I Don't Do New Year's Eve.

I know what you are thinking. What, you don't do New Years?

My Hair Dresser Vinnie said it best.

New Year's Eve is like if everyone had to to get their hair done on December 31. The catch would be that your hairdresser would be booked months in advance so you would be never be able to get an appointment. So you go to a different salon that you don't like quite as much. When you get to that salon you find out you have to pay a cover to get in and you have to pay three times as much to get their usual services. Oh, and they will only offer three things on their "menu" rather than your usual "fare."

That is exactly how things work in the restaurant industry so for that reason I boycott.

Tonight I will be curled up with a glass of champagne and my two favorite men (one being very little). Bedtime will come well before the ball drops, and the New Year will be here before I know it.

I hope those of you who do celebrate the festivities have an amazing and safe night.

See you next year.

Dear New England

Yep, its one of those posts.

Dear New England,

I'm not quite sure how to start this letter. You and I have been together for almost 7 years now. 7 long snow filled years. 

Usually I am pretty patient with you. Usually I able to hold off our first fight until at least February. This year you gave me my first white Christmas so I will try to remember that when we have this much needed conversation. 

What you want me to bottom line it for you?

New England, you are starting to really piss me off. Would you please make up your freaking mind already!!!

Here is an example of what I am talking about. Friday it was 30 degrees, Saturday 50 and Sunday 63. Yesterday it was 35. Today I was nearly knocked off my feet by the 40 mph wind and tomorrow it is going to snow 5 inches and with the wind chill feeling like -10 tomorrow night. 

See, this is where you start to lose me. -10 degrees. WTF. Thank god I refuse to celebrate New Years Eve (to be discussed tomorrow) because that would have absolutely ruined my night. What does a girl wear to the ball in below zero temps and a blizzard? Wellies and a puffy coat. Yeah, I don't think so.

Look I expect it to be cold. I expect it to snow. Can we just keep a little more constancy please. 

I like to know what I'm wearing for the next few months. I don't need to be digging for my Spring clothes in the middle of December only to then bury them the next day. I don't need to feel the warmth of the sun on my face only for you to spit cold wind on it the next day. I don't need to remember what it is like to go out without ten layers on me or my little man, only to be faced with the exhaustion of having to bundle up the next day.

OK? Do we have some sort of understanding? Don't remind me of how amazing you are in the Spring and Summer. It just hurts too bad. 

This time I'm willing to give you a pass. Why you ask? Because your cute little warm weather stunt gave me the perfect opportunity to wear my amazing new Vera Wang top to Saturday date night. For that you are forgiven. This time.

Let's just put this past week behind us. Let's move on. Just don't let it happen again. I just purchased My Dream Home here and given the current state of the market I don't think we will be moving anytime soon so we are really going to need to work on this. I'll try to be patient with you and you will try to keep us around 40 degrees for the next 4 months. While we are at it can you only snow on the weekend? 

Hey, just thought I'd ask.

Post Christmas Exhaustion.

Santa came, he saw, and he left this mummy absolutely exhausted! I sure most of you out there feel the exact the same way. I hope you all had an amazing Christmas and have a long and restful weekend.

 Here are some pictures of our big day. 

Looks like the little man made the "nice" list.

A present from grandpa aka Santa (this was the Christmas thorn in my environmentally friendly husband's side)

Wonder pets!

And finally a present from mommy, since I couldn't get a real brother ready by the big day I figured this was the next best thing!

My Name Is Yummy Mummy and I'm a Starbucksaholic.

I just cold called 7 Starbucks stores to see if any of them will be open tomorrow (after I was amazed to find that my neighborhood store would be shut down..... all day). 

Sweet Baby Jesus on Christmas morning, the 7th one said they would be open from 7:30am-7pm (shout out to the Starbucks on Newbury between Dartmouth and Exeter). I tell you it's a Christmas miracle! Without my latte tomorrow would be a long day. The Husband (also an addict, the key to any great relationship) already volunteered to pick them up.

