This Is What You Call Winter?

We have been in sunny California for two days now. Apparently the weather has been unseasonably cooler and everyone keeps making comments like "it feels like winter around here." If this is what winter feels like, I'll take it.

Stay warm out there my Cali friends. Word is it might even get into the 60's! (gasp)

Home Should Be a Safe Place.

I consider myself to be very lucky. I am in a loving, committed relationship with a man who I know will always protect me. I never have to fear for my safety and I know that if something were to happen in my relationship I am fortunate to have a loving family who would take care of me and my children. Sadly for many women around the country abuse is a reality that they have to deal with on a daily basis. Women are often faced with the choice of staying in a violent and destructive relationship or living on the streets in fear for their safety. As a women and a mother, my heart breaks thinking of having to make such a decision. It is time to take a stand. A good friend of mine is sponsoring a petition for safe housing for victims of domestic violence in the District of Columbia. I cannot urge you enough to take 2 minutes our of your day to support this cause. The petition reads as follows:

Join our collaborative, community-based effort to ensure that victims of domestic violence and their children in the District of Columbia have adequate safe housing and housing support services. Our goal is to secure a Fiscal Year 2011 federal appropriation for the District of Columbia to sustain and increase capacity to meet the dire safe housing needs of victims and children.

Because the District is not a state, local officials do not have access to alternate, sustainable revenue that their counterparts in states rely upon to fund safe housing and victim services. 38 states have access to alternate, sustainable revenue. Federal lawmakers are in a position to dedicate gap funding to stabilize and increase these services in DC. This funding would reform a broken system and save lives.

Please, please, please take the time to click here and sign. Signatures are needed from all over the country.

For more information about how to support the District Alliance for Safe Housing (DASH) plase visit their website.

Forever a Virgin (Customer That Is.)

I know what you are thinking, did I miss my flight? Nope! I am currently writing this from my seat 10,000 miles in the sky. Yep, we were lucky enough to book tickets on Virgin America and not only do we have wireless Internet, this whole ride has been like a party in the sky (considering that I am traveling alone with a two year old that may be the best compliment that they have ever received.)

We arrived to the check in counter an hour before our flight and while there wasn't much of a line my exhausted little man began to have a meltdown (not shocking since he was woken up at 5:30am.) The AMAZING ticket agent quickly ran over, took our bags, and expedited our check in. She then walked us to the front of the security line and checked our bags through for us. Did I say amazing???? The whole thing took less than 5 minutes!

Once we got on the plane it was like being in a night club. Seriously. Poker Face was blasting from the stereo, and the lights were flashing. This may the closest I get to a "real" club for a while, I almost wanted to order a martini (seeing that is was only 6:30 am I thought it better to abstain.)

This is by far the coolest airplane ever!

We were allowed to pre-board and my little man didn't get any grief when we whipped out the DVD player. To my amazement they have plugs under every seat. Not having to worry about a dead battery? Priceless.

Even though it was still dark out, we were ready to roll.

While the little man watched Finding Nemo I caught an episode of Modern Family (which is hilarious by the way) and have since been happily enjoying my wireless internet. A couple of glossy mags thrown in and this mommy couldn't be any happier!

We are 2 hours in, with 3 1/2 to go. It may be too early to say but I think this may be our best trip yet! Seriously, if you have the option I would definitely say fly Virgin! Don't tell anyone but they were also the cheapest...shhhhhhh! See you in sunny California!

Clearly I've Got Twins on the Brain.

I saw this picture of this nursery the other day and all I can say is Le Swoon. I love everything about it. Love, love, love, love, love, love. The article was about making small spaces work for two or more kids. Needless to say as a city dweller this is right up my alley.

Also featured was this amazing playroom. It seems fairly easy to recreate if only we had some more space! I might try to do this to half of the LM's room with a built in bookcase.

So much inspiration, so little square footage!

Photo credits and full article can be found here.

I've Always Been a Sucker For a Man in a Uniform.

