Making Hard Choices

I'm taking a break from being outside on this gorgeous fall day. My car was looking like something Oscar the Grouch might live in, so Davis and I have spent the last hour cleaning it out. He was helpful, except for the climbing in and out of it with his dirty shoes. Typical.

This week we got a little taste of winter. Temps were in the 50s - brrrr. I just chose to ignore the fact that I don't really have any new clothes and just wore my workout clothes all day. Doing it again today, in fact. Of course, today, I had planned on running, but then got a lunch invitation, so running didn't happen.

Anyway, the cooler temps reminded me that I really need a new pair of boots this year. I exercised an astonishing amount of restraint last weekend when I didn't take advantage of the Tory Burch Friends and Fans sale, where I could have received 25% off my most coveted boots:

 I went to a store and tried on four different TB boot styles. I hemmed. I hawed. I put them in my shopping bag on the website. I entered the promo code. But I couldn't pull the trigger. Yes, the price was part of it, but the bigger problem was that the calf of the TB boots is pretty slender. I could get them on, but they were tight at the top. I didn't think I could wear them with my skinny jeans. (Then again, the boots have me thinking my calves are just fat and maybe I have no business wearing skinny jeans at all.)

Anyway, it wasn't worth the cost for me not to be able to make them my primary boots.

So, moving on. I've got Frye cowboy boots and I love them. I've had them for 4 years now, and they have held up great. Now I'm trying to decide between the Melissa Button boot or the Paige Riding Boot. And, lucky me, I received a 20% off coupon from Belk in the mail yesterday where Frye is actually not one of the exclusions. Yay!

The Melissa - perhaps a bit more casual than what I'm really going for.

And Paige:

Honestly, there really isn't much choice to be made. I'm 99% sure I'll go with the Paige. Just can't decide if I want the brown, like the ones in the photo, or these gray ones:

This sort of hard decision making reminds me of just how difficult my life is sometimes. Oh - but just so you know, it IS our 10 year anniversary on Friday. So shopping is allowed. 

And - one last thing. I need a good new book to read. Who's got suggestions for me? Fiction, please.

Halloween (or my least favorite holiday)

Halloween is fast approaching. I know this because all grocery and garden stores are overrun with mums and pumpkins. Then again, they are also overrun with Christmas decorations, so who knows what season it really is. Also, Ava keeps reminding me that we need to decorate for Halloween. She's right, but I just  don't really like leaving our giant spiders and synthetic webs up much longer than I have to. I'm kind of a Halloween Scrooge that way. However, I do love candy, and anything Reese's in particular. My antidote to the Scroogi-ness is just to stuff my face full of peanut butter and chocolate.

Even I have to admit that this is pretty cute, though:

via here

Ava decided sometime last year that she would be Rapunzel for Halloween. I kind of thought that might pass. Not to say that it's exactly babyish - it's just not really what I would have expected my 7 year old to choose. But when Ava decides on something, her mind does not easily change. So, apparently, Rapunzel it is.

My search for a costume turned up this gem:

image via

Which, believe it or not, is sold out. Damn. There go the plans for matching Mommy/Daughter costumes. 

Davis started out saying he was going to be Kick Buttowski:

Now he says he wants to be a bat. Not sure which I prefer. However, my "children's bat costume" search on Google came up with this beauty:

via Target.com

Is it just me, or is this a little too vixen-like for a child? Maybe her mom is wearing the Rapunzel costume from above. The only cute boys' bat costume is the one from Pottery Barn Kids, and I'm not spending $50 on it. Plus, it appears to be made of fleece, and if this Halloween is like most in NC, it will be about 80 degrees, which will rule out all fuzzy attire. 

via Pottery Barn Kids

Manic Monday

Davis has gotten into a bad habit of waking up too early. Today, after my alarm went off (5:35am), I was in my bathroom getting dressed for boot camp (more on that later). I heard a shrill whine coming from my bedroom, but I hoped that if I stayed quiet long enough, the whine would stop. Instead, the source of the whine busted through the bathroom door commanding that I get back into my bed.

Hmmm. I thought that maybe if I climbed back into bed with Davis (and Morgan), he'd doze off and I could sneak on out to my class. No such luck. Every time I scooted an inch closer to the edge of my bed, Davis moved. He was onto me.

So, I took another approach. Honesty. Yeah, that didn't really go over so well. I was like, "okay, Davis, Mommy has to go work out now. I'll be back in a little while. Byyyeeee!"

And so began the screams. I felt terrible leaving Morgan with sad Davis at such an early hour, but I don't like to miss my workouts. Plus, I think Davis needs to learn that he is just fine with his Daddy. More than fine.

I said my goodbyes, exited barefoot, and headed to my class. It's an outdoor class. When I pulled up, I saw the group gathered in the usual spot. I took a moment to put my shoes on, then got out of the car to catch up to the group, and they had vanished, apparently into thin air. I looked around for a good 15 minutes, but never found them. I got some coffee and went home.

Does a workout count if you fully intended to do it?

Now, about this boot camp. I don't want to offend anyone, but I feel a little like I'm working out with the rejects from The Biggest Loser auditions. And look, I'm impressed with anyone who is out of shape and decides to do something about it. I'll even encourage them along the way if they need me to. But there seems to be a lot of grunting and groaning, and I'm just not a fan of negative energy when I'm getting out of bed way before the sun to work off last night's wine and Magnum ice cream bars.

Anyway, I'm hoping that with Davis' early waking and the rain outside, a nice nap will be in order for both of us this afternoon.

Cross your fingers.

