Sometimes, Shopping Is Just A Click Away.

In a 'Merry Halloween' to myself, I'll be reviewing an item from one of CSN's 200+ online stores in the coming weeks. Who says blogging doesn't have its perks?

What will it be? An ottoman coffee table (hello, Paula Deen...I ah-DORE you)? Something fabulous for my niephew? New bedding that I've been wanting for months? I JUST DON'T KNOW!

One thing's for sure...whatever I want, I'll be sure to find it at CSN for a super duper price.

'A' For Effort.

I am NOT a crafter. I do not paint. I do not knit. I do not sew. In fact, when the hem on my pants comes loose (as pants from the Limited are oh-so fated to do) I usually staple them and then color the staple with a sharpie so you can't see it. And then my Mommy comes to my rescue and sews it for me.

Aaaaaanyway, I was feeling a bit wild this week and was incredibly inspired by this post from Jessica at 'From Marriage to Motherhood.' I mean, really. All that last craft requires is some crepe paper and a little dexterity. This I can do.

And so, I did.

I'm quite proud of myself. And for a moment, let's be thankful that Alex goes to a home daycare so I only have to make five. The day he starts kindergarten and I have to do 30 of these, I'm done.

Merry Halloween!

Gifts on Halloween? That's preposterous!

False. That's how we roll around these parts. I'm a giver...what can I say?

If you noticed this week's "What I'm Loving Right Now..." (glances left) then you probably can guess what I've got up my sleeves for this giveaway. And if not, go look. We'll be waiting.

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Got it? Good.

Now, let's get down to business. One lucky reader will win their very own coupon organizer from Grandma's Little Lilly. Weeee!! I have one of my own and love it. Instead of fumbling around with a disorganized pile of clippings stuffed into a gently used Ziploc bag, I'm now an organized, chic shopper with an UBER cute filing system to prove it. As I waltz down the aisles at Meijer all hands-free with my organizer attached to my cart, other shoppers longingly gaze at me in envy.

Want to experience this couponing/shopping nirvana for yourself? Enter to win!

Here's how to enter: visit Grandma's Little Lilly Etsy shop and leave a comment telling me your favorite fabric and the one thing that always manages to sneak its way into your shopping cart, despite your best efforts. For me, it's Cheez-its.

That's it! Easy peasy. Oh, and you must live in the continental U.S. Sorry, neighbors to the north.

I'll announce the winner on Wednesday, November 3.

Easy As 1, 2, 3!

Specifically, the last 4 seconds will blow your mind. This kid rules.

It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like...

CHRISTMAS!
**Sings...'It's the mooooooooost wonderful time of the year...'**

Things are going to start getting ugly around here, quick. And, of course, by 'ugly' I mean very self-centered and full of all things CHRISTMAS. True to my obsessive nature, most of my shopping is complete, but there are a few things on my 'to-do' list that remain unchecked.

Most notably? Christmas cards. Oy.

This is a huge deal (epic, even) at the VeeDub house, because Joey MUST have a hand in the selection, per his crazy request. Also? The card MUST have a message of "Christmas." No "Happy Holidays" or "Seasons Greetings." We do CHRISTmas. Because He is what it's all about, duh!

Aaaaaaaanyway, while perusing the internets for this year's fated mailing to hundreds, my site of choice is Shutterfly. The selection is simply endless, with Christmas cards gah-lore. A few of my favorites:

Santa Belt card.

Because who doesn't love the fat man?

Top 10 Moments card.

Because I have at least 1,000,000 favorite moments of 2010.

Merry Rainbow Christmas card.

Because, really? How cute would Alex's face be
all up on this card?

I'm not quite sure how I will ever choose, but the fact remains that I must do so. And soon. And I also must get us some adorably matching Christmas-y outfits that somehow top what we did last year...which will be tricksy.

Christmas 2009.

In related seasonal correspondence news, Shutterfly also has a superb collection of Thanksgiving cards, New Year’s cards, and even personalized thank you cards to send after you receive all those lovely gifts!

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Do you want 50 free holiday cards from Shutterfly? Click here to go to Shutterfly for information on how you can get 50 free cards this holiday season, and make sure to select Clever 1000 as the referral source.

This post is part of a series sponsored by Shutterfly. I was selected for this sponsorship by the Clever Girls Collective, which endorses Blog With Integrity, as I do.

The Big Reveal.

After a long year-or-two-ish of growing out my hair, I bit the bullet on Thursday of last week and made the big CHOP, donating over 9 inches to Pantene's Beautiful Lengths program. I'm super glad I did it, if for no other reason than my blow dry time has been reduced by at least 80%? Oh, and to the woman that might someday wear my hair? You're welcome for those religious bi-weekly deep conditioning treatments. We should get coffee sometime.