All I want for Christmas is a Grande Soy Latte. Thank you Santa and thank you greedy corporate coffee monsters!

To Do List...Ta Done!

By now you all know that I am a type A+ overachiever. Sometimes the really annoying kind. Annoying especially to myself when I put too much on my plate and I have to become Supermum to get it all done. The holidays, unfortunately, are no exception. It is this time of year that I always try to channel my inner Martha Stewart. 

Today I learned the hard way that snow and an active 16 month old can make even the simplest of tasks an absolute nightmare. Somehow we made it through and I am looking forward to a quiet Christmas Eve with The Husband, the Little Man, and a giant glass of Prosecco (or two...who am kidding, or three). 

I wish all of you a very Merry Christmas and a continuing Happy Hanukkah. I hope you all have safe travels and that you get everything you wished for. 

Date Night.

Saturday night The Husband and I had our first date night in 20 months. I know exactly what you are thinking. How did we let it get this bad?

It's not like we haven't had nights out, they just haven't been nights out alone. Together and alone. One of us either watched the little man while to other goes out with friends, or we go our when we have friends or family visiting. Never by ourselves.

I'm pretty sure this is just a sign of our laziness than it is of anything else. Usually a great Saturday involves a pizza, some beers, and a movie. It just takes so much effort, and money (Boston sitters don't come cheap) that we just don't ever plan anything.Well times have changed! Like I said, we went out Saturday and it was A.M.A.Z.I.N.G. Sure we froze our asses off in the snow, but it was so fun just to go out as adults; baby free adults. 

We went to one of my favorite restaurants B&G Oysters, in Boston's South End. The food is always so so, but the oysters are to die for. Oysters happen to be my absolute favorite food so the restaurant was my pick. Throw in the two glasses of wine, and it really was the perfect night (short of the fact that I really froze my ass off). Never mind that we were home watching Law and Order at 9:45. The fact that we got a little dressed up and went out was a definite step in the right direction.

We had so much fun that we booked another night this coming Saturday, and then the Saturday two weeks from now. I know we are some crazy kids! This weekend is The Husband's pick so he of course chose some hole in the wall Tibetan place around the corner from our house. However......wait for it........after that we are going to see a movie. In the theater. I know, I just blew your mind. 

I have been dying to see so many movies that are out that I couldn't even pick one if I tried. Luckily since it's The Husband's night, he decided for me and we are going to see Milk. This was on the top of my list so win, win!

I never thought we would be one of those couples that would have to schedule a "date night,"but then again I never knew what it would be like to have a 16 month old either. For me knowing that every possible Saturday will be set aside for us just to spend time reconnecting is something to really look forward to. I love that we will be trading off "nights" to ensure that each of us gets to do exactly what we want. 

I have a feeling if things keep going this way we won't have any problem making baby number two! If that doesn't work we have a 1 week trip to Maui in March (sans little man) which should do the trick!

And It Snowed, and Snowed, and Snowed.

and snowed, and snowed, and snowed............and it's still snowing! 

Luckily we found a way to pass the time.......

Let It Snow, Let It Snow, Let It Snow.

Up here in Boston we are smack dab in the middle of our first snowstorm (blizzard) of the year, and couldn't love it more. We are supposed to get 12-14 inches of snow and that means that my dream of a white Christmas will be coming true this year. For now the schools are closed, most people are home from work, and I am snuggled up on my sofa with a big cup of Hot Chocolate. Could life be any better?

Let It Snow, Let It Snow, Let It Snow..........

This is the view out my window, and it's only been 2 1/2 hours! 16 more to go. I think we may be pulling the sled to Starbucks tomorrow!

Yummy Gift Idea.

