The Greatest Show on Earth

please excuse the awful picture quality - we forgot our camera & these were all taken from my iphone (3G)

 Last weekend we took B to the Circus.  It.Was.Amazing! I'd actually never been to a circus before (I grew up in a tiny little town... there were no circus' coming through there!).  They packed so much into those two hours, they aren't kidding when they say

"It's the greatest show on Earth!"

B started out a little skeptical... like he couldn't quite figure out why there were all these people hanging from fabric ... and the clowns! They were actually pretty cool looking & not creepy at all.  Then the dogs came out.  A whole bunch of dogs, all different sizes, walking on their hind feet, jumping over all kinds of hurdles... one in a dress, dancing.  B immediately started jumping up & down, dancing along to the music & clapping.  He LOVED the dogs.  Personally, I loved the elephants.  They were so well trained & they had tricks like you wouldn't believe.  Seriously, awesome. 

At one point there were 6 horses that ran around in a circle (forgive me, KC, if you're reading this, I'm sure there's more technical terms for it!) & the horse in the back kept nudging the others.  I leaned over & asked Mike why he thought that one was slacking off, head-butting his friends.  Mike replied that he was actually supposed to do that, to keep them in their circle.  Oh, that makes sense!  Then my mom commented that they looked sad, which I agreed with... which then had me asking about the treatment of the animals in the circus.  Do you think they like it? Or are they miserable? Does anyone know? (Kace, I'm looking at you!)

The tigers were gorgeous, as they jumped & growled & showed off their tricks.  The acrobats were awesome, as they wrapped themselves up in their threads (again, technical terms in a circus for $400, Alex?), the clowns were hilarious, & even the villian, Mr. Gravity, was pretty funny! The magic tricks were pretty tricky - we adults couldn't quite figure out a couple of them, the dancers were graceful & the animals rocked.

Will we go again? Definitely! 

happy father's day

i can't wait to hear these words from b... (& of course, i love you mom!) happy father's day to all you dads, grandpas, uncles, & other father figures out there! have a fabulous day! we'll be spending the day with our favorite daddy (b's of course!), as well as his dad & grandpa. 

...and...

a very special shout-out to my other favorite daddy out there (my niece's daddy aka my big brother)

happy birthday & happy father's day uncle matt! 

5 Must-have Fashionable Pieces to Pack for Every Weekend Trip

Now here's something I know about.  This may be a little known fact about me... I love fashion. A lot. I rush back from the mailbox each month when InStyle is in my hand & I devour it.  I actually graduated from college with a degree in Apparel Merchandising, Design, & Production... aka fashion.  I still remember how my pulse quickened during my first class, when the instructor demanded we subscribe to Vogue, Harper's Bazaar & Women's Wear Daily as homework.  Here's something else that may or may not be well known about me.  We travel a lot.  Especially during the summer- we're constantly headed to Iowa where we pack weekends full of my hubs' brother's baseball games & boating.  These are two of Mike's most favorite things in the world.  All this traveling means packing a lot. So here it is: my list of 5 must-haves (& since I'm clearly an expert, you should totally listen to me, right?!)

First a tip: I generally decide what color scheme I'm going with & I try to stick with it for all pieces I pack... generally this means black or brown, so I can limit my shoes.  For the sake of the length of this article, I'm also sticking with summer weekends, since it's hot now, although for the most part this can be adapted for winter (boots in place of sandals, of course).

1. Comfy sandals that can be dressed up or down.  I don't just mean Old Navy rubber flip flops... I mean, cute sandals that are appropriate when you're on the boat, in a swim suit or when you're wearing shorts & a tank top.

2. Basic tank. I generally pack two- white & then black or brown (depending on that shoe decision I already made). This way I can layer under whatever else or I have a plain tank to dress up with jewelry!

3. Jewelry ... that's right. Even in summer, I wear jewelry. (Of course I do, duh! Check out my other blog for more info on that!)  I pack a few key silver (cause I prefer it to yellow gold) pieces & then a few colored pieces.  I like to mix & match, depending on what activity we're doing.

4. A great tote/handbag.  For me, this often has double duty as a diaper bag.  You see, when I go away for the weekend, it sometimes allows for the Hubs & I to get that rare date in, so I don't want to be toting my diaper bag to a restaurant when it's just the two of us.  But at the same time, I don't want to take extra bags on the trip, so it needs to be large enough to toss a diaper & snacks in. (No kids? This applies to husband's extras too... I used to refer to my handbag as "Mikey's diaper bag, cause I carried so much of my husband's stuff. Also, if you'll be shopping or whatever, this applies!)


