The Nap Conundrum

I think that at last, we've come to the end of the road with naps around here. Yes, Davis hit the ripe old age of 3, and can now go most days without a nap. This is good and bad. The good is that he goes to bed on time, usually no later than 7pm, and often as early as 6:15. He goes right to sleep. He sleeps 12-13 hours. All of this is great.

Now, let's discuss for a minute the upside of naps. I think I can sum it up pretty easily: Mommy Time. But let me tell you the down side.

When Davis naps, even if it's a relatively short nap, bedtime is a nightmare. He's not tired, and he's in and out of his crib (yes, still crib) about 64 times before finally falling asleep. The biggest excuse for getting up is wetting his Pull-Up. He's potty trained, and does great, but I still keep him in a Pull Up at night. I just don't think he's ready to go full throttle yet. So, he has this uncanny ability to produce urine at any moment that he chooses. He mostly chooses to do so after we've said good night. Then it's, "Mommy! I went pee-pee in my Pull-Up." And I am not kidding you when I say that there are evenings that we have changed at least 4 of these barely-wet Pull Ups.

The other night I told him it was too bad and that he would have to sleep in it anyway. He said okay and went back to bed. A few minutes later, Morgan walked past his room and the Pull-Up came flying out. Don't tell me that boy doesn't know what he's doing. I'm sure he'll use similar tactics when trying to sneak out of the house in about 10 years.

So, you may ask, if he's going to bed so nicely when he doesn't nap, what is the downside of no naps? Besides the lack of Mommy Time, it's this: I am forced to play with him much more than before. I know, I know. That sounds terrible. But I bet that deep down, you feel the same way if you have small kids. I can only make so many Play Doh animals or play with the Batcave so much before I sort of want to pull my hair out. And, while TV is kind of awesome, I  start feeling guilty when it's on for too long. And frankly, I kind of prefer to reserve TV time for early mornings and late afternoons.

fun with play doh

So, for now, I try to keep Davis up most days. He might doze off in carpool line, but I can usually limit that to 20 minutes or so, which will give him just enough of a charge to make dinner pleasant. Or at least as pleasant as dinner with a 3-year-old boy can be.

In other sleep news, Ava just booked her first ever sleepover for this Friday night. I wonder what time we'll get the phone call to come get her?

Tar Heel Ten Miler

I think I mentioned here last week that I was going to do a 10 mile run in Chapel Hill this past weekend, right? Well, I did it. I didn't train at all, and I did it. It was actually pretty fun. My old college roommate and I have done this race together the last few years. Two years ago, we were both pretty new to running, and opted for the 4-miler that is also an option. I was immediately jealous of all the 10 mile runners and vowed that I would make that  happen the next year. So, last year, fairly fresh off a half marathon, I signed up for the 10. I think at that point Sarah and I pretty much decided we'd try to do it every year.

This year we both put off registration as long as we could. Two weeks before the race, I signed up. I run a few days a week, but 6 miles is the farthest I've gone in a year. Yes, I do that six every week, but still. The math is pretty simple: 10 > 6. 

Anyway. As a Carolina girl, I know it doesn't get much better than Chapel Hill in the springtime. It also doesn't get much hillier. I mean, you have to figure any town with the word "Hill" in its name is going to have some of those little demons. Of course, I had done this race before, so I knew what I was getting into, but honestly, there isn't much that can prepare you for the grueling part of the course that is Laurel Hill Road. More on that in a sec.

So, beautiful spring day. A little humid, but that's okay. I was well-hydrated. We pretty much started out on an uphill, which I think is mean, but they didn't consult me when making the course. I won't go into the mile-by-mile details, but basically, I felt really good for about 8 miles. I could feel my legs starting to tire a bit, but nothing terrible. But then came that damn Laurel Hill Road. Starting at about mile 8.25, you start going straight up. Then about a half mile up, you think you're done. Flatter road! Yay! Oh, but no. Not really. Because look! More uphill. Ugh! It's like it never ends. And then it finally does, about a mile later. It sucks. That's just all I can say about it. But then it's over, and you're only about .75 miles from the finish, and it's all flat road to the end. 

The 10 miles flew by since Sarah and I chatted the whole way. Plus, the scenery was beautiful and the people watching was good. Here we are at the end, all sweaty and glistening. It was insanely humid for April:

So, I'm glad I did it and I'm glad it's over. And I'm looking forward to doing it again next year. 