There are two things I love more than life; my little man and Starbucks coffee. This yummy gift idea combines these two loves. When I get my coffee I always use personal mug. I love it for three reasons. One, it is better for the environment,  two it keeps your drink hot or cold no matter what the temperature is outside, and three it keeps it from spilling all over your outfit as you walk (or your new Burberry trench if you are as lucky as me).

A few months ago I was so excited when I saw that Starbucks was now carrying a line of personal mugs that could be, well personalized. I immediately raced home and created an amazing mug covered in pics of my little man. This idea soon caught on and I made another mug for my sister. 

I realized that I must be on to something when I saw all my other yummy mummies making about a dozen mugs for themselves and for their families (the perfect stocking stuffer). I'm not kidding when I say dozens.....really at this point Starbucks should be giving some commission on these things. 

Since I am never one to hold anything back from you all, I figured you should be in on this too! These really are a great gift, you can do pictures of anything and you can totally mix them up.

There are two tricks to making the perfect mug, however. The first is after you make your collage you should color copy it as the pictures won't fit in if there is any overlapping. The second is to make multiple copies and give them as well so if any water gets in they can just swap them out. 

If you throw a charged up Starbucks card inside you can have the best gift for even the pickiest of people on your list.

Just don't go looking for a mug in downtown Boston, I think my mummies snagged them all up!

Oh Christmas Tree.

This weekend yummy mummy celebrated her very favorite part of the Christmas Season. Of course it's the picking out and the decorating of the Yummy Mummy family Christmas tree. I must say having the little man made this process much more difficult but also a lot more fun. 

Here are some pics of the beginning of the Christmas madness.

Celebrity Facebook Stalking.

I found something to take my mind off of the whole pregnant/not pregnant thing. It's completely random and a total waste of time, but at the same time I'm having so much fun. I'm thinking the title of this post gave it away, but in case you haven't guessed by now....my new obsession is:

Getting celebrities to "friend" me on Facebook.

This is how the whole thing happened. I love facebook. Love finding old friends, love reconnecting...yada yada yada. Now that I am pretty much "friends" with pretty much everyone who I have ever met (only about 110, sad I know) the fun of facebook has lost its initial excitement. That was until I friended an old friend from High School who happens to be friends with 2 C/D list celebs. I was curious to see what would happen if I sent them a friend request.

As expected, within the hour, I too was friends with Jason Lee (the actor) and Sal Masakela (TV personality). I actually know Sal from back in the day, but he never would have remembered me. Now that I am their friends they have opened me up to their 800 plus friends (each) some of whom are B/C list celebs themselves. Just for fun I have sent out some requests to see what happens. 

On another front a friend of mine from back in the day is related to none other than LO from "The Hills." I sent out a request to her and I'm wondering how long it will take me to infiltrate the entire cast. Soon I could be getting updates on Justin Bobby's status, or writing on Spencer and Heidi's wall. A girl could only dream (insert sarcastic tone here).

Clearly my being friends with pseudo celebrities is only an indication of their own narcissism, but what fun!

I keep you posted on how far to the top of the celebrity food chain I get. I'm not resting until I am friends with at least one person from Beverly Hills 90210. I'll even settle for someone from the new season. 

Pregnancy Watch 08'

I figure I have about 4-7 days until I know whether or not I am officially knocked up. Until then I plan on turning my blog into a vigil where we can all patiently (ya right!) wait. Here is my list of updated symptoms.

1. Still can't stop eating. Like CANNOT STOP EATING. Here is what I consumed today. One decaf (for baby's sake) peppermint soy mocha. 2 pieces cinnamon sugar toast. One HUGE bowl of pasta covered in mozzarella and basil with tomato sauce. 1/2 bag white cheddar soy chips, and 2 chocolate chip cookies. Oh yea, and it's only 4:30pm. I CANNOT STOP. If I am not preggars I am going to have some serious hell to pay in the gym next month.
2. Looking fuller. Especially in my belly. Yes, this likely has to do with the massive amount of food I'm consuming, but I sear it is lower than that. Like my uterus is bigger if that is even possible this early. 
3. I am freaking exhausted. I have not been able to stay up past 9 for the last week and am continuing to pass out on the couch.
4. Boobs have jumped almost a cup size. Always a good thing. 
5. Skin is a hormonal hot mess. I have a pimple under my eyebrow the size of my eye. Who even knew there were pores there?
6. I still am looking at nurseries. Pink nurseries.
7. Yesterday afternoon, and again this morning I was crazy nauseous. Always a good sign.