Le progression:

Nobody Puts Baby In A Corner.

So our pediatrician walks into the room for Alex's 18 month checkup on Wednesday and boisterously announces, "This is a sad visit."

I was like, "Como say whaaa?"

Apparently, after the 18 month visit, there are no more "baby" checkups. He's officially launched into "toddler" status and only goes for annual well visits.

TRAGIC.

Regardless, time marches on. And since I never did get around to posting his 15 month stats, here's his 15 and 18 month measurements all rolled into one gratuitous, self-serving post.

15 Month Checkup - Weight: 22 lbs. (10-25th %ile); Length: 31 in. (50th %ile); Head: 47.8 cm. (50/75th %ile)
18 Month Checkup - Weight: 22 lbs. 14 oz. (10/25th %ile); Length: 32.75 in. (50/75th %ile); Head: 48 cm. (50/75th %ile)

So there you have it. He's a tall, skinny kid. Not super sure where he gets the skinny part from, but I've encouraged him to ride that train as far as it'll take him.

Running Jams.

Let's preface this little gem by coming right out loud with the fact that I am not a runner. I do not aspire to become a runner, nor do I have any delusions of grandeur that I will ever love and/or be good at running.

However, since Boot Camp has come to a close, I've recently come to terms with the fact despite my loathsome attitude, running is both the quickest way to keep whipping this tired body into shape and the best stress reliever of all time. (Save a bottle of Grey Goose...which would counteract the running and be a wash. So that's out.)

I recently gave the ol' "Running Jams" playlist on my iPod a facelift and thought I would share my top 10 beats with you. In exchange, feel free to leave a comment with some of your favorite running (or walking, or sleeping, or whatever) tunes.

1. "Life Is A Highway" - Rascal Flatts (I could literally run to this one on repeat for the entire 30 minutes I'm currently able to run without dying of cardiac arrest.)
2. "Don't Stop Believin'" - Glee Cast
3. "It's Your Life" - Francesca Battistelli (Glances to immediate left.)
4. "Me Against The Music" - Britney Spears
5. ""Get It Poppin'" - Fat Joe (Disclaimer: I only know this song because Ellen played it over and over as her pre-show dance party when I was on maternity leave.)
6. "Stronger" - Kanye West
7. "Born to Fly" - Sara Evans
8. "Boom Boom Pow" - Blackeyed Peas
9. "Out Tonight" - RENT Soundtrack (Movie version.)
10. "My Life Would Suck Without You" - Kelly Clarkson

Addict.

Should I ever be cut open (read: freak wind sailing accident or 2nd C-section, whichever is more likely at this point), I'm relatively certain the doctors will find coffee (and wine) flowing freely through my veins.

At what point do I admit that it's a sickness? When I have a club card that gets me 10% off? When the baristas (from three different locations) know me by first name? When I don't even have to place an order because they already know what I want? Or when I get a GOLD members card in the mail WITH MY NAME ON IT?

That's right. GOLD. VIP. PERSONALIZED. Boo-ya. The only thing missing from the pomp and circumstance of it all was being hand delivered by a singing telegram boy wearing a latte costume.

This has to be what Kim Kardashian felt like when she got her Amex Black Card in the mail.

Mi Nombre Es Kristi.

I am HUGE on names. Specifically, the spelling of names. I think it stems somewhere from the deep, dark days of elementary school as a Kristi with a 'K' and an 'I 'and all my dummy friends and teachers getting it wrong. Oh, and the fact that even my own Grandmother writes "Kristy" on my birthday cards. I even get the occasional "Krissy," which just sends me right into a tailspin. True story.

A name is who you are. It's part of your identity, your brand, your essence. And it's also just in good taste to spell someone's name correctly when writing correspondence to them. Martha agrees. So does Prudence.

What's more, some companies make it easier than ever to NOT get it wrong. For example, the corporate email address structure at my casa de employment is first.last@company.com. It's freaking spelled out right there in black and white Arial pt. 12.

So why oh mothereffing why do I get at LEAST three emails a day that begin, "Hi, Kristy..."

It grates on my face.

To take it a step further, most people are repeat offenders. I make it a fairly obvious point when I reply to sign my response "Sincerely, KRISTI." But still, the y's keep coming.

In other news, we now have two clippers on the floor. TWO! We have the repeat offender (who was previously outed) and now someone we shall dub "the new guy." I think they operate in tandem just to try and kill me. Offender #1 operates on Monday and Thursday and TNG is usually a Friday afternoon clipper. It's my own personal hell.

