Day 24: Dimmest Bulb in the Box

Tonight I made a batch of beef vegetable soup while Bradley fed Mary Brooks and whipped up some baby food.

After all the cooking, I really wasn't in a 'soup' mood for supper, but I was still flattered when I saw Bradley had made me a bowl of it and left it on the stove top.

Having changed my mind, I poured my untouched bowl of soup back into the pot as I wondered if Honey Nut Cheerios could pass for a dinnertime food.

It wasn't until two-thirds of the bowl's contents were out that I realized I was dumping Mary Brooks' freshly pureed plums into a meaty, tomato-based pot of soup.

I scrambled to salvage what I could of both the plums and the soup, as I don't think the two flavors mix particularly well.

Lesson learned: pay attention when you pour, don't presume Bradley has made you supper (you are considerate, B, but not usually that forward-thinking), and cereal does in fact constitute an evening meal.

I hope the soup is just as good tomorrow, though I'm sure I'll 'taste' plums even if every bit is long gone.

Signed,
The Dimmest Bulb in the Box

*This post is day 24 in my 31 Days of What Matters.

Day 11: Packing Smart

It would take three pages to list what the four of us require for a few days away. A pack and play, two kiddie totes, a suitcase of clothes for the little peeps, clothes and toiletries for me and B, milk, baby food, snacks for me Mac and me, music for the road, books, movies, distracting activities....

The best thing we do is keep Mac and Mary Brooks' bags ready to go at all times. School, church, errands, weekends away - wherever. As soon as I arrive home, I replenish these and leave them in the sunroom by the door. Mac's has a change of clothes, an emergency pull-up, a few books and a stick-on placemat.

Mary Brooks' has a burp cloth, thin gauze blanket, lovey, pacifier, diapers, bib, change of clothes, wipes and a baby spoon. (Hers also has an emergency pull up and pair of underwear for Mac, just so we don't have to carry two bags if we're running somewhere quickly.)

I stash my wallet, cell phone and keys in there (there's already a lip gloss in the front pocket - that's a given) and we're ready to go.

Having these bags stocked up at a moment's notice makes the not-so-spontaneous art of getting out the door a little easier on us.

Do y'all have a hard time managing the ten truckloads of "stuff" required for the tiniest of humans? Any tips?

*This post is day 11 in my 31 Days of What Matters.

Oh Happy Day!!!!

Subtitle: I live an extremely glamorous and fascinating life.

Here's proof.

I learned something recently that I wish I'd known a long, long time ago. I'm trying not to calculate how much money it would have saved me. Maybe you knew this ages ago, but in case it's new to you as well:

BABIES 'R US ACCEPTS BED BATH & BEYOND COUPONS!

Yes, that's right. Any of the 10,000 big blue coupons BB&B sends you each month can be used at Babies 'R Us, so long as the coupon is current. Try not to break your neck dancing for joy.

I'm attempting not to cringe recalling each and every baby shower gift I bought (and received!!) that could have been one-fifth less expensive. Each large purchase made by us, or for us, could have been a much better deal knowing this one tiny fact.

I tweeted about this yesterday and was disheartened at how many of us were unaware. At least I wasn't alone. But now we know, right?

I called to confirm and swung by yesterday to test it out. I was able to use a Babies 'R Us 20% coupon, two BB&B 20% off coupons and one BB&B $5 off coupon. (Thankfully the store was half empty, so no one was bothered by the many separate transactions.)

Okay, rant over. I have officially come out of the closet as a boring mom whose secret joy is in saving money on baby items. And my birthday's Saturday - fantastic. I'm feeling ancient already!

Someone please join me in celebrating.... At least let me feel like I've saved you some money, too. Does your store accept BB&B coupons?

*Note: Buy Buy Baby also accepts BB&B coupons; they are owned by the same company. As such, they'll accept coupons no matter the expiration date. Use your new coupons at B'RUs and your expired ones at BB&B. Greenville's Buy Buy Baby hasn't opened yet, I don't believe, but that's the word on the mom street.