Never being one to patiently wait (understatement of the year) I have of course taken pregnancy tests. I bought a four pack on sale and I am hoping not to have to go back for more. I took one yesterday and today and both were negative. I know it's too early so I may skip tomorrow and start up again this weekend.

I of course will be keeping you updated....................................

Lucky Number Seven

Inspired by That Girl, my oversees sister from another mother, here is Yummy Mummy's Lucky Seven. Now I know I'm supposed to focus my festive seven, but given that I've got baby on the brain I'm thinking I can take some artistic freedom.

7 Things I've Been Doing Instead of Preparing for Christmas.

1. Shopping for nurseries even though baby status is still unknown.
2. Yelling at my contractors who are still working in my apartment on a daily basis.
3. Reading all of your blogs and loving the Christmas posts.
4. Trying to plan a vacation for January when the thought of flying with the little man makes me want to vomit.
5. Obsessing about whether I purchased the right pair of glasses.
6. Trying to teach the little man who is boss. I keep telling myself I am bigger, I am stronger, and damnit I am smarter, I will not let a 15 month old beat me.
7. Taking pregnancy tests. With the little man I took 6. Baby #2, 11. As of now I have only taken one. Negative of course, but it is still a week early.

7 Christmas Wishes.

1. That everyone stops losing their homes.
2. That Barak Obama does everything he said he would do.
3. That I will be a less stressful mommy in the New Year.
4. That I am able to maintain healthy friendships and relationships.
5. That I am knocked up. (duh)
6. That I finish my book. Yep, still stuck in Chapter 2.
7. That the little man decides that yes, I am the boss. (I think I probably have a better chance of finishing the book).

7 People/ Couples I Would Invite For Christmas Dinner.

1. My sister Holly. We had her here all summer and I miss the crap out of her.
2. A babysitter to run after the little man. 
3. Gwyneth Paltrow and Chris Martin and kids (come on wouldn't you want to spend the night with them?)
4. Kirby from lipstick jungle (please I dream about the guy every night so I might as well feed him).
5. Martha Stewart (someone has to cook).
6. Brad and Angie (they seem to be very fertile, I'm hoping they would have some tips).
7. Emily Giffin and Hubby (to help me figure out how to get this damn book published).

7 Favorite Christmas Movies.

1. Love Actually
2. the Holiday
3. Miracle on 34th Street (new and old)
4. You've Got Mail (not really a Holiday movie but has Christmas scenes)
5. August Rush (ditto)
6. Home Alone
7. Family Man

7 Reasons I Not So Secretly Want a Girl.

1. The clothes are so much better. Has anyone seen true religion jeans in a size 2. So adorable!
2. Boys are wild. Especially ones who climb. We've already got one, I'm all set.
3. I love pink.
4. My boy may eventually love another woman more than me, most girls won't.
5. I would love a little blond carbon copy of myself.
6. Her big brother would be there to keep her in check.
7. Did I mention I love pink?

7 Reasons Why I Would be So OK With a Boy.

1. 2 brothers would be too cute. I could refer to them as "the boys."
2. We already have everything for boys.
3. It would be such a space saver to have them share a room.
4. The little man would have someone to play rough with other than me.
5. My husband really wants another boy.
6. We have the best name picked out (clearly as referenced above.)
7. Boys are usually bigger which means you lose more weight faster (I know, not really but since I really want a girl I am at a loss for number 7).

