I took this a few days ago during a walk with the baby, thinking it would be a good thing to have when the days aren’t quite so pretty anymore.
Happy Monday, happy Fall, happy-happy joy-joy, y’all!
Archive for October, 2012
More Morning Glory
Posted in Daily Life, Photopost on October 8, 2012| Leave a Comment »
Petal Pusher
Posted in Stuff I Like on October 5, 2012| Leave a Comment »
The photo above may have caused a few spit-takes, as the term “girly-girl” has never, to my knowledge, been used to describe me. And yet I went well out of my way, baby in tow, on a cold and rainy day, looking for this nail polish. Know why? Because I semi-secretly like how manicures look, but I’m kinda busy, and I’m inclined to laze about when my domestic duties are handled. Also, I’m all thumbs at doing my own nails.
One coat of this, slopped on over the space of two minutes, takes me a level up from a coat of clear polish. Two coats makes my hands look like they’re halfway to a French manicure, which is more than good enough for me. Especially when it’s taken all of five minutes, and it’s dry enough for me to pick up the baby within a few more minutes. And if I smudge a nail, another 30 seconds is all it takes to fix it.
So take it from me, a busy, lazy person with a baby and minimal nail-painting skills: Sally Hansen Insta-Dry in Petal Pusher is your friend. And the CVS on Olive has it in stock.
Busybody? Or Bored?
Posted in Daily Life on October 5, 2012| 1 Comment »
In the neighborhood where I grew up, there was a lady who was known as The Busybody. I'm not sure if I was told, but I always knew not to reveal much to her, about anything. (And because this is St. Louis, I'm not even going to use her first name here.)
Now that I'm home all day most days, I think she was driven to her hobby by boredom. Recall, too, that this was back in the dark ages, i.e., before cable TV, and there's only so much dusting and laundry a person can do before things get koo-koo upstairs.
I've learned a lot about my neighborhood without expending much effort. Here's a partial list:
– I know which houses have been bought, which are coming on the market, and which are rentals.
– There are two baby boys due to be born in the next six months. One mom is feeling fine, the other gets migraines.
– I know who cares enough (or perhaps was badgered long enough by the neighborhood association) to make repairs.
– There is a dainty, gorgeous orange tabby cat named Kenny who follows his owner when he's walking the dog, whose name is Beckett.
– That house that was raided by the FBI? I know why. It's not that exciting. Kind of a letdown, actually.
– One lady has trained her dog to pee on her deck. She rinses it off afterwards. (The deck, not the dog.)
– When the mail arrives later than 11, the regular mail carrier is on vacation.
– The UPS guy has lovely green-brown eyes and will bring your packages inside if you show up at the door toting a baby.
Just think what I could find out if I really put my mind to it.
Morning Glory
Posted in Daily Life on October 4, 2012| Leave a Comment »
This was the view from our deck this morning as I was hanging out with the baby for a few moments before the day got rolling and I realized it’s probably going to be another Teething Special. I’ll be mentally revisiting
this image for sustenance all day.
Choice Paralysis
Posted in Kvetchitude on October 3, 2012| Leave a Comment »
Yesterday I posted this photo on Facebook with the caption, “Overwhelming and obscene.” I’d gone to my local Target for this and that, which as usual included something for the wee one. He’s been on solids for a good six weeks now, so I thought I’d cruise the feeding aisle for a glimpse at the future. And then I was greeted by the spectacle above.
Sippy cups. Cups with built-in straws. Snap-on lids. Screw-on lids. The inevitable licensed characters. Rubberized grips. Insulated models. Maybe it was the lack of sleep, but it was so overwhelming to me that all I could do was shake my head, take the photo and move on.
Why? Why are there so many brands and styles of sippy cups that contemplating which one to buy requires an investigative effort? And not that it’s directly related, but why do we have so many choices of ways to give our kids milk when so many kids go hungry every day, around the corner and around the world?
Later, the comments came trickling in: Choose wisely. They all leak. Welcome to sippy cup hell.
Great. Good to know my choice won’t really matter in the end.
Peepers
Posted in Daily Life on October 2, 2012| 4 Comments »
Not too long ago, I dug some samples of daily wear contacts out of the back of the bathroom vanity drawer. It had been quite some time since I’d worn them, and I was getting tired of taking my glasses off every time I wanted to snuzzle* the baby.
Well, Shazam! I could see everything so clearly it was startling. I stood on the front porch looking at the trees, gaping at all the leaves. When the baby woke up from his nap, I went to get him, taking a moment at the nursery door to marvel at how crisply I could behold his loveliness. I picked him up, brought him to my face for a kiss, and disaster struck. He was totally out of focus.
At previous eye appointments, I’ve been told I don’t need reading glasses just yet, but now I want to look into bifocal contacts. I’m due for an exam, so I’ll inquire about them and report back. In the meantime, if anyone’s tried them, please let me know.
*Because I have a reputation to uphold: This is not a typo. Snuggle + nuzzle = snuzzle.
Wandering Hands
Posted in Daily Life, Growth & Development on October 1, 2012| 1 Comment »
Baby Mamoush (not his real name) has been fond of noodling with his hands from day one. These days, they’re in more or less constant exploration mode: Fingering the burp cloth during feedings; reaching for lightswitches; and turning toys over for inspection.
The other day, I was changing his diaper. He’d been playing with the washcloth I give him on the changing table to keep him from flipping over, but then his hands went wandering South. And then he came across his Special Purpose (thank you, Steve Martin, for perhaps the best euphemism ever).
I said, very seriously, “Careful with that, you’re going to want it later.” He looked at me and kept exploring. “Gentle…” (It seemed like the optimum time to introduce that word.)
He grabbed a big handful of Special Purpose. He pulled it upwards. He was not being gentle, but I decided to rely on his sense of self-preservation to kick in should he get too rough. He yanked again. A huge smile spread across his face. He giggled. Then he did it again. Grab. Pull. Giggle. Again.
I will admit to being amused, but on top of that, I was relieved. Because I really don’t want to have to call the pediatrician to ask how to treat infantile self-injury of the Special Purpose.
Mama-Come-Lately 