Coachella "fashion" + Miley overexposed

Here's the deal. I love celebrity gossip. I love celebrity photos. What I do not love, however, is seeing celebrities traipsing around the Coachella music festival in California looking like a bunch of homeless vagrants (no offense to any homeless readers).

Vanessa Hudgens, of High School Musical fame, is probably the worst offender. However, I think this is pretty much  how she dresses all the time, so she probably feels right at home at Coachella:

via www.people.com

Maybe Katy Perry gave all of her clothes to Russell Brand in their divorce settlement. Otherwise, I cannot find justification for this:

via

Julia Roberts is probably laying no family claim to niece Emma. I think Emma stopped by Target to pick up these pajama pants. Not sure about the top, but it's not good at all. Poor girl.

via

Ke$ha was scarier than usual, although perhaps not as dirty looking. Girl has got some serious quads. And kind of looks like Duff McKagan from Guns n Roses.

And, in perhaps the strangest twist of all, Oddly, Lindsay Lohan got to the music festival in a time machine that transported her back to her fresh-faced days. Seriously, I had to look at the date on this picture to make sure it was truly from 2012. She looks really good. 

via

One last celebrity rant: Miley Cyrus (can't stand her, but that boyfriend of hers, Liam Hemsworth sure is hot) has gotten a lot of press lately for looking so thin. Last week, she apparently credited her new gluten free diet with her thinner frame. Whatever. I'm going to go out on a limb and say that based on the following photos, she's pretty happy with her new look. Lots of skin exposed:

"Hmm....let me walk my dog in a sports bra in front of these paparazzi. "

(I am only midly in envy of her abs. After all, she has borne no children.)

 

Nothing makes me think of Pilates like my black lace bra.

And then there was the shirt with the side-boob exposed:

I think this poor girl is just a few months away from some sort of meltdown. Stay tuned, folks.

Spring shopping

I've been a pretty good girl and really haven't purchased too much this spring. Of course, that may be because my regular clothing budget has been consumed by my lululemon addiction. Also, this may be one of the last shopping posts ever. Big news here is that I just resigned from my very part-time job. I had been doing it for six years, but I felt that it was time to stop. It was a hard decision, because I do like my play money, but I'm doing the right thing for the family and me.

Anyway.

There's a big Lilly Pulitzer resort sale going on right now on certain Lilly websites and some Lilly stores. It ends tonight at midnight, I think. I didn't get anything for me, but I did get this cute dress for Ava for $29:

Via lillypulitzer.com

I actually  have the matching shorts for that dress. Cute, right? 

We're also matching this year in these two looks:

 

I just love the 50 States print Lilly has out right now. Very Lilly. Plus, I think their Callahan shorts are the best-fitting shorts EVER. Perfect length. 

Last week, this dress that was on back order from j.crew came in. I think I'm a little in love with it. Green is my favorite.

via jcrew.com

Speaking of dresses, I can't stop looking at this Splendid maxi:

www.shopbop.com

However, I just don't think I can justify  the $138 price tag. It looks so comfy, though, and it's not the same old maxi you see everywhere. 

Now, I really want to jump on board with this colored denim trend. My problem is that (and I'm sure I've mentioned this before) I have 'athletic' legs. That's all fine and good. I've finally come to terms with the fact that I will never have toothpick legs. It just makes denim shopping a tad bit more complicated. Especially when it comes to skinny colored denim. Target has cute ones, but they're sold out of normal sizes. Ditto for Old Navy. J.Crew has some that I love, but they're $125, and that seems high for something that may or may not stick around, trend-wise. I think if I go for it, though, I  might have to go all-in and get this bright citron:

I think they would be really cute with something navy/white. 

I do have a new pair of lulu pants on the Fed Ex truck this week. They are these:

We'll see how the athletic thighs do in a lighter color crop. 

Happy Tuesday, everyone.

Our weekend

The weather could not have been more beautiful this weekend. I know there were some terrible storms in other parts of the country, but here, the weather was nothing short of spring perfection.

On Saturday we took the kids to the newly renovated Pullen Park. It's this great park that's been in Raleigh since the dawn of time. In addition to a few playgrounds, they have several rides, including a train, that  the kids just love. This was our first trip there since they re-opened, and we stayed for about 3 hours. The kids had so much fun they didn't even stop to ask for snacks or drinks.