A Tale of Ten Toes

Blue's last weekend as our only baby

I adore a pedicure - always have. Nothing makes me feel as pampered or prepared for anything, whatever the season. Since I first got the pedi-bug (didn't intend for that to sound like a communicable disease), I've made a visit once each month during the summer and maybe every 6 or 8 weeks after sandal season ends.

Even padding around barefoot, there's something special about gazing down at glossy, polished toes. I love the ritual of picking out a color and a magazine, then sitting empty-headed reading celebrity gossip while the massage chair kneads your shoulders and someone works miracles on your feet. Mix in warm towels and a foot massage and it becomes a treat too delicious to describe.

My last pedicure was on Saturday, October 3, 2009, two days before I had Mac. I sweet-talked Bradley into letting me off of bedrest for an hour and couldn't have been giddier. It wasn't a typical pedicure for a few unavoidable reasons.

I wouldn't turn on the massage chair because I thought it might jostle the baby. I couldn't read a magazine because my stomach was too big to read over and, if I propped my arms on my belly, the words were too close to my face. The girl giving me a pedicure found this quite amusing, so I just closed my eyes and focused on the pampering.

When I returned to our sofa, Blue cuddled up with me to enjoy the view. (That's the picture above, when he was our only baby.) Shortly after, I felt my first contractions.

That Monday, my outing paid for itself in the countless compliments from our nurses on my polished fingers and toes. I might have been swollen and uncomfortable, but my feet looked fabulous in the labor and delivery room! I'd recommend a pre-baby pedicure to any mom-to-be. Post-baby pedicures? I'm a little behind on that front.

On maternity leave, I was nursing Mac frequently and too concerned about salon fumes to venture in. Once I returned to work, I was way too busy to set aside an hour for a "frivolous" outing. Now that I'm home, juggling full-time momhood with business pursuits, I'm just as busy and even less able to justify "me" time.

These ten toes are in shock at having been away from the salon this long. While I do my best to keep them polished and pretty, I just don't have the finesse of the professionals.

So today, putting aside all excuses and leaving Mac with B, I am getting a pedicure. Let's hope this is my last nine month absence from the swirling foot baths just up the road!

A friend told me years ago that my whirlwind of spray tans, manicures, pedicures, eyebrow waxing, shopping trips and hair cuts would slow down significantly once I had kids. I'd just have other priorities, she said. I rolled my eyes at her.

She was right, though; I do have other priorities. But for an hour this afternoon, my priority is me - and these ten neglected toes. Blue will be thrilled when his favorite pillow returns home sporting a fresh coat of polish.

Pass the OPI!

Beach Adventures

Thanks for all your sweet texts, comments and tweets! B and I had a fantastic time at the beach - such a great time, in fact, that I took exactly three pictures. Too much fun to slow down for a camera, I suppose.

I walked on the beach, lazed by the pool, enjoyed yummy seafood, tore through a long book, took naps while B had meetings, dressed up to dance and dine, swung by the outlets and basically soaked up adult conversation all weekend. (Not to say we didn't talk about Mac; we absolutely did. It's amazing how quickly kids come up when you meet new people!)

You've already seen one of the pictures I snapped last weekend. Food was clearly high on my priority list; I'm paying the price for it at the gym this week.

Here are the other two - proof that I did indeed wear a bathing suit and indisputable evidence that chivalry (ha ha) is not dead.

Don't worry, Mom, I packed my sunblock!

You can't make this stuff up. I'd call but I'm no super model...

Ten Ways You Know You're An Adult

1. It takes you an hour to plan your grocery shopping expedition. Coupons? Check. Grocery List? Check. Baby Bjorn for sniffly, must-be-held baby? Check.

2. You never run out of paper towels or toilet paper. I'm not sure what would happen if you did; it's too terrifying even to contemplate.

3. You have paperwork files for your car insurance, life and disability insurance, health insurance, utilities (tax write-off for new business!), flex spending account receipts (what's up, weekly pediatrician's office copay?) and social correspondence. And sorting through it's exhausting.

