Monday, October 26, 2009

Friday, October 23, 2009

I drive my kids to school in my pajamas.

Somebody out there please say that you do this too. Anyone? Maybe even occasionally?

I don't know how this has happened -- but I have become that mom who drives her kids to school wearing the same clothes that she slept in. Every day.

It has certainly never been my goal to be the most stylish mom at school in the mornings. There are the working mommies looking lovely in their suits and heels. Then there are the put-together mommies who are at least wearing make up and a bra. And then there are the moms like me who -- on a good day -- maybe brushed their teeth before pulling out of the garage.

I never thought that our morning routine would be so chaotic that I would have to sacrifice basic hygiene and the most minimal fashion sense in order to simply deliver my children at their school in advance of the tardy bell. But we are seven weeks into the school year already and I simply cannot figure out how to get up early enough to take a shower and put on clean clothes before we all have to hop in the car at 7:30 am.

Colin usually wakes up sometime between 5:40 and 6:00 wanting to nurse. By the time we've wrapped up his sleepy snack session, Brendan is awake informing me that he needs to use the bathroom and that he is hungry for his mango strawberry smoothie.

We all head down for breakfast. I pack up the lunches, drink six cups of coffee, empty the dishwasher, and then it is time to herd the whole group back upstairs to brush hair and teeth and get dressed.

Inevitably, I glance at my watch and realize that we all have to be in the car and moving in about three minutes or the kids are going to be late. This is when I throw on my ugly, shapeless fleece jacket over my Lululemon yoga pants (whatever -- they are pajamas), grab some flip flops and we head out.

Luckily (for the sake of my kids, other parents and school staff), both schools have "Kiss and Fly" drop off lines so I remain in my vehicle in my jammies.

The other fashion victim in this whole thing is Colin -- who never even stands a chance of getting his clothes changed before we have to head out the door. He wears footed jammies until at least 10:30 am most days.

I recognize that the obvious answer to this dilemma is to get up earlier -- like 5:00 am. I could shower, whip up some scrambled eggs for breakfast and maybe even get in a few yoga poses before the rest of the family wakes up.

Totally not going to happen though. Did you see how dark it was this morning? For now, pj's it is.

Friday, October 16, 2009

Thoughts on Colin at (Nearly) Ten Months



Likes: Attempting to climb any set of steps he spies (the steeper, the better); Having his mushy, soft belly tickled; Biting (we are working on this); Riding belly-to-belly with his Mama in the Ergo carrier; Sneaking into the bathroom to play with the toilet paper and dunk his hands in the toilet; Being endlessly entertained by his hilarious siblings.

Dislikes: Losing his footing while crawling and smashing his nose into the hardwood floors (which unfortunately happens daily); Spending a large portion of his life strapped in his car seat as we drop off or pick up those hilarious siblings.

Loves: String cheese

Loathes: Bananas

Next Big Thing: Walking!

Wednesday, October 14, 2009

Holy Hydrangea!



It has been a very good year for my hydrangeas. They are spectacular. First they were bright white, then pale limelight green, and now a lovely pink. They stand in a tall, bushy row like trumpeters along my fence. While the rest of the yard turns a sad brown, these beauties steal the show.

Monday, October 12, 2009

Feeling a Little Bit Witchy, I Guess

You are gearing up for Halloween at your house too, right? Decorations, making (or in my case ordering) costumes, parties, pumpkin carving -- all that good stuff.

I didn't realize that I was so crabby about some aspects of this celebration -- but my recent posts say otherwise.

Over at Chicago Moms Blog, I wrote about the fact that I am seriously considering not handing out candy on Halloween this year. Yes, I realize that the neighborhood kids might egg our house. What's wrong with a piece of organic fruit leather, I say?

I also wrote a post for Wee Windy City complaining about the decapitated clown heads in the Marc Jacobs display window that are giving my kids nightmares. I get that Halloween has a certain scare factor, but public displays need to be appropriate for the general public (including the littlest, most easily frightened members).

Coming soon . . . less crabbiness.

Sunday, October 4, 2009

Our Jack-O-Lantern


The teeth. I mean, look at those teeth. And the cheeks. If you colored this guy orange . . .

Speaking of Broccoli . . .

This is romanesco broccoli. I have never seen anything like it before. It came in our CSA box and has been sitting in our fridge for a few days -- waiting for me to figure out what to do with it.

I find it beautiful, intriguing, and sort of repulsive at the same time. Anybody have any experience with this item? Looking for some inspiration/a recipe/an art project.

Thursday, October 1, 2009

Getting all Huffy over a $95 Homeless Doll

Sorry no new posts here this week -- it's been a busy few days for me.

On Tuesday, I read about a new American Girl doll named Gwen Thompson. According to her story, she and her family are homeless and sleeping in a car. American Girl is selling her for $95 (accessories not included).

None of the profits from this doll are being donated to help actual homeless children. American Girl isn't making Gwen available for real homeless girls who likely do not have any beautiful dolls.

All Tuesday morning, I could not stop thinking about how offensive I found this situation. So I wrote a post about it on Wee Windy City. It has been viewed almost 40,000 times in the past two days. Apparently, lots of other people have strong opinions about this doll too.

Have a look at the post and let me know what you think. Would you buy this doll for your daughter? Do you find this whole situation troubling or is it much to do about nothing?