Coming Soon...

Still to come...

Mother's Day Part 2

My birthday

Memorial Day weekend

Doctor's appointment/test results

I will be updating soon on everything listed above.

Lots to catch up on...

I have a ton to write about but I'm going to try to get caught up over the next few days and not have another extremely long post.

My first Mother's Day was a couple weeks ago.  I spent the morning downtown with Sweet Pea and LA at the Walk to Empower event (formerly the Y-ME Walk).  It was great to have Sweet Pea with us and we had a great morning.  The weather was perfect and the sun was shining.  I could not have asked for a better start to my day.  After the race was over, I met up with an old friend from college and her mom who were walking for their sister/daughter-in-law.  It was great to catch up with them and introduce them to Sweet Pea.  

The only problems we encountered dealt with parking.  Or should I say getting to and from the car in the parking structure.  It was a mess.  We parked my car in the Grant Park South lot underground.  Three stories underground.  Making it up to the race wasn't bad.  There were escalators going up and there was an elevator from the first floor underground to the street.  Although there was no way we were getting in the elevator, so we grabbed the stroller and hauled it up those last stairs.  I should clarify that I'm not talking about a little umbrella stroller.  I'm talking about a Chicco Travel System.  With the car seat part.  And a 12 pound baby.  No small feat for 7:30am.  We were proud of ourselves when we made it to the top of the stairs.  

Going back down to the car was a whole other story.  Had we been paying attention, LA and I would have realized there were only escalators going up...not down.  We might have noticed that there were only narrow stairways.  We might have figured out that it was going to be almost impossible for the two of us to make it down the stairs with the "stroller" and all the goodies we would pick up after the race.   But that did not happen.  We were in too much of a hurry when we got downtown to notice any of this. 

I had taken Sweet Pea out of her stroller after the race so she wouldn't be cooped up the whole time.  I figured I would just carry her down to the car and we would be on our way.  When we got to the entrance of the parking lot, LA and I realized that it wasn't going to be that easy.  Thankfully a woman noticed us staring at the stairs wondering just how we were going to make it and she swiftly grabbed one end of the stroller and helped us down to the next level.  There we were greeted by the payment lines.  Oh yeah, we have to pay here before we can get out of this lot.  Great.  Oh and I left the ticket in my car.  Even after the 10 signs I passed reminding me to take my ticket with me?  Nice.  I hike down the next two levels to my car, grab the ticket and haul myself back up to the payment area.  LA and I pay and then make our way to the stairs.  I am pretty sure I laughed out loud when I saw what we were going to have to do.  However, once again, a nice woman came to our rescue and helped LA with the stroller while I carried Sweet Pea.  Woo Hoo I thought.  Only one more set of stairs left.  Of course, these were the narrowest and steepest (maybe not, but they certainly looked that way).  We stopped and tried to figure out if there was a way for me to get the car up to that level.  We must have looked lost because a gentleman carrying an armload of water bottles came up to us and asked if we needed help.  We quickly agreed and he helped us manuever the stroller down those last stairs.  

Wow.  I really just posted three paragraphs on parking.  That's lame.  More to come tomorrow on the rest of my first Mother's Day.

Blogging Template

So I started this blog a little while ago and selected the template that I liked the most out of my options.  After viewing hundreds of blogs in the past few weeks, I have come to hate my current template.  But today I found the solution to my problem, Dee of Two of a Kind, Working on a Full House is giving away a free blog template by Hilary of SimplyYours.  You can register to win your own template as well by visiting Dee's blog here.  The contest runs until May 25th and you can bet that if I don't win, I will be purchasing a template shortly after and updating my site.

Hope everyone is having a great week!  It's almost Friday!!!

S-M-R-T Smart

So I have been debating whether or not to post about my weekend.  However, after much internal back and forth, I just cannot keep these comments to myself.  I am aware that what I'm going to write about may offend people but I cannot not keep it to myself.  And it's probably going to be a long post.  Sorry!

