there will be a greater desire to come together because Liam could sure use some buddies at the kids' table! We did get to Skype with my aunt and uncle and cousins in Wisconsin and that was pretty cool!  Liam remarkably remembered who everyone was even though he only met them once.

But we did have a wonderful, wonderful time.  I am already looking forward to Thanksgiving next year - mainly because I won't volunteer to host!

Here are a few pictures!

19 lbs.  Whole Foods Kosher Bird

Prepped and ready to roast!

Cooked and ready to eat!

A little decor and a cozy fire!

The adults' table!

Took out the fine china!

Kids' table

Liam's place setting

Hand turkeys by Liam for everyone

A picture of my darling (who woke up with a fever and an ear infection!)

Oh, and one more adorable story - when I asked Liam what he was thankful for, this is what he said:

 "I'm thankful for bananas, and mommy, and daddy, oh, and I like strawberries, so I'm thankful for strawberries."   (Note:Liam does not like strawberries.)

Bed time advice, please!

This week I am experimenting with taking away Liam's nap time.  If Liam naps he will stay up until 9:30 easily, and that makes my day soooo long. Also, he will fight going to bed if he has taken a nap.  It becomes a battle and I am going in and out of his room a dozen times before he falls asleep.  I would just shut the door and not go back in, but he screams so loud from his room that he frequently wakes up Marlo.  So, I feel forced to go in and calm him down.   Moreover, Joe and I try to be in bed by 10 since Joe has to wake up at 5 am for work.  So, when Liam is up to all hours of the night Joe and I don't get any time together - but what's new there - that's what you sign up for when you have kids.

If Liam doesn't nap he easily falls asleep by 7.  And there is no fighting.  He's pooped from his long day and falls asleep within 5 minutes of hitting the pillow.  He does get a bit more sensitive in the evening, but he doesn't have major meltdowns or anything. This tells me that he might be ready to give up his nap.

Here's the issue: if Liam goes to bed at 7 he will never see Joe during the week. The earliest Joe gets home is 7:30.  Usually, he gets home closer to 8.  And this surely takes a toll on Liam.  He asks for Joe all the time.  And when he's upset he just cries for Joe.  Part of me wants to take the nap away so he can fall asleep at a reasonable time, but part of me thinks he should nap so he can stay up later and spend time with Joe.

Thoughts? Any other parents deal with the issue of one parent getting home late and trying to balance that out with the kids' schedules?

I'm Bringing Sexy Back

Today I had to drop off some stuff to Joe that he accidentally left at the house.  While outside his office, I noticed an attractive woman passing by.  She had a short skirt and quite a large chest.  I couldn't help but notice her.  She was noticeable in an appealing way.  For whatever reason, I felt the need to comment to Joe about her attention grabbing rack.  Of course Joe replies, "that's my secretary."

Sigh.  Big sigh.  So I've decided to reduce my sweat-pant wearing days from 7 to 3 days a week.  To be fair, today my self-maintenance was at an all time low.  Marlo had physical therapy at 7:30 a.m. so I didn't even have a chance to brush my teeth this morning before we were out of the house.  Gross; I own up to it.  And I know Joe thinks I am beautiful either way.  It's not so much about Joe as it is about how I feel.  I felt lowly seeing this beautiful woman that sits feet away from my husband all day.

Granted I LOVE, LOVE that my job at home means I can wear yoga pants everyday.  But I would also like to put in a bit more effort in the self maintenance category.  I'm not talking about wearing high heels or mini-skirts.  But I can't leave the house without brushing my teeth anymore.  And if it means waking up 20 minutes earlier to make sure that I can pull myself together a bit more then so be it!   

I guess I could also invest in some new clothes.  I haven't really gone shopping for clothes since before Marlo was born.  Hmmmm.....this may motivate me to wear something other than sweats. 

Below is a picture that Liam snapped of my mom using my phone.  My mother is always stunning to me.  People, she's a senior citizen and look at her!  She's a beauty!  I'm going to keep my mom in mind as I work towards my new goal: to bring sexy back into my life.  My mother never leaves the house without looking like a gorgeous woman!