4. You draw up your menus and schedule excursions a week ahead; there's a planner on the fridge so your husband can keep tabs on things. But he still asks that you text him a reminder so he doesn't leave you stranded with a sleeping baby, late to calligraphy class. Not that that's ever happened....

5. You are insanely proud to tell your insurance agent, when he calls for information to update your account, that you've paid off your car.

6. You plan to drive that thing 'til the wheels fall off. Leave the shiny new cars (and their payments) to the sweet young things!

7. This could present a problem if you plan to have more than one child, as your car is so full of baby gear and dog hair that it's currently a challenge to go any further away than church. (No, it's not time for a Swagger Wagon! Though that is a pretty sweet video...)

8. You buy a food processor and whip up a batch of baby food.

9. Your baby doesn't really like it. By "doesn't really like it," you mean he gags at every spoonful. Nothing's made it down the hatch yet. (Perhaps broccoli wasn't the best choice for our first homemade attempt?)

10. Your disposable income goes to Ballard Designs and Home Depot, not the local manicure salon and spray tanning business. Sure, you're pale and unpolished - but your house'll look great, right?

Having a "missing my early twenties" moment. Wouldn't go back for anything but, man, I could do without the paperwork of adulthood for a day or two!

**Update: Baby food attempt #2 was a success! Sweet potatoes trump broccoli any day....**

So far, so good...

You may know by now that I am very anti-New Year's resolutions. While I adore the idea of a clean slate, a fresh start and a reason to get motivated, I hate the "let's overhaul everything immediately" urgency that seems to come with the territory.

That being said, B and I have made a very conscientious effort to step up our game in terms of exercising, recognizing the genius of the Food Pyramid, sleeping plenty (never my problem, of course) and staying hydrated as much as possible.

My trick? A cute bright blue water bottle that holds 32 ounces. Two those per work day and I'm set! I bribe myself by figuratively dangling a Diet Coke at the bottom of that good morning bottle of H2O. I'll do anything for that bubbly goodness...including downing a whole bunch of water first!

So in the name of accountability, and the hope that public shaming and/or support will keep me moving in the right direction, here's what's going well - and could use a bit of stepping up.

Yay:
*I'm drinking lots o' water.
*I'm getting plenty of sleep. (It's probably not fair to list this, as it's hardly ever NOT the case.)
*I'm taking a fabulous new weight lifting class on a regular basis.
*I'm cooking more, steaming vegetables and buying lots of fresh foods.
*We signed up for Mint.com and my days of shopping online willy-nilly (stupid click click clicking - feels so easy!) are over. Lots more thought is going into it. Not entirely my choice, but the computer doesn't lie!


Eh:
*As a cheese-hater, I need to make eating yogurt a habit. Every day. It's in the fridge for good reason, self. Let's get to grabbing it!
*Bradley and I are supposed to be running a 5k the first Saturday in March. (There's also a 10k option but I'm not going to push my luck.) While I've been lifting regularly, I've been avoiding the treadmill and need to do some cardio several times a week.
*My housekeeping skills are becoming a bit questionable. While the sheets are always clean and nothing's ever moldy by any means, I need to make a habit of sweeping, Swiffering and wiping things down more regularly. Blech, I hate cleaning.

Did you have any New Year's (non-)resolutions? How are they going?

Little old lady from Greenville

That's right. An older lady at work made reference to the fact that I'm a 60-something in a 20-something body, and I think that might be true. (I wanted to hug her when I heard her refer to me as a 21-year-old, but that's a story for another day.)

Things you'll find in my purse, car, or desk at work:
1. Tide-to-Go
2. Shout wipes
3. Band-Aids
4. Excedrin
5. Pepto-Bismol
6. Clorox Wipes (work, obviously)
7. Febreze
8. More hand sanitizer than anyone could ever use
9. Snacks a-plenty
10. Umbrella
11. Lint brush
12. Hair ties
13. Eye drops/saline
14. No less than four kinds of lip gloss or balm
15. Lotion

Do you have any secret back-up stashes of old-lady supplies? Does the voice in your head also tell you to be prepared for anything? Is this just me?