7 Things I Want For Christmas (since I already got the trench I have to be creative here).

1. The little man to say I love you.
2. The little man to say please.
3. And thank you while we are at it.
4. To sleep in on Sundays.
5. A new set of pots and pans.
6. My new glasses (tbd in a detail full post)
7. um did I mention a baby?

I don't have 7 other bloggers since most have already been tagged but please feel free to share any of your lucky seven here!

5 Signs I Might Be Pregnant.

I must preface this post with the disclaimer that I am the girl who cries pregnancy wolf. Every month I am convinced that I am pregnant. Even when it is a mathematical impossibility (we all have heard about the Virgin Mary haven't we?) I still keeps my fingers crossed until I am really sure it didn't happen. That being said I am sure that this month is different (yes, honey I know you have heard this before). Since I won't know for about 7 days all I can do is wait. Wait and eat (see numbers 5, 4, and 1).

These are the reasons I am convinced I am preggars.

5. I cannot eat enough. Seriously. Maybe I am just really really hungry this month but I am amazed at the calories I have been pounding. Cut to me today prior to Yoga where the instructor catches me shoving white cheddar soy crisps down my throat. Yep, that kind of hungry.

4. My face looks fuller. Yes, I realize this may have something to do with the fact that I am consuming my body weight in food each day, but I am definitely looking a bit more round.

3. I am sooooooooo tired. I have fallen asleep the past two nights on the sofa. This only happens when I am knocked up. However, the Husband did force me to watch a boxing show and a show about whaling so that may have had something to do with it. In addition, I have had the strangest dreams. Like weird, didn't we go to high school, I haven't seen you in 15 years dreams. I'm either on the pregnancy train or I have to stop checking my Facebook page every hour.

2. I cannot stop looking at Nurseries online. This becomes my obsession whenever I am pregnant. I LOVE LOVE LOVE looking at the websites and mentally planning the next bedroom for my little one. Today I spent an hour deciding what pink (yes pink) curtains I would put in a girl's room. Yes, I have a son. Clearly I have the fever and clearly I want a girl even though I keep saying I want a boy.

1. I am craving buffalo chicken wings and red licorice. Two things I only crave when I am pregnant. In fact right now I am wiping the buffalo sauce off the keys. Yes, after I dragged the little man out in the sub zero temps to Whole Foods I couldn't wait to inhale my half dozen wings until I got done typing. I of course am going to follow up this nutritious meal with a bag of licorice. Go big or go home I say.

Keep you fingers crossed for me (and your toes, arms, legs) and I promise to let you know as soon as we find out one way or another.

Hello Mommy Brain.

I am almost embarrassed to share this story with you. 

Almost.

Yesterday my back hurt. All morning long, it was bothering me. I couldn't figure out what was wrong. Every time I would sit down I would get this shooting pain up my spine. What the hell I thought? Could I have possibly overdone it in Friday's killer Yoga class? Did I pinch a nerve? Why is this only happening when I sit down? This was my inner dialouge throughout the morning.

Then I began to seriously question whether I should even go to my usual Sunday Pilates class. The Husband was aching for some lab time and I really needed a break from the little man so I decided to drag my arse to the gym. During the drive there my back began to hurt again. I realized that it wasn't so much a shooting pain in my lower back as it was a constant pinching. This is not good I thought to myself. 

I finally made it to the gym and ran in a few minutes before class started. I thought maybe some mat time would help to get out whatever was bugging me. I laid on my back and began rolling like a ball and OMG the pain was back. Now I was getting annoyed. I finally reached down thinking maybe there was a tag in my new yoga pants that could have been the culprit. Could i really have forgotten to remove it? This was a definite possibility. There was no tag, but do you know what had been hiding in the waistband of my pants all morning?

A freaking Binky. 

I must have taken it away from the little man and given that there are no pockets in my pants I stuck it in my waistband where he couldn't get it. Every time I sat down the rubber would pinch my skin.