Keep 'em busy for one hour!

This morning I had an activity that kept Liam busy for an hour! And with the exception of a few check-ins and helping him with the end of the project, Liam did everything on his own.  I thought I'd share with other moms out there because an activity that can keep your 3 year old independently occupied for an hour is a winner in my book!

Activity: Pasta Noodle Necklace

Supplies:
Large Pasta Noodles (Penne or larger)
Finger Paint
Paint brush
String
Paper towels
*A work space that can handle a little washable paint!

Below is the breakdown! 

I showed Liam how to paint the noodles and this kept him busy for a good 40 minutes.  I only had to help him once as we changed the muddy paint water.

We let the painted pasta dry on a paper plate.

I then showed him how to string the noodles onto the necklace.  I thought this would be too hard for him since the string was so thin.  But he wanted to do it all by himself.  So this kept him busy for the next 20 minutes.

Suggestion: I used string that was a bit firmer so it was easier to loop through the pasta.

 

After putting the painted pasta on the string, I helped Liam tie the necklace knot.

 

We're making these for his grandmas for Thanksgiving. (And if this activity still keeps his interest, we could be making these for the entire family!)

It was great to have him occupied this morning!  He was working so well independently that I even had time to make homemade scones!!

Super MOM style today folks!

Anywho - thought I'd share!  If any other moms, dads, babysitters, etc. have activities that really work for their kiddos, pleas share!  The trick is giving them something to do that I do not have to manage!

Physical Therapy: Day 1

Marlo met Andrea, her physical therapist today.  Andrea did an over all assessment to see Marlo's strengths and weaknesses.  Marlo isn't rolling over yet, and is not crawling.  Andrea and I discussed Marlo's daily activity as well as her overall disposition.  I emphasized that she is a VERY easy going baby.  She doesn't get pissed often.  If she can't reach a toy she claps her hands or starts playing with her toes.  She's content.  I love this about her.

But, according to Andrea and Marlo's pediatrician, she should be doing a bit more.  Andrea said that Marlo needs to strengthen her core and her upper body.  So, yes, basically, Marlo will be participating in baby pilates twice a week.  Marlo did not like the evaluation very much.  For a baby that rarely cries, she did a lot of crying.  But I suppose this was to be expected since she was being handled by a stranger and being forced to do core exercises for an hour.

Andrea gave me some "homework" to do with Marlo.  We worked on side sitting and balancing on our knees today.  She said that the cause of all of this is partly her disposition and partly not enough tummy time in early infancy.  (If anyone looks at Marlo's head, she has a perfectly round head! I was always putting her on her tummy!)  But, so be it. I guess during the afternoon she didn't get a lot of tummy time because that is when Liam plays outside so I usually had her in the sling. 

Either way, I'm looking forward to Marlo's sessions and hopefully in a couple of months I will have some great videos of Marlo rolling and  crawling to share.

The dreaded question: What's for dinner?

At the end of the day, when Joe gets home from work, I cringe when I hear the dreaded question: what's for dinner?  Joe usually gets home around 8 pm.  By this time in the evening, I've dealt with various tantrums throughout the day, am covered in crusty kid stuff, am surrounded by a mess in every direction, and if I'm lucky, both kids have been bathed and are sleeping.  On my unlucky days, one of them is still fighting going to bed.  The last thing I want to do is cook dinner.  Liam's dinners are pretty simple.  I make him pasta or give him chicken with rice.  His stuff I can make easily.  Liam and Marlo eat dinner around 6.  They can't wait until Joe gets home. 

On my good days, I have dinner prepped when the kids are napping or I've got something in the slow cooker so dinner is already done when Joe gets home.  Full disclosure, these good days happen about once every two weeks.  Sad, I know.   Usually, I end up hating cooking and putting the minimal amount of effort into it.  Or I tell Joe he can have a bowl of cereal or pick up take-out.  And I really want to have a good dinner ready for Joe when he gets home.  I just need to set myself up for a bit more success.  I would love to get some slow cooker recipes.  So if any of my readers have one or two to share, please do!  We like to keep it healthy, but are not afraid to indulge.  We eat everything!