They rode the little boats (Ava is WAY too old for this, but she's a good sister and went  with Davis).

We all rode the train:

 Morgan and the kids rode the carousel. I hate those things and get way too dizzy, so I sat it out.

And we snapped a pic with the locals: Sherrif Andy and Opie Taylor of Mayberry fame. (Note to self: stand up straighter!)

Yesterday we went to church, and then I ran in the mid-day heat, which was dreadful. I may not like getting up at 5am, but running before the sun is beating down on you is pretty nice. I should also mention here that for some insane reason, I'm signed up to run the Tar Heel 10 Miler this Saturday. I am so unprepared for this. I haven't run that distance since the same race last year, after which I got pneumonia. Hoping for a better outcome this time. 

After the run, I took the kids to pick strawberries. I think Davis ate as many as he picked, but they had a great time. 

We cruised through the Express Lane at Harris  Teeter after that to pick up the groceries I had ordered online earlier in the day. Best shopping experience ever. You pull up, they load the groceries in your car. Yes, there is a $5 charge, but it is worth every penny. I think I actually spend less because I only stick to what's on the list.

By the way, last week we had dinner with Ava's teacher. Ava had earned this dinner last fall by selling a certain number of raffle tickets, but we just now redeemed the prize. It was as if we were dining with a movie star. Ava was all smiles the whole time, and just kept gazing up at her teacher with adoration. Here they are post-dinner:

I should be back tomorrow with some shopping updates. Bye for now!

Detox Week

We're back from the beach, and Spring Break 2012 has officially come to an end. In fact, I'd say it was really over when Ava threw a tantrum like a toddler last night and got sent to bed for it. Today, though, she was up and at 'em, and happy to get back to a routine. We even started the day for her with an 8am dentist appointment. Always fun.

I was so indulgent last week, or so it felt. I ate whatever, drank too much wine, and exercised too little. I also used too little sunscreen, and I hate to say it, but I just prefer me with some color. Real color, not tan-in-a-can color. I know, I know. It's terrible. I'll be good the rest of the spring and summer. I just needed a little base. It's my vice. My kids, on the other hand, are like little Edward Cullens (minus the sparkling-in-the-sunlight-thing), and are in constant need of SPF 300. I'm not sure they produce melanin at all. However, they do look cute on the beach. Not that I'm biased:

 

I did manage to sneak in a few runs on the beach, which was really nice. The weather was insanely perfect. And, the beach is flat enough that five miles feels pretty easy. 

But, aside from a few runs, I did nothing good for my body. So, this week is detox. I hate detox. I'm trying to avoid dessert, and worse, alcohol. It's not that I'm a raging alcoholic, but I do like my wind-down glass of wine around 5:30 every day. It's kind of a ritual. And, let's be real. It's more like 2 glasses. Which, really, is not exactly a crime. But, sometimes I think it's good to give your body a break from the things it craves. We'll see if I last the whole week. This gorgeous spring weather makes it tough, but I think I can make it. 

I'm off to make a healthy dinner of black beans and rice. Can't wait to hear the not-so-subtle cries of disappointment from the kids on that entree. 

Happy Birthday Davis (better late than never, right?)

Happy Easter weekend, peeps. We've been at the beach all week enjoying some amazing weather for spring break. Of course, it turned a frigid 50ish degrees today, so we're all kind of cooped up inside. I did manage to send Morgan to lunch with the kids while my mom and I snuck away for a grown up girls' lunch, complete with a Bloody Mary for me. I'm going to try to undo that damage in a little while with a chilly run on the beach.
On Monday, the day we headed down to the beach, my baby turned 3. THREE! So, Davis, this post is for you. You, the little boy who made me see why it is that women seem to swoon so much over their sons. You, the boy who is in perpetual motion, but never too busy for a hug, or to tell me you love me. You, my sweet son, on whom I will forever have a huge crush.

Three years have come and gone in the blink of an eye. It's hard to believe there was a time when you didn't sleep through the night, a time when you didn't talk. Nowadays, it's play hard, talk constantly, and sleep soundly. You never meet a stranger, and your exuberance for life is contagious. While it's certainly true that you make me crazy at times, it's also true that you put a smile on my face no fewer than 50 times a day. You are an absolute love, and you make me proud to be your mommy. In the words of your favorite song, you are my sunshine. I love you.