David Entertaining America

My nephew, David, is on a national commercial. He is the last kid in it with the goofy smile.

Worst Album Covers Ever

Life of the rock stars is tough, especially when your budget is blown on hairspray and bad photoshop. Please vote on which album you think is the worst.

Is there a Quebecois word for, shouldn't have taken a chance on those extension?

I don't know if the font offends me the most or the leather school boy jacket with the hobo boots. Oh, dang it, I can't think....Constantine's stare is attacking me.

Art Director: Hey guys I have this awesome idea for a Toby Keith album, let's totally photoshop a Santa hat, you the funny kind with the fluff on the bottom, yeah, well lets put that on his cowboy hat. It will be really help get the message out that this is a CHRISTMAS Toby album instead of his normal albums.

Shabbat

Sundays are hard. Morning or afternoon church, it is tough on a three month old baby. The nap is compromised.

This is what Stella is like when her nap is compromised:

But mostly she is like this:

We love her. It has been so much fun. At church today an 8 year old girl came up to me and asked me to "let her hold my baby." I said okay but made her sit down while doing it. The she mumbled I was an "overprotective mother" AND PROCEEDED TO ROLL HER EYES. This is an eight year old. So funny.

Gossip Girl

All right all you Veronica Mars, OC, and Gilmore Girls fans. Your ships may have sailed but rest assured there is a new yacht in town. Your new secret vice is or should be Gossip Girl. Based on the novel about NYC private school elite, Gossip Girls has the old money glitz that matches and ups the OC and the mystery of an former "in girl" on the out with her school like Veronica Mars.

My media-phile husband knew this would become a show for me and recorded it. It plays on Tuesday nights on the ever so classy CW (Tyra's station). Tivo it. Totally trashy and totally worth it, just don't admit you watch it.

P.S. Robin, if you still read my blog, I am thinking of you on this one. Watch it so we can chat.

Advice

I went to a shower for my friend Kate the other day. She is seriously one of the prettiest and luckiest pregnant women. She carries so well. She is 9 months pregnant and carries like it is easy, so jealous. At her shower we had to give some advice upon our gift opening. I mumbled something about dates and what not but it made me think all week about what I should have said and what advice I would give to other new mothers.

These are my thoughts:
1. Don't compare yourself or your baby to other moms, and if you do, don't put too much weight on the differences. All moms and babies are different.

2. Don't criticize other parents for their feeding method. Yes, yes, breast is best but the guilt that other moms feel from not being able to or wanting to breast feed is not fair.

3. Get measured for a bra. Your body changes so much during and after pregnancy. 12 weeks post-baby get measured, you need to baby yourself as well as your baby.

4. Get out of the house. Go on walks, visit friends. Seriously you need it.

5. Respect the nap. Don't compromise nap time...for your sake, even if the relatives came on a 12 hour flight to see your baby and are dying in the living room, make them wait, the nap is all important.

6. Enjoy the early weeks of intensive naps. Get your rest during the first month, they don't sleep like that later.

7. Baby your other baby. Leave your kid with a sitter. Anyone can handle a small amount of crying. Go out, get dinner, be a couple. Oh, and don't talk about the baby at dinner (if necessary, small amounts).

8. Don't become a crazy mom. Seriously, there are a lot of amazing women who become moms and they treat their mom status as a job and put their all into it. These are the ones who go to thrift sales an hour early and elbow you away from the elmo toys at Christmas. Can these moms please go away and chill out?

9. When your baby regulates sleep, learn the joy of an early bedtime. Seriously, some kids will wake up at 8 am (or 6 or whatever your kid is set on) regardless of whether they go to sleep at 10 or 7. Find that early bedtime and enjoy your evenings.

10. There is no such thing as an easy baby. It is hard for everyone. Even parenting an easy baby can be hard. Don't compare yourself and think the grass is greener on the other side. Remember comparison is a curse.