One of the best things about having kids is how much more enjoyable a holiday can be is when it is seen through the eyes of a little one. Take Halloween for example. Prior to the LM I wasn't much of a fan (hello understatement!). The pressure to have a great costume was just too much for me to handle. This may be the reason why I have gone as a "cat" at least 4 times in my adult life. Ears, whiskers, a tail? Yeah, that's about as creative as I get. Luckily for me gone are the days of Halloween parties, and the only one who does the dressing up now is my little guy. This year we kicked the season off early and went to Halloween Town on Saturday. The event was really spectacular and despite my concern that it would be too scary, my little man had a great time.

First the costume. The little man is obsessed (!) with fire trucks. So of course he is a fireman this year. Tommy Gavin eat your heart out!

While I thought that the climbing structure would be the highlight of our day.

He actually loved the moon bounce much more despite being tossed around by kids 3 times his size.

He even sat for a few minutes for a spooky story time.

Although I think it had more to do with his love of the bean bags than it did with the love of the story.

On Sunday we carved our first pumpkin together. Here is the little man touching the guts. Let's just say he was not a fan.

With a little help from mom we carved our pumpkin.

Which turned our to be A LOT scarier than expected.

Oops! Next year I think we are going to have to use one of those cheater kits! With 6 more days to Halloween we are off to a pretty good start. So long as I don't have to dress up this should be a Halloween to remember. If by any chance I get sucked in to an adults only party while we are in California, I'll be the one with the whiskers. 5 years and counting....

Oh Hell No!

Today I was looking at Style.com's top ten trends for spring. "Ten Spring things worth investing in," they called it. Apparently this is a trend I should be racing to spend my money on.

Oh Hell No! Clogs are back??? Wait, were clogs ever even in? I absolutely refuse, capital REFUSE to ever wear clogs. I don't care that they are made by Chanel. I don't care that they are a "trend." These are the fugliest shoes I have ever seen. In fact I even debated them putting them on the blog because I don't even want to be associated with these shoes. Say what you will, maybe I'm not fashion forward enough, but this is one trend that I plan on sitting out!

If Everyone Gave Just a Dollar.

I know the economy is pretty tough right now, but tonight I am asking all my daily readers to contribute what you can, even if it's just a dollar, to a very close friend of mine who is walking for an extremely important cause; the fight against retinal degenerative disease. Believe me, a little goes along way. If everyone contributed a dollar that would be almost 2,ooo dollars in one day!

I know I take for granted every day my ability to see. Can you imagine how much your life would change if you lost that? Please visit this site to learn more and to view Kristy's story. There's only 48 hours left so please act fast!

Go team Kristy!

Crazy Right?

It just hit me that next Wednesday we will be traveling to California to visit my family. This is not that all surprising given that the LM and I go there every year for Halloween, but what is surprising is that I am going to again take the trip from hell on the exact same day as I did last year. Yes, I seem to be a serious glutton for punishment! If you have no idea what I'm talking about click here. Crazy Right? Let's just say that 6 hours in a plane, alone, with a young child is never fun. Traveling with a hysterical 13 month old....really, really, really not fun.

Needless to say, this year I have made a few changes.

1. I will literally die before I ever take another red eye with my child. Die. The pressure to keep him quiet so everyone else can sleep is more than this mum can handle. Nope, not this time. We have both fights leaving at 7 am. Do I care that we have to leave CA for the airport at 4am? Not at all. So long as everyone around me is supposed to be awake, I am all set.
2. Clearly the little guy is a lot bigger. This presents its own challenges (the word NO! comes to mind) but it also means that he is a) walking, b) bribe-able, and c) appreciates that sometimes you have to sit still (yes it sucks but suck it up.)
3. I am traveling with a portable DVD player, a separate charger, and a fully charged MacBook. Curious George for 6 hours? If it gets us through the day, bring it on I say!
4. I will be traveling with a secret stash of never before seen cars and treats. Yep, it's bribery. Yes, I try not to do this too often. And yes, it works like a charm.
5. I bought a wheeled attachment for the car seat. This way I can check the stroller though (which is still free on all airlines) and just wheel him in this. We have used it the past few times we have flown as a family, and the thing really is priceless.

Nothing can be worse than that last flight, so the good news is things can only get better this time around. Oh dear God what am I doing.....

Infertile.