5. One fabulous, versatile accessory... Mine is typically a scarf. Works to keep me warm, if it's a little chilly in the morning.  Helps mix it up, in case I only have that basic white tank left.  Greasy hair? Wrap the scarf around it! Think you may need it, but not sure? Tie it around that great handbag & you'll have it with you when you're shopping! My favorite way to use a scarf, as a mother- a cover up for public nursing, a cover up for that food stain that my toddler threw at me, etc, etc.  Versatility people, that's what I'm talking about!

One last fashionable piece- a positive attitude! Being away for the weekend can be stressful, if you let it, so just relax, have fun & know that you look great!

I wrote this blog post while participating in the TwitterMoms and Gap Outlet blogging program to be eligible to win a $20 gift card. For more information on how you can participate, click here. Check out this link for more ideas: http://www.twittermoms.com/forum/topics/share-5-musthave-fashionable

Christmas Recap

Better late than never, right?  Riiii - ght! Okay, so you caught me, I've been slightly 'lazy' about blogging. What of it!? Ha, enjoy!

It was B's first Christmas & we had many to celebrate!

Celebrating with our good friends- P & B exchanged gifts & then played with each others'

Christmas at home with Mommy, Daddy, & Tucker.  On our "Christmas Eve" (which was really December 23rd) we each unwrapped one gift (B's was pajamas for him to wear that night).  Well, it was supposed to be one gift until Hubs egged B on enough to tear into a gift from friends...

"Christmas" morning (really the 24th) with Daddy

Christmas at the grandparent's house!

A little tired on Christmas afternoon, with Great Uncle R

Hanging with Grandpa J

So there you have it... 5 Christmas in pictures! Doesn't seem like that many, but trust me, I have more pictures to prove it! Hope you all had a wonderful holiday too!

View from a 4 Year Old

I 'loaned' my 4 year old niece our camera (in actuality, I was taking pictures & she kept asking if she could try too) & here's the results: 

visiting Grandma & Grandpa- from a 4 year old's place in the world...

(Niece K & her Uncle M- My Hubs, of course!)

(K's "baby" B- She always refers to him as hers)

(Aunt Mandy & K's 'Disney Princesses on Ice' wand- it was a very impressive wand!)

(Your guess is as good as mine... The TV??)

(Self Portrait)

Short week = Short fuse

Ahh, Mondays... the day that B catches up on rest from the weekend, I catch up on laundry and cleaning... B usually takes a long nap, thus ensuring that I get a few moments to myself. 

What? What was that you said? Today's not Monday? Well... are you sure? Of course you're sure! Oh no... you mean... but how... It's TUESDAY!? Oh crap. 

We spent our holiday weekend in St. Louis, visiting family of mine- my aunt, uncle, cousin & his wife, and their 2 children.  It was a good time- it's always nice to see them.  It's great to catch up with cousin's wife, afterall, she is the one who got me into cloth diapering.  She is generally my go to lady for questions, although now with twitter I can usually get a faster answer from one of my tweeps.  So, it was a fun weekend.  We didn't have to bring much., which is always helpful.  We stayed at my aunt & uncle's house and since they have multiple grandchildren, they are equipped with highchairs, toys & a crib. Unfortunately for us, B didn't like their crib. Or the room. Or something about sleeping there.  So after a 2.5 hour 'dance' party that B and I had on Saturday - very early- he slept with us.  And then slept with us on Saturday. And then Sunday.  Enter a long car ride home on Monday and some spur of the moment shopping and dinner with friends before his bedtime and then we're back home! 

How do you think B slept last night?

Great, you say? Well... you couldn't be MORE wrong.  Long story short, into our bed again... ugh.  While I have no issues with those who cosleep- sometimes I love a conap!- I do take issue with my child who has slept in his crib all but one night when he was very sick, since he was 2 months old, suddenly thinking he can only sleep with us.

I finally got him down for a nap and am hoping it lasts for 2 hours or so. Praying in fact.  Please pray with me... or make that for me.

In addition to B's sleep predicament, we have managed to miss the bus twice today (oh right, story time was today, since it was Tuesday... and oh yeah, that was our stop that we just flew past), we forgot to pay our rent (although our landlord was very kind about it and was not upset in any way), I realized we had 5 (yep, 5!) jars of opened, unfinished baby food in the fridge from last week, and we have plans to be gone again this weekend (BIG game!).  Also, a friend and I had planned to go to Michigan Ave and see Oprah's kickoff party this afternoon, but unfortunately it seems as though B's habit forming nap must take precedence- oh the things a mother misses out on!  Are you sure it's not Monday?

In all of my list making and planning for what must be done in these 3 short days, I've also come to the realization that our diaper stash is too small.  It's never been large, but lately I've been selling and not replenishing effectively.  I must rectify this situation immediately, but I'll save more of those details for another post... 

For now, I'm just going to count down the minutes until Hubs gets home and I can have a drink (oh wait, alcohol spiked breastmilk might get B to sleep, but it's probably not the way to win the best mom of the year award, right?)