This weekend my parents, husband and Sweet Pea piled into a rented minivan for a trip into Michigan for a family baby shower.  The ride in is smooth and it's nice to have room to move around and be able to move around in the van if Sweet Pea needs something. 

We arrive at our hotel in Michigan around 7pm and my parents go in to check in.  We are warned that there are some interesting people inside when my mom returns to the van.  These words do not prepare me for the people that I will encounter for the rest of the weekend.  Apparently a certain group of individuals that belong to a society of smart people are holding a weekend meeting at the hotel.  This society shall remain nameless, but I figure you all can figure it out.  (It starts with an M and ends with an A).  

In the lobby there is a table set up outside a conference room with a sign indicating prices for something and a note about hugging.  I don't take the time to read these at this point because I'm distracted by getting all our luggage to the elevator.  While waiting for the elevator to arrive a man walks out of the bathroom with a name tag on.  His first name is written THIS BIG so you can see if from across the lobby.  My mom says "Hi Larry!" to him.  I'm embarrassed, if for no other reason than I don't want to make friends with random people in the lobby in the first 3 minutes we are there.  Larry immediately looks to see if we have name tags as well.  Which we don't.  Because we aren't that smart.  We explain we aren't there for the conference.  Just in for a baby shower.  In the mean time, Larry could care less.  And the elevator is still not there.  We see another gentleman with a name tag and Larry looks relieved to see another smart person.  My mom says something along the lines of "we'll see you around and we will probably be best friends by the end of the weekend."  I retreat with Sweet Pea into the elevator which has finally arrived.  Larry retreats as well, clearly disturbed with our encounter.

We make it up to the fourth floor and head all the way down the hall.  And around the corner.  And a little farther down the hallway.  Because apparently our room is at the other end of the hotel.  On the way to our room we pass a suite with the door open.  It appears to be a game room for the smart people.  There are a couple tables with board games stacked 15 high.  Most of which I have never heard of.  Must be smart people board games I think to myself.  Another table has the border of a very large jigsaw puzzle.  Now don't get me wrong people, I love a good puzzle.  I just don't bring them with me to a hotel.  But I'm not a smart person.  Maybe that's what they do for fun?  Moving on...while I notice the games and the puzzle, I also notice a woman with a short haircut and little mohawk (or faux hawk or whatever it is).  Now normally this wouldn't cause me pause.  But this haircut is special.  The top part is blue.  Bright blue.  And the bottom is purple.  Bright purple.  Yes.  You read that correctly.  Blue and Purple!  Apparently there is more, as my mom claims the back of her hair was a checkerboard pattern.  I never had the pleasure of seeing the back of this woman's hair the entire weekend.  Although I did see her.  Several times.  And every time I did a double take.  Still Blue and Purple.  Hmmmmm.

After giving Sweet Pea a quick bath and getting all settled in the rain, we head over to my mom's older sister's house.  On the way out, we check out the signs.  The prices are for the conference, whether you will be attending one, two or three days.  And the hugging sign is about their "Hugging Code."  Yes, there is a "Hugging Code."  I just googled it and the sign makes more sense then it did when we were there.  Apparently, you can wear either a green, yellow or red dot to indicate your hugging preference.  According to the sign a green dot indicates "Hug Away," a yellow dot means "Ask first" and a red dot means "No hugging."   Now you know.  In case you ever encounter a smart person.  And want to hug them.

When we return later that evening with Sweet Pea in her car seat, we get off the elevator only to encounter 5 smart people standing around the elevator.  Not waiting for it to arrive, just standing in front of it.  Just blocking our way.  I suppose I should clarify.  There are 4 people standing and one man standing on a Segway.  On the fourth floor.  We say excuse me several times and the smart people finally realize they are in our way and move.  I shake my head and wonder aloud back in the room what the hell was that man doing on a Segway.  

Later that evening my dad and husband head down to the bar for a complimentary drink.  When they get back to the room they are laughing.  Oh great I think.  What now?  They have discovered there is also a hospitality room on our floor for the conference with milk, chocolate milk, cookies and brownies among other late night treats.  Both of them are on the Atkins diet at the moment but they say I'm welcome to go down and get a treat.  I let them know that while I appreciate the offer, I'll pass.