Yes, I am an idiot. Hello Mommy Brain. It has been awhile since you last visited (see car accidents #1 and #2). At least this time I didn't need a trip to the repair shop. 

Scrooge No More.

My bah humbug attitude that I had earlier in the week has really got me down in the dumps. This has always been my favorite time of the year (by far). I am what you would call a Christmas groupie. I typically buy into all things Holiday related. I don't care that the whole mania seems to start in October; for me it can't last long enough. I am making a new resolution. Today is the day I embrace all things Christmas. No more wallowing in my anti-consumption attitude. To help kick my yummy arse into the Holiday spirit I am going to force myself to focus on all the things that make me love this time of the year. 

Here are the top ten reasons I love Christmas.

1. I love Christmas trees (real Christmas trees). Love how they smell. Love how they feel. I even don't mind picking up the needles well into the New Year. I cannot imagine Christmas without a tree. When I was single and living alone while I was in law school I had a tree. When we got back from vacation last year on December 24, we got a tree. For me having a tree in my house fills me with so much joy that even my environmentally friendly husband grudgingly (emphasis on grudgingly) goes with me to pick one up each year. 
2. I love decorating. Every year when I open up that cardboard box filled with all those sparkly decorations I have tears in my eyes (and often streaming down my face). Even writing about it gives me chills. I love my Christmas ornaments. Every single on has meaning behind it. They are definitely not the fanciest ornaments you will find, but they are all mine. I have ones from when I was a baby, ones from when I got married, and my prized "Baby's First Christmas" ornament from last year. I am a HUGE fan of having a mis mosh of ornaments. Those beautifully decorated trees with white lights and crystal ornaments are not for me. I'll take the handmade ornaments my little sisters made when they were five years old any day!
3. Love egg nog. Even more I love the new Silk Lactose free egg nog. For a girl who can't tolerate milk this is a God send.
4. I love Holiday music. I am the girl who listens to the Christmas music on the radio 24/7. I cannot hear it enough. In fact my entire wedding was formulated around the song "O Holy Night." Hands down this is my favorite song. Ever since I was a little girl I dreamed of a winter wedding where a violinist would play the song right before we were pronounced husband and wife. I was not deterred from this even when we decided to get married in Hawaii. In January. As those who were there can attest, right before we walked down the aisle I had a violinist standing on the beach playing "O Holy Night." While everyone was a but confused, it was the highlight of the ceremony for me. 
5. I love Santa. I track him on the TV, and the Internet. When I am writing his name on those packages for the Husband and little man I still somehow believe he is real. Even when I write with my left hand so it doesn't look like my handwriting (just like my father always did) I still somehow believe he is going to one day come down my nonexistent chimney. Here's to hoping.
6. I love eating. 330 days a year I am very careful about what I eat. Very careful. The month of December I throw any resolve out the window. I eat and eat and eat. And eat and eat and eat. I also may drink and drink and drink. The two do go hand in hand.
7. I love wrapping presents. For a perfectionist like me this is a dream. I love folding perfect corners and tying even bows. It's therapy. I should figure out a way to charge for this.
8. I love holiday movies. My favorites? Love Actually (duh), The Holiday (just watched it this morning while folding laundry), August Rush (not necessarily a holiday movie but has all the elements, tears, love and family), and last but not least Home Alone (I know, how old am I?)
9. I love Christmas cards. I love creating them, addressing them, sending them and most of all getting them. I keep them on display through January and cry a little when I throw them in the recycling bin at the end of the month. 
10. I love when my favorite shows also celebrate Christmas/ Hanukkah. These are always the best shows of the season as far as I'm concerned. With all that mistletoe there is always a hookup or two and with all that family time the best drama usually ensues. Plus with all that holiday spirit there is usually some great emotional story line. Remember all those episodes of 90210 where the Walshs' would bring home some stray homeless guy? As corny as it was, it always made for some great television.