Spelling names correctly and keeping your personal grooming habits confined to your home life. I don't ask for much.

So Sarah Designs.

Peeps! The day has finally arrived! My fabulously creative and stunningly sparkly friend Sarah has freakin' finally opened her etsy shop! I've raved about her around these parts before (here, among other places) and am psyched to finally share her wares with you.

Although everything she makes isn't up yet, she does have the bulk of it up. Her so girly, so chic, and so cute lines of aprons are beyond fab. The so girly (aaahh ruffles!) line is new, so I don't yet own one of my own. But I do have an apron from each of the so cute and so chic lines...and while they don't help me understand the difference between butter and shortening while whipping up my latest culinary masterpiece, at least I look fabulous while trying.

She also has a so elegant line of matching nappy-kins that are just to DIE for. The set comes with napkin rings that are so above and beyond anything you'd ever find at any kitchen store. And hopefully soon she'll get her other kitchen accessories up for purchase - included sparkled up serving utensils and appetizer spoons/forks.

She specializes in custom orders, so if there is a fabric, pattern or color scheme that would match your personality and kitchen perfectly, convo her on esty for a listing made just for you.

 so elegant.

 so girly.

 so chic.

so cute.

Weekend Fun!

I am just LOVING this stage of Alex's little life. I often tell him that he's the coolest person I know - and it's true! Basically, I love just hanging out with him and discovering the world around us. Seeing things through a child's eyes (while very cheesy and poetical) is simply the bees knees.

On Saturday we went to Yates Cider Mill, which dates back to 1863. It's a beautiful mill located on the Clinton River--and the river actually flows over the Yates dam and supplies the headwaters to power the mill. It's a very cool place!

And on Saturday we played outside for a bit at Nana's house.

This is far and away my favorite time of year--the weather is cool enough that you don't sweat your balls off walking outside, but just warm enough that you don't need a full-on Sherpa-lined coat.

In related news, I (read: Joe) discovered my new favorite drinky-drink...warm cider with spiced rum. Uhmm, in how many languages can you say "best, ever?" 'Cause it totally is.

Vino For All!

To all my 21+ readers, this one's for you: The Clever Girls Collective Wine Club is offering a spectacular deal on some vino right now through winetasting.com. 2 bottles for $10! I bought mine last night, and even with the shipping it's a great deal. Here's some info on the wines in this offer:

2006 Kunde Vallee de la Lune
Party time! That's what we think when we swirl a glass of 2006 Kunde Estate Vallee de la Lune. Boysenberry and spice aromas, jammy cranberry flavors, toasty oak, and mild tannins make it a smooth, easy sipper. If you're throwing a party with appetizers where people are circulating and enjoying great music and conversation, don't weigh your guests down with a heavy red. Keep 'em on their feet and their mouths happy with Vallee de la Lune. (And maybe they won't overstay their welcome by falling asleep on your couch!)

2007 Mueller Pinot Gris, Russian River Valley
Pale, straw yellow in color. Redolent of mango and melon, this intensely aromatic wine displays ripe apricot and apple on the palate. A pleasing wine from a special Russian River vineyard. Medium bodied with a crisp, clean finish, this is a perfect accompaniment to a wide variety of lighter dishes or on its own.

Click here to check it out! 

Not Today.

No choppy choppy of le hair tonight*. Work hopped in the front seat and pamper-me-salon-time has been relocated somewhere near the trunk. Maybe even falling out the back like rusty tin cans on a "Just Married" car.

Rescheduled for next Thursday. Lock it in with a Sharpie.

*To be perfectly clear, I did NOT chicken out. There was honestly a meeting I couldn't get out of. I have alibis.

A Girl Can Dream!

Sponsored By:


Cheerios® is giving you the chance to win a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity--your ultimate family vacation! As part of a paid promotion for their “Do What You Love” Sweepstakes, Cheerios® is sponsoring my post today about what my ultimate family vacation would be. Read mine and Enter the Sweepstakes for a chance to actually win your own fantasy family trip or one of a bunch of other great prizes.

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So, where would I go? Who would I bring? What would we do? I can honestly tell you that this has spurred a lot of fun “imagine if…” dinner conversations at the VeeDub household, and one thing has been made perfectly, vividly clear: my dream vacation and Joey’s dream vacation are two totally different situations.

He would go to the mountains and fish all day. Literally. All. Day. Evenings would include fab 5-star dinners, expensive vino and hours spent in a hot tub (that’s the part I like!) but the next day he’d get up and do it all over again. I love him and I love his weird hobbies (read: obsession with Fantasy Football, fishing and Legos) …but fishing in particular is something I will never, ever understand.