This is the happy face I want to make when my dear husband asks, "What's for dinner?"

Demon voice...it always comes down to this

We are in one of those difficult phases with Liam.  Two steps forwards, two steps back; my life can easily be defined by these Paula Abdul lyrics.  I find myself telling him 6 or 7 times to do something before he does it.  And it's not like I'm asking him to do things that are beyond him.  I'm asking him to put his shoes on or brush his teeth.  Simple things he does every day.  So usually by repeat 6 I've had enough and demon voice comes out.  And, of course, he listens when I use demon voice.  But really?  Do I need to use demon voice in order for my son to listen to me?

He is also going through a major independent phase.  He wants to do EVERYTHING on his own.  Get this - just a few days ago, during outside playtime, Liam leads his buddy, Charlie, into the house.  This is not that uncommon, although the kids know that they should be playing outside.  So I went to go get the boys, and Liam had locked me out of the house!  Thankfully, I left the garage door unlocked and was able to get in that way.  Upon entering I found Liam and his buddy hiding under the kitchen table, bike helmets still on, scarfing down Halloween candy.  Pretty hilarious, but so not okay!  I'd also like to add that the candy was placed on the kitchen island, so Liam had to get on a bar stool and climb to the middle of the island in order to retrieve the candy.

Here is an in-action shot of  a flooring kicking tantrum.  I know, I'm an evil parent for documenting this.  I think I actually took it to send to Joe so he knew what kind of a day Liam and I were having.

Going back to the discipline drawing board  - so to speak.  Demon voice is unattractive.

And the chaos has begun!

Until this year, Liam didn't really "get" Halloween.  But, boy, the times have changed!  On Tuesday he kept reminding me that it was "one more day until Halloween" and on Wednesday, whenever I called him Liam, he corrected me and said, "Mom! I'm not Liam! I'm the Big Gardener!" 

Yesterday, by 9 pm, I was Halloweened out! I had been going strong with Halloween activities since the early AM.  To start the day off with fun and excitement, Liam and I made orange pancakes with chocolate sprinkles.

Silly pancake making face

The finished product

 

I then spent the morning cooking mac n' cheese for 30 kids for Liam's class party.  I didn't get a picture, but it was a crap load of mac n' cheese. 

 

The Halloween parade was pretty darn cute, but I had to fight through the crowd  of parents to snap my shot.

Liam chowed down big time at the class party.  And he was such a little gentleman at the table saying "please" and "thank you."  Two parents came up to me and complimented me on how well behaved Liam was.  I was thinking if they only knew the other side they'd think otherwise!

Yum!

Marlo even had a great time!  She met a baby Hulk and was quite smitten with him!

 

Baby Hulk, on the other hand, was a bit timid.

Liam was getting a bit antsy around 5 pm.  It was still too early to trick-or-treat, but the anticipation was building.  At 6 we went out and met some our neighbors.  Our block was such a wonderful place for Liam to spend Halloween.  He was darting back and forth from one friend's house to the next.  One of our neighbors cooked chili and made cornbread so I didn't even have to cook dinner!  The streets were bustling with happy children.  It was straight out of a story book.  

My mother-in-law came down to help me with the kids so she stayed at the house to pass out candy while Joe and I took Liam with a group of his friends from house to house.  We quit after an hour.  Liam could have gone on for much longer, but I was pooped!  But Liam even had a great time when we were inside and handing out candy.  He was in heaven!

 

I guess the chaos of Halloween has officially started!  No longer can I put Liam in a costume and sip wine at home.

 

Here are a few more pics!

 

  Marlo and her best gal-pal, Baby Gaby - of course Gaby was a Flower and Marlo was a Bee.

Liam at the school parade.

Marlo asleep at the school parade - her legs in those yellow tights got a LOT of attention!

One last picture of my cutie in his John Deere Gardening Costume!