Writing about all the things I love about this season has already put me in a better mood. I'm now going to sit back and drink my Soy Nog while I listen to Sarah McLaughlin's "Wintersong"(I LOVE the song River, track #3) and begin the task of untangling the lights for the Christmas tree we will pick up this weekend (fingers crossed). It looks like some snow is heading this way which could be the icing on my Christmas cake!

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend and I also hope that you are also able to get into the Holiday sprit during what I know is a stressful time. 

Who Are You And What Have You Done With My Child?

Someone must be playing a joke on me. A really freaking awesome joke! 

For the past 3 days my child has been (relatively) amazing! Like who are you? Where is my whiny baby? Omg parenthood is actually fun baby!

I seriously forgot what it was like to have a baby who I actually liked/loved to be around all day long. Don't get me wrong, we have had plenty of happy moments over the past few weeks but the truth is they haven't been lasting long enough to get me through the day. I was at my wits end pondering going back to work when all of a sudden on Tuesday things just clicked and I was happily reminded of how much I love being home with my little man. 

I'm not sure what happened, and I don't want to jinx it too much by trying to uncover the source. My best guess is that prior to this week we have just had a really bad month. Really bad. Between the stomach flu, severe teething, and traveling for thanksgiving we have just not been clicking (understatement of the year). My little man has been so whiny, so needy, and just so unhappy all the time. I have been convinced that this was my fault. That there was something that I was not doing. That I was the cause of his constant despair. That guilt has been driving me insane, more so than I even realized. A lot of these emotions came to fruition yesterday when I was having lunch with my bestest yummy mummy friends. I explained how I was feeling and I was amazed to find that I am not the only one. That we all feel like this, at one time for another. 

I always think my child is the difficult one, or that I am the one who is not able to handle it. I realize everyone has these feelings at one time or another and we just don't talk about the bad times as much as we talk about the good. I have been feeling like such a failure and then Tuesday rolled around and it was like this past month never existed. All of a sudden the teeth were through and the man was happy to be home. It was over. We were best friends again. He amazingly couldn't smile enough. The best part, the separation anxiety was gone overnight. Like completely gone. When daddy came home Wednesday the little man wanted nothing to do with me. Nothing. As odd as this seems that was the best feeling in the world. We have spent the past few months literally attached and now we are breathing again. Separately, and God it feels good.

I don't know how long this euphoria will last and I know over the next 18 years we are bound to have bad months (even years) so I am going to try to remember that there will be an end to every bad spell. Whatever is going on, it can only go up from there. 

I recognize that I am a extreme perfectionist but I am realizing that I have to accept that there is no such thing as a perfect child, and there is definitely no such thing as the perfect mother. 

Someone said motherhood is the toughest job in the world. They weren't kidding were they?

Vampires Are So The New Black.

I don't know how this happened, but over the course of the past few weeks I have become truly and insanely obsessed (OBSESSED) with vampires. I know what you are thinking, you don't really seem like the sci fi sort of girl? Believe me I am not. Not at all. I'm the girl who could barely make it through the War of the Worlds and that had Tom Cruise in it. I usually hate anything that is not based in reality. Aliens, ghosts, half dead serial killers, not for me. So I am just surprised as you are that I now find myself dreaming of vampires. Seriously dreaming of them every night. Every night. Dreaming of being them, dating them, being chased by them. Every SINGLE night.

There are two things that I have to blame for my new mania.