As for me? Well, I have two different ideas. The first is a romantic getaway for just Joey and me. We would tour all of Europe—with a mandatory stop in Greece—and do all the things that crazy tourists do. We would be gone for 2 weeks and would NOT take cell phones or computers. At the end of all this, I could probably be swayed to send for Alex by AirMail and live in a little villa somewhere in the South of France until the end of time. Le sigh.

The second (and probably more realistic) dream vacation would be more family-oriented. We would rent a really sweet place somewhere on a beach (location truly doesn’t matter—this one is all about the people I’m with) and invite everyone. Brothers. Sisters. Moms. Dads. The whole fam-damily would just chill in a humongous beachfront palace (with a pool!) for a week. We would laugh and tell funny and embarrassing stories over s’mores by a campfire on the beach until 3 a.m. The children would all sleep until 10 a.m. every morning and breakfast would be huge buffets with omelets cooked to order. Dinners would be ginormous cookouts like pig roasts and grilled steaks with good IPAs on tap. On sunny afternoons we would walk to the nearest little beach town and get ice cream from a tiny store staffed by its 60-something retiree owners. Wash, rinse, repeat for seven days and I’m a happy girl.

I'm not asking for much, right? :)

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Don't forget to enter the “Do What You Love” Sweepstakes, for a chance to win your own ultimate family vacation. I was selected for this sponsorship by the Clever Girls Collective, which endorses Blog With Integrity, as I do.

Hot Off The Press.

It's been a big week 'round these parts. Some things I can't talk about (No, I'm not pregnant. You shut your dirty, whorish mouth.) and others I can. Here's the things I can speak of:

1. Tomorrow is D-Day. Donation Day. A-la-Pantene Beautiful Lengths Day. My appointment is after work, which gives me enough time to think about it all day and eventually change my mind. I think I'm really going to miss the tonypail. Like, a lot. But it's time for a change and I've wanted to do this since like 1905.
2. A super fun post in collaboration with Cheerios is also planned for tomorrow. Is the suspense killing you?!
3. Another giveaway is on the horizon! I'm considering some crazy Halloween-related ideas on how to enter...stay tuned.
4. Alex will be 18 months on Friday. **faints**

That's all for now. I can't even sit still about the hair. I've been twirling it around my pointer finger all day. And maybe singing to it just a little bit. Don't judge.

Snips 'N Snails.

Mister Alex can be a vewwwy curious lad at times, as demonstrated by his most recent game of pick-up-sticks with a pack of IKEA straws.



Additionally, he gets his lazy daze gene from his Momma, and loves himself a good kick-back-and-relax-with-some-toons session, as exhibited below.

Oh, and to the readers that might scorn me for allowing my son to watch TV before the tender age of 12? You can bite me. Because during this particular airing of 'Cars' on the Disney Channel (bless you, people of the Mouse), I was able to fold 3 loads of laundry, unload the dishwasher, cook dinner AND send an email or two. Worth it? Oh hellz-to-the-yes.

Mouthbreathing, Party Of 2?

As you might have guessed, both of the men in my life are sick. Like, coughing-up-a-lung, mouthbreathing-until-it-hurts, can't-sleep-to-save-my-life sick. Needless to say, it was a verrrrry pleasant (laden with sarcasm) weekend at the VeeDub household.

I have, however, learned a few new Mommy tricks during this most recent ride on the sickness train. Allow me to impart my knowledge to you:

1) The plug-in Vicks vapor thingies RULE. The day I bought one was the first time Alex slept through the night. I used the regular chest rub stuff for Joe, and that worked wonders for him, too. Amen, Vicks. Amen.
2) When buying Mucinex, just get the regular strength. The extra strength could clear the mucus (too much?) from that slobbery guy in Ghostbusters. Nobody needs to see that.
3) I maintain that Airborne tablets are the only thing keeping the germies away from me. I take one a day. And right now the monster tubes are $5 off at Coscto!
4) Speaking of Costco, and totally unrelated to sickness, I discovered sweet potato chips this weekend. ZOMG. They are yumalicious. And also available at your friendly neighborhood Costco.

I'll leave some of the other sickness details to your imagination. I think we're all finally on the mend and will be able to enjoy some pumpkin patch goodness this weekend. Happy Monday!

Baby Dyslexia.

In recent weeks, we've noticed that Alex has been saying some new and strange words like 'beebuh,' 'peepuh' and 'deebuh.' He uses them in the all the same situations and in a context that seems to work in his little mind, so I knew they had to mean something.