Today it's been one year and two weeks since my miscarriage. That means today is the day we are "officially" infertile for insurance purposes. This means we can finally get this ball rolling. We met with the Dr. today and here is the bottom line. I'll keep it short because I'm sure some of you out there are more than bored with this topic (myself included.)

• This will be my last Clomid cycle. Clearly it is not working and at this point it has weakened my lining to the point that it's not that likely that we will conceive this way. Buh bye Clonmid, I can't be happier to be done with this.
• Next cycle we start injectibles and IUI. Basically they are daily injections to stimulate the follicles with artificial insemination.
• We do this for two months.
• If during one of those cycles I stimulate more than 3 eggs than we can get emergency IVF and implant 2 eggs. If it is 3 we can decide not to go forward with the insemination, and if it is 2 or lower we would move forward.
• After two months if this doesn't work we move forward with the IVF implanting one or two eggs (we haven't decided.)
• The Doc said I should feel better once I get off the Clomid.

Bottom line? They have no idea why we can get pregnant. Clomid is doing more harm than good. They can get us pregnant. We could very easily have twins.

The husband very much only wants one more baby and my doctor seems to be very cautious erring on the side of, "I'd rather have one follicle than three" so overall I pretty good about it.

So now we just wait until next month. Seems like we may have a baby (or two) on their way before Christmas. Exciting and scary!

Obviously, if any of you out there have been through this or are going through this, any advice or thoughts you may have would be greatly appreciated!

This So Makes Me Want a Girl.

We all know at this point I would take any sex of baby I can can my hands on. Hell, I'd even take 2 or 3 (I kid about the 3), but lately I have been thinking about how nice it would be to have a little brother for my wild little man. I think that until I see pictures of Reese and Ava. This so makes me want a girl.

How unbelievably cute are their coordinating styles? Seriously, it just melts my heart. Now I'm not saying that the world needs another one of me running around (it may be the exact opposite,) but to pass my fashion sense (along with my budding shoe collection) on to my daughter? Let's just say that this mummy is thinking pink!

Genius Idea.

I wish I could take credit for this idea. No, the credit is given to the salesman at Patagonia. Actually the credit truly goes to the salesman's mom.

I was in the store the other day and I was complaining about the fact that I always had to buy the LM a few pairs of gloves each winter because he is always dropping them. Always. Since I am not supermom, this often goes unnoticed. I've tried those little glove clips and they don't really help because my sweet little boy thinks it is a game to put them on and pull them off. A not so fun game that makes us stand out in the cold constantly reattaching them. A game I am not going to play this year.

Well, the genius salesman said, "you could always do what my mom used to do." Of course my curiosity was peaked. "She used to tie them to a piece of yarn and run them through the sleeves of the jacket."

Ding! A light went off in my head. That way when you take them off they only hang rather than dropping to the ground. Seriously, how could I have not thought of this sooner?

Finding yarn in the city is not an easy task, but I was able to find this great cloth ribbon that had a very cool design of horses on it. I sewed it to the tag so it wouldn't be rough against the little guy's skin and sewed the tag to the inside of the glove with one stitch. I then ran it through the back of the coat allowing the gloves to fall out of the proper sleeve.

Genius right? Thank god for other moms! And thank god for their little boys who grow up to share their tricks of the trade!

Recipe of The Week: Yummy Spicy Shrimp Stew.

Yesterday it snowed. Snow? On October 18th? Usually we get until at least November until that happens. Well, it was Sunday and it was a pretty lazy day in our house, so the snow was actually a pretty welcome surprise. The cold weather in general made me crave something warm and hearty. On Friday we went to Green Street for dinner and I had an amazing clam and sausage stew. Given that my husband is pretty much an herbivore I had to change the main ingredients and to my surprise it turned out almost as delicious as the original. The fact that it took less than 15 minutes to prepare? Well, that was just the icing on the cake!

A quick and warm dinner for those cold winter nights!

Spicy Shrimp, Tomatoes, White Beans and Spinach on Garlic Bread

Serves about 2 as a Main Course, 4 as part of a dinner.