1. Twilight. OK, how is it that NO ONE told me about this series? I mean aren't we friends? Is it possible that if you are over the age of 25 then like me you have never heard of this series until the movie recently was released? Prior to our Thanksgiving trip I had been watching the hysteria surrounding Twilight. It made me think what is all the hype about? Then I read that the first book had been out for a few years and that all books were NYT best sellers. My first thought was how could I have missed this. My second thought was how fast can I get my hands on a copy of these books. Luckily, when were were about to board our plane I grabbed a copy of the first book from the newsstand and OMG where the hell have I been? I finished book one in about 20 hours and then rushed out in the dark of night to purchase books two and three. Two days later I was back for a late night run to the Barnes and Noble for book four. Did it bother me that I was fighting off teenagers to get my hands on that final copy? Not one bit. Did it bother me that i had to drive 30 miles? Nope. It was literary crack. I knew where it was and I HAD to get it. It has been a long time since I have gone so crazy over a series. I don't even know why I like it so much. As I said I don't love sci fi (loathe would be a better word), and recognize that the writing is geared towards those who are still in 10th grade, but none of that matters when I have one of those books in front of me. I am so immersed in every word. I pour over every sentence. I tear through page after page. I am a woman on a mission and I love every minute of it. The best part for me is that each book is about 650 pages so that feeling just goes on and on. I am anxiously awaiting my next mommy night so I can sneak out and see the movie. I have about 200 pages left in the final book so I may have to reward myself when I finish.
2. True Blood. This show rocks! My husband I were late to join this bandwagon, but when we did we couldn't stop watching. in fact, one Saturday night we watch 3 episodes in a row (which if you knew us you would also agree is completely out of character given our 9:00 bedtimes). This show is seriously so creepy and so sexy sexy at the same time and somehow this combination TOTALLY works. I have the season finale burning a hole in my DVR right now, and now that the Husband is back I am counting the minutes until the little man goes to bed so we can pop open a cold beer and I can see how it all ends. 

Needless to say I HIGHLY recommend both of these. Just be warned once you get bitten (pun intended) you may not be able to stop. Make sure you block off about a week of time; in fact if you can send the husband, spouse, partner, roommate, child away that may be your best bet. Or better yet, send yourself away. I know, I know, now I'm really dreaming. 

Could I Have Lost My Will To Shop?

I know, I know this could never happen. Could it? Today I learned that unfortunately it can.

Early this afternoon I had the sitter and I ventured out baby free to buy Christmas presents. Luckily my list is always the same and everyone is pretty easy to shop for. The truth is in just this one day I am pretty much done. Mom, Dad, Step Mom, Little Man, 3 sisters, and Husband all checked off my list. All that is left is the in-laws for which I can enlist the help of my brother and sister in-law to help find that perfect gift.

Being done so early in the game should make me happy but the fact is that it is just not all that much fun this year. I thought it had something to do with the fact that I am not asking for anything this year from the Husband (the trench was more than enough) and from our family we want new pots and pans (fun fun) but I think it is much more than that. 

The stores are empty, decorations are at a minimum, and everything is on sale which is great for the pocketbook but also makes it all seem so sad. For me, the state of the economy makes Christmas seem so frivolous this year, and even though we have yet to be effected, I feel like as a nation we are all buying things because we have to buy them not because of some sense of holiday giving. The fact is that Christmas is coming at a very crappy time this year. Can't we just move it to July? 

Don't get me wrong, I still LOVE Christmas. Love the trees, love the lights, love the music, love  decorating, pray for snow, I even love the egg nog. What I do hate is that this year it all seems so material. I feel like I need to find a way to balance out the commercial side of the Holiday. I am fortunate enough to have a babysitter two afternoons a week and I'm thinking that I should take advantage of one of those days and try to give back this Holiday season. I think that will help me to relieve some of my consumer guilt. I going to try not to dwell because although he is still little, this is the little man's first real Christmas (last year he was still very blobish) and I really want him to love this Season as much as I do. However, this year I am going to make a very conscious effort to make this time of year not revolve around material things but rather the traditions that we are creating as a family.  

Maybe that is the benefit of the current financial crisis. Maybe it's time that we  collectively take a look at what is really important and what Christmas and giving really means. Maybe this year that will be the true meaning of Christmas. 

You know it's a bad sign for consumer spending when even yummy mummy doesn't want to shop. I guess that just means more sales for everyone else who still has a little spending in them.