Work, Play, and Crazy Mothers

Life has been crazy lately. I have started working from home. While this may sound easy and fun it has proven to make life much more complicated. Working from home is not watching TV from home. Working from home is working and I already have a full time job with Stella. So I am now doing two jobs.

This is my life right now. Stella all day Seth comes home, we eat. I start work at 5 while Seth watches Stella. I work until 10:30...this is as Seth takes care of Stella so it isn't exactly peaceful. She cries, needs nursing, instructions on Stella-isms etc.

It has been pretty exhausting. At the same time, I love being creative again. I am revising a USPS course and it has been fun to come up with new ways to look at it. However, I feel like I did on the mission or in school where I never had any down time. Fortunately with these jobs they come and go so I will not always keep this pace.

And for the Stella update. She is so much fun. She now plays with toys, giggles, sings with me, and is playing with us all the time. It makes my day. Some people say it gets fun at six weeks with the smiling. I think it is fun at 3 months.

And my post note. Seth and I went to a community consignment sale for kid stuff around the corner. It started at 9:00, we got there at 9:15. There was a CRAZY line. Tons of mothers with their litter in tow. They were aggressive about this sale. The line wasn't moving, it got cold, and Stella needed her nap. So I never went to this sale. Have I mentioned on this blog how much cheap moms grate on my nerves. Well this was a coven of cheap moms. We bee lined out of there. Next year I will camp out.

Britney Spears Career 1998-2007

I feel petty blogging about something as ridiculous as Britney Spears career but after watching the first five minutes of MTV's Video Music Awards I have a few questions for Britney.

1. If you are wearing extensions, why did you select that badly colored, damaged, and frizzy ones. Did you get a deal? Did you glue them on yourself with Elmer's Glue?

2. Your dancing reminded me of my seventh grade moves when I starred as Captain Hook in Port Charlotte's Summer Arts production of Peter Pan. Seriously, she was shuffling around in these Captain Hook looking stilletos. Her back-up dancers put her to shame.

3. Who decided on the bejeweled bikini?

For those who have not seen Britney's debacle it is widely available and you can watch it and then feel better about yourself.

The Mothership

Seth and I went back to Utah this past week on a multi-purpose trip. First, to have Stella's grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins dote on her. Second, to celebrate our three years of marriage. And finally, to remember how distance makes the heart grow fonder.

We had a fabulous time in Utah. This was the first trip back to the mothership where we weren't required to go to family holiday parties and get guilted by our relatives for not calling or visiting. We were there to relax and have fun.

For our anniversary Seth and I decided our house is too small for more tchokies so we treated ourselves to a couples spa treatment. We were oiled and rubbed by two masseuses at the Finnish Day Spa. Seth's masseuse was named Mead and looked like a viking. Totally appropriate for a Finnish Spa. We also went to Park City and stayed a few nights at the Marriott Summit Watch. It was very cool.

We are glad to be back. It is nice to get Stella back into a routine. Sadly, I start working from home. It is hard to work from home because not everyone understands that when you are home it is still work. I feel pretty stretched to the limit just keeping Stella alive but now with work I am a little overwhelmed. Even so, I feel pretty good about it and I am excited to keep working in instructional design.

Enjoy the pics.

Stella with Grandma D. at the pool in her very cute ruffle swimsuite. Unfortunately due to some nasty poop disease she wasn't allowed to go in the pool.

Stella in Grandma and Grandpa B's rose garden looking pretty. She destroyed this dress ten minutes after this picture.

Stella in her sling at Swiss days. I broke the six month rule and slathered her with sunscreen. It was a good thing too because I ended up fried but she was still fair as can be.

This was totally disturbing. We saw this at Swiss Days. A company called Little Ladies Lingerie that sold little girl negligie nighties. Why? Why?

Stella flipping out on the boat because she hated her life jacket. Can you blame her? Look at that thing.

Happy Anniversary!