1 lb shrimp

4 slices rustic bread

extra virgin olive oil

2 garlic cloves, peeled and sliced

1 garlic clove, peeled and left whole

fresh sage leaves, about 1 packed Tablespoon

3/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper

2 14 1/2 ounce cans diced tomatoes (fire roasted if possible)

1 15 ounce can white beans, rinsed and drained

3 handfuls baby spinach

1/2 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup broth or white wine

freshly ground black pepper

Brush bread slices with a little olive oil. Set aside on a baking sheet to toast later.

Heat 2 Tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the 2 sliced garlic cloves, sage, and crushed red pepper. Cook for about 30 seconds. Add the tomatoes, beans, spinach, salt, and pepper. Increase heat and cover skillet to wilt the spinach. Remove cover after a few minutes and continue cooking for a few more minutes to thicken sauce to desired consistency. Add in the broth (chicken or vegetable) and the shrimp. Cook until shrimp is pink.

While the sauce thickens, toast the bread under the broiler. When done, rub whole garlic clove across the bread slices. (Skip this step if you don't like a very garlicky flavor.)

Place each bread slice in a bowl and top with stew.

Halloween Town Ticket Winner.

Congratulations to Sharon! You have won the 4 tickets to Boston Medical Center's Halloween Town. Please send your address to diaryyummymummy @gmail.com and your prize will be on its way. For the rest of you I highly recommend that you check out this event. It's going to be a great party and I can't think of a better way to raise money for kids in need!

My favorite Halloween costume was the Little Red Riding Hood one that I wore when I was about 4. My great grandmother made it and I remember feeling so fancy and grown up in it!

Loco Legs,

This video pretty much speaks for itself. Wait until about the 35 second mark to see the real action, at about the 45 second mark he becomes possessed. Seriously, it is well worth the wait! My little man is one dancing fool, either that or one spastic little boy. You be the judge.

Lurrrrvvveeee This Scarf!

The other day I did a little shopping at one of my favorite boutiques, Dress on Newbury. I was able to pick up some much needed basics and I happily took full advantage of their fall sale which is happening all week. While I am very satisfied with my purchases, ever since I've been home I've been kicking myself for not picking up this scarf. I was in a bit of a hurry to pick my little man up from school and as I was leaving I saw this out of the corner of my eye.

Beautiful! The fact that it was snowing today just makes me want it even more. Oh how you will haunt me! Bundle up out there my east coast friends, it's going to be a cold weekend!

Gotcha!

I, like most parents, love nothing more than a sleeping baby. The problem is that my baby NEVER lets me actually see him sleeping. I swear this kid has ears like a bat. Every time I want to sneak in and "check" on him, he pops right up and I am forced to quickly duck and run out the door. This has been going on for about a year now. Well, buddy I finally gotcha!

Yesterday I went to get the little man up from his nap so we could make it to school on time. I opened the door expecting to find my normally smiling little man and instead I found this unconscious little guy. He was out. Out. Out. Out. Not only did I have time to run upstairs and come back down, but he stayed sleeping long enough for me to grab more than a few pictures. Or proof I call them. Proof that for about 14 hours a day he can be a quiet, sweet little boy.

You know bud, you actually have the entire crib to sleep in, you don't have to confine yourself to the upper quarter. Guess we won't be needing that "big boy" bed anytime soon!

Don't Ask, Don't Tell.

We have a a policy in my house. A policy that was clearly not set by me. A policy that states:

When I leave the little man alone with my husband I am 1) Never allowed to call to see how he is doing (aka seeing how the husband is managing) and 2) When I get home I am not allowed to ask (aka pry) about what they did or didn't do.

Sure I get the basics. What he ate, how he slept, if he went number two, etc... but other than that I have to use my imagination.

I was thinking that now that the little man is bigger, maybe this policy should be revisited and revised. Hey, Obama is thankfully doing it for the country, surely we can take it on in this house. I was thinking of revising it until I came home from brunch with Julie Q and Legally Brunette on Sunday and I found the little man looking like this:

Do I really want to know what happens when I'm not around? Forgetting the fact that it was only 50 degrees outside, and forgetting the fact that I left the little man fully clothed just 2 short hours earlier........ you know what? I don't. What happens on Dad's time is better off staying on Dad's time.

Yes, I am still slightly concerned that I have yet to find the clothes that he was wearing that day, but on the upside Dad did find a great way to keep peanut butter off his sweater!

Don't ask, don't tell it is!