Hard to fill Daddy's shoes...

Ok, if that doesn't make you smile, there is seriously something wrong with you. :)

Vacation pics...

I stole all of these pictures from my sisters' blogs... 'cause I am a sucky mother and took no pictures on vacation. None. Zero. I am glad that my sisters are better mamas than I am, or Evie would have no fun reminders of her babyhood.

Nixie Mountain Melodies

We just got back from our family vacation to Lake Gaston (more pics to come). One of the beauties of family is that I can be completely wacky and ridiculous, and they still have to like me. Or at least they pretend to like me so that they can hang out with my exceptionally cool daughter.

In the spirit of "Dan in Real Life", my sister Gwenn suggested that we hold a family talent show. My brother-in-law Jon just happened to have a sound system in the back of the minivan (???) so we set up an impromptu stage and had at it. Without further ado, I bring you The Nixie Mountain Melodies. (Check itickets for availability of tickets in a venue near you.)



I would just like to point out that NO alcohol was involved. At least on my part. I can't say for sure with Gwenn and Nick, although their 1 year old son Josiah's talent was crushing empty beer cans. So you do the math.

Soggy Mama's Weigh-In Tips...

So it's that time (again)... time to pull out the ol' Weight Watchers Points Finder and Restaurant Guide and buckle down. My baby is 14 months old, and the "baby weight" excuse is getting old... even to me. I tried going back to WW right after Evie was born. But I kept using my nursing points to eat ice cream. Seriously. ALL of my nursing points on ice cream. It was a delicious time in my life. But alas, the end goal of losing pregnancy pounds was not achieved. I love Weight Watchers. I really do. Which is further proof that I am not a crunchy mama, cause WW brand foods contain things like (gasp!) aspartame! and (double gasp!) food coloring!! (two essential staples in ANY soggy mama's diet...) So I started WW again about a month ago. So far it is going really well. In part, I attribute my success to a set of tried-and-true weigh-in guidelines. Follow these like the Gospel, mamas, and you won't be disappointed:

1) Weigh-in first thing in the morning, AFTER nursing the baby and AFTER...*ahem*..."eliminating" (if you will). I don't want to get into particulars here (as I am sure you don't want me to, either) but following these guidelines can boost your weight loss by a solid 1/2 lb. I kid you not.
2) Remove any and all jewelry... wedding bands, toe rings, necklaces, nose rings. I don't care what it is. Take it off.
3) Remove nail polish. I haven't actually tested this theory, but it only makes sense to me.
4) Remove spectacles or other vision-correction paraphernalia. I have tried weighing-in without my contact lenses, but I am unable to see the numbers. Considering buying a scale with a larger display.
5) Remove any and all articles of clothing. This, almost entirely, accounts for my reasoning in joining WW online rather than going to public meetings. I cannot say for sure what their stance is on the nude weigh-in, but I am pretty sure it is frowned upon.
6) Try eliminating again, just in case you missed some on the first round.
7) Vigorously brush teeth, ridding you of any weighty plaque issues.
8) Step gingerly on the scale, one foot at a time. Stand very still and exhale deeply, then hold your breath. I don't really think that this contributes to a lower number on the scale, but I feel like it adds a little flare of the dramatic--and I'm certainly never opposed to that.


Voila! Baby-weight-be-gone!

What about you? Any brilliant weigh-in strategies to share with a chubby-ish mama?

I was coerced...

Let me preface this by saying that it's a horribly presumptuous thing to start a blog. When starting such an endeavor, one assumes at least one of the following three things:

1) My life is tremendously exciting/fascinating, and others are bound to want to live vicariously though it.
2) I have some bit of profound wisdom to impart, and I would be robbing the online community of a huge wealth of wisdom if I DIDN'T start a blog.
3) My kid is cuter/smarter than yours, and while I can't directly tell you that-- I can post a blog about what he/she says or does, or how he/she spoke in complete sentences and could wipe her own bottom when she was 4.5 months old, etc. etc. And the beauty of it is that I can do it in such a way that it seems matter-of-fact, rather than boastful. Even though it's not.

I'm the exception. None of the aforementioned reasons are my motivation in starting a blog, although they could (arguably) all be true. :) Here's the thing-- my friend (and future business partner--Patchouli Baby Unlimited, anyone? :) Kristi-- is pretty much fascinated by my life. And righfully so. Who wouldn't be fascinated by a day-in/day-out routine of get up, nurse the baby, change the baby (swish the diaper), read "Hand Hand Fingers Thumb", feed the baby, pick up smooshed up peas off the floor (or don't), change the baby (swish the diaper), read "Hand Hand Fingers Thumb", nurse the baby, etc. etc., ad nauseam, world without end, amen and amen.

So Kristi, this blog is for you, lady. And if you don't comment at least once, we will probably be fighting.