The next morning my dad heads down to breakfast and encounters the Segway man again.  He has it in the dining room.  However, he is walking on his own to the buffet to get his food so it doesn't appear that he needs it.  But I don't know.  So I'm trying not to judge.  But really?  We also realize that Saturday appears to be "Wear your smart people shirt" day.  Everyone we encouter has a smart people shirt on and we can read all of their names from 200 yards away.

We head to the baby shower and Sweet Pea is a hit.  She hasn't met any of my extended family and everyone loves her.  At least that's what they tell me.  My cousin's wife looks great and she is happy to have the attention on anyone but her while we are there.  We all have a great time and Sweet Pea is her charming self.  Quiet at all the right times and soaks up all the love of my family.  The shower ends and we head to another cousin's house for a BBQ with the men of the family.  I realize how much I have missed everyone.  I hate that I don't get to see them as often.  And I vow (in my head) to visit more and invite them to visit me as well.  Because it's a long drive with a baby and Chicago is a great place to visit.

When we finally arrive back at the hotel, the bar is hosting karoake.  And it's awful.  The poor girl singing is not good.  My husband mentions that she sounds a lot like Cameron Diaz in My Best Friend's Wedding.  We all agree.  The elevator is slightly quicker than usual and provides a welcome respite from the awful noise coming from the bar.  

My husband and dad drop us girls off in the room and head out to get dinner as they didn't have much to eat at the BBQ.  While they are gone, a new batch of idiots end up in the hallway.  There must have been a wedding in the area and a groomsman and his girlfriend and friends are now yelling down the hall.  I realize that becoming a mom and getting close to another birthday has made me increasingly less tolerant of drunk idiots.  And these particular idiots are grating my nerve.  I realize it's just 11pm on a Saturday night but I'm tired and I have a 3 and half month old sleeping.  Nevermind that she can sleep through just about any noise.  That's not the point.  The point is you are bothering me and I want you to SHUT UP!  My favorite quote of the night comes as the groomsman passes our room and loudly declares "I'm sooooooo hammered!"  Good for you.  Shut up and go to bed!  No, don't get a cooler and attempt to drag it down the hall to fill it with ice.  Letting the ice drop into your empty cooler and echo down the whole hallway!  And don't let your girlfirend try to help you only making matters worse when you two drop the cooler and spill most of the ice.  Idiots!  They finally make it to their room and after the girl screams several times about God knows what, they shut up.  I assume they have passed out.  And I'm grateful that I have peace and quiet.

The next morning we pack and have our final encounters with the smart people who continually look disturbed by our encouters.  Maybe we are scary.  I have no idea.  I just know that I'm grateful to be checking out and heading home.  We walk out behind the drunk groomsman and his girlfriend.  He is in some sport shorts, a tee shirt and his dress socks and shoes from the wedding.  He is carrying his vest and bow tie and the girl is carrying a bouquet.  The groomsman looks silly enough for me to cause me to laugh at my anger from the night before.  We walk out into the sunshine and see the lady with Blue and Purple hair again.  It's even brighter in the sun.  My dad pulls up in the minivan and I hop in eager to get out of there.  The weekend ends with breakfast with some more family and then a long drive home.  I make a mental note to check with the hotel the next time we go into Michigan to ensure there are no conferences going on with the smart people.

Sorry again for the long post, but I had to write this down.

Pretty in Plaid

Pretty in Plaid by Jen Lancaster comes out today.  You must go directly to your local bookstore and pick up a copy.  She is absolutely fabulous.  And while you are there, make sure to pick up her first three books, Bitter is the New Black, Bright Lights Big Ass, and Such a Pretty Fat.  

Seriously...Go now.  

Also, check out Jen's website for more laughs.  www.jennsylvania.com

Are you still here?  Go get these books!

I'm picking up my copy tonight.