One day, I just started repeating 'deebuh' to him. I said it faster and faster as I was tickling him into submission.

"Deebuh, deeeeebuh, deebuhdeebuhdebuhde...buhdee... buhdeeee...buh-dee...bud-dee...bud-dy....BUDDY!"

*palmface*

He is saying BUDDY! In essence, picking up on what Joe and I always say. When we are being silly we call him 'buddybuddybuddybuddy' - but we say it REALLY fast so it all runs together in a mishmash. Alex just doesn't comprehend the word separation and puts the last syllable first and the first syllable last. It's like his own mini version of pig latin.

'Peepuh' is Poppi. DUH. And when I show him pictures of Poppi he smiles and says 'peepuh!'

'Beebuh' is baby. DUH. Since he's the littlest munchkin at daycare, the kids call him 'baby,' so he hears it all day.

Mystery solved. Case closed. I feel like I should be wearing a yellow trenchcoat. Would that be considered fashionable for fall?

Gettin' Jiggy Wit It.

So it would appear that le midget is experiencing a teensy bout of some sort of seasonal sickness. Read: coughy, snotty and a little fever from time to time for the last few days.

Daycare called yesterday and said his fever was abnormally high, so Joey left work and took him home. (Have I mentioned lately how kickass my husband is? Well, he is. And he has a hot ass. So, there.)

About an hour after they were home, I texted him to see how le fever was doing. Here's how that went down:

Me:"How's buddy?"

Joe: "Ridiculous. You wouldn't even know he has a fever. He's running around and dancing to Mickey Mouse. He's all like 'Fever? What fever?'"

Me: "He's got the DANCE FEVER."

I don't know why, but Joe thought that was incredibly hilarious. Like, LOL for realz hilarious.

So there you have it. My kid's got the fever for the flavor of a crowd pleaser. He gets it from his Momma, I promise you this.

Listen Up.

Homeslices!

Today's Chicago Groupon is for $60 fat ones to 1154 Lill for a mere $30 skinny ones. Oh, yes. I went there.

The deliciousness of it all? YOU CAN USE IT ONLINE, TOO. Which, for the record, is only slightly unfortunate because I can't use my "But honey, I haaaave to go to Chicago to use my Groupon before it expires! And you don't want me wasting money, do you?" excuse that I standardly use to take a little trippy to see my Windy City friends and spend these little lovelies.

Go buy one. Like, now. You can thank me later. (Oh, and if you end up making one, send me a pic of your design! Coveting others' handbags is my 8th deadly sin.)

Kids Say The Darndest Things.

Joe and I recently met some friends for drinks at a local brewery. In restroom of said brewery, I heard what is quite possibly the funniest thing, ever, from the mouth of a child.

I walked into the loo and there was a mom “standing guard” at the handicapped stall. Her young son was inside the stall…how shall I say this…going number two. I know this because as he spoke to his Momma, he was grunting as if he were passing a small gerbil.

The boy was very concerned that the door to his stall was unlocked, but his Mom reassured him that she was guarding the door with all her might and wouldn’t let anyone in.

"But Mom!" said the boy. "What if a herd of elephants storms the bathroom?"

"It’s ok, sweetie," said the Mom. "I can handle those elephants. No one will get in."

"But Mom! What if rhinoceros-es try to get in?"

"I’ve got your back, kiddo. Bring on the rhinoceros. They won't get in, either."

"But Mom! What if monkeys try to get in?"

"Well, kiddo. The monkeys could probably climb over me and into the stall, so I’m not sure I could keep the monkeys out."

(Pause from the boy.)

"That’s ok, Mom," he said, still grunting through his speech. "I’ll just stink ‘em out."

Slip 'N Slide.

Yesterday as I was preparing a delicious and healthy meal for my spawn (read: mac 'n cheese & blueberries), he was cheerfully roaming around the house pushing his "lawnmower" (aka the most annoying ball-popper, ever). Anyway, at some point when I moved from the kitchen to the dining room, the mower got quiet and he began singing and squealing to himself in the kitchen. I remember thinking to myself at that moment how adorable he is...

As I came around the corner, oh what to my wondering eyes did I see? Said spawn, sitting and sloshing around in a POOL of olive oil. Like, a Costco bottle of olive oil. On my kitchen floor.

I had no words at that moment. I believe what I stammered to Joe was, "Oil. Floor. Towel. Help!" and he came scurrying around the corner to help.

In hindsight, it's actually quite hilarious that the monster was able to open the cupboard (the only one in the kitchen without a child lock), lift the bottle from the shelf to the floor and unscrew the lid.

The upside to all this? I won't need to put baby lotion on him for at least a week.