New Favorite

I think I could probably read blogs all day, if time allowed. Blogs and Pinterest. One blog that's been getting a lot of great press lately is Honest Toddler. If you haven't checked it out, you must. Hi-freaking-larious. It's "written" by a toddler giving advice to all us adults. If you have or have ever had small children, you will appreciate it. Honest Toddler is so sarcastic - right up my alley. It's up there with Suri's Burn Book in terms of funny.

And, if you want more laughs, follow Honest Toddler on Twitter:



Just go read it. You won't regret it.

That's all I have time for today. I am so stinky from my spin class that I am not fit to be out in public, so I must shower. Stat.

Where Were You 11 Years Ago?

While listening to the radio yesterday, I was reminded that it is the 11th anniversary of the 9/11 tragedy. It's so hard to believe it's been so long. So much has changed in my own life, and in our world since that horrific day. 

I was single then, dating Morgan, but not even yet engaged. That would come at Christmas that same year. It was a beautiful almost-fall day, not at all unlike the one we're having here in North Carolina today. I was but 25 years old, and my generation had been lucky. We were children of the 80s, living the good life, and not having much worry over international relations. Our parents knew well the fears of the Cold War, of air raid drills, and the threat of nuclear annihilation. But us? We were born in the 70s, growing up in the great 1980s, and, we thought Russia was our biggest threat.

I remember that when I was in ninth grade, the principal came over the loudspeaker to announce that Operation Desert Storm was underway, but at that point in my life, it didn't cause me much concern. I lived in America. We were strong. We could not be harmed. 

But then, years later, that all changed. An attack on U.S. soil - the unthinkable. I was working at IBM, and not long after I got to work, we heard the report of the first plane hitting the North tower of the World Trade Center. Like most everyone else, it didn't occur to me that it could be anything other than an accidental plane crash. But then the second plane hit, and ,oh my gosh, it was like, what the hell is happening here? 

We were given the option to leave work, which we all did. Who could work when our beloved nation was under attack? I had my own apartment, but I didn't want to be alone. I came to Morgan's house, and we stayed glued to the news all day, just like the rest of the nation. My office was not far from the airport, and I remember driving to Morgan's, fearing the worst. If planes were crashing into the Twin Towers, into the Pentagon, what was going to keep them from crashing into other cities? 

My sister and her husband were living in Manhattan at the time of the attack. Laura was at home that day, but Larry was heading to work, and his office was not  far from the WTC area. It was hours before she heard from him - remember how cell service was down due to so many calls that day? I can't imagine the fear she felt, and then the relief after she finally reached him. They moved from Manhattan not long after the attack - it was just too stressful to be there. I think it was sort of the feeling that you can't go home again - not literally, of course, but just in that the city that they had loved was never the same again. 

I will never, ever forget that horrible day, nor will I forget stories that came out of it. There were so many heroes that day, so many people who put others' lives before their own. Remember the earthquake in Haiti a few years back? I heard someone ask a minister "Where is God in this earthquake?" The minister had a response that I love. He said, "God isn't in the earthquake itself, but in the response." That was true of 9/11 as well. The heroic acts of everyday people - that was where we saw God in 9/11. 

I still can't watch some of the footage without tearing up. I can't hear the stories of the heroes without feeling deep sadness. And in this election year, I wish we could remember the way we mourned as a nation, not as Republicans or Democrats. On that day, and in the weeks that followed, we were all Americans, united in love for our country. 

The Sacrifices I Make

Dear Darling Children of Mine,

In my quest to keep you in the cutest clothes I can afford, something has occurred to me. It seems that you are starting to seriously cut into my own clothing budget. I find this somewhat troublesome, and yet, I can't stop shopping for you. Someone please help me.

Love,
Mommy

*Sigh.* This time of year I find myself perusing all of the September fashion magazines, spotting great outfit ideas on Pinterest, lusting after Tory Burch riding boots, and all other manner of autumnal loveliness. And then I remember that my kids have grown and have nothing to wear.

So, if I didn't have to buy them things, I might get these boots:

And, frankly, I probably need a new pair of Reva flats, too, so I guess I would choose these: (for some reason, I'm drawn to this navy blue):

And, really, I bet with those boots and new flats, I wouldn't even NEED actual new clothes, right? Right.

But instead, I just placed a Mini Boden order, which contained these items:

And, this little Lilly dress is a must-have for Ava:

Love the elephants. The print is called Tusk In Sun. How cute is that?

So, thanks to Ava and Davis, and the fact that I have two chairs that need to be reupholstered, I will be shopping light this fall. If you see me out, please don't mock me and my 2011 clothes. I'm embarrassed enough as it is. 

One down, one to go....

Okay, when last we talked, I was about to lose it, big-time. I'm sure that in my week long absence, you have all been worried sick, but I'm back and here to assure you that all is fine.

The rest of last week is a blur, but in all, I think it got better. Receiving lots of comments from friends who feel the same stress of parenting helped a ton. I guess it's true that misery loves company. Or at least knowing that you aren't a totally crappy parent.

Ava started first grade on Monday, which actually had me feeling a little sad. I got super emotional before she got up on Monday and felt guilty about all the time I spent wishing it was time to go back to school. But then she was so excited about school that those feelings faded a bit. I was super proud when she just wanted me to drop her off in carpool line on the first day, and didn't want me walking her in.

Sorry for my Facebook friends who have already seen this cuteness:

And, since she is her mother's daughter, she was excited to wear the new Lilly dress that she picked out just for the first day. Gotta love a girlie girl. 

It would be really nice if preschool and regular school started the same day. Davis doesn't even start until next Friday. That is nearly two full weeks after Ava started. Absurd. I feel like I'm in school limbo right now, just waiting. 

The upside is that Davis has been (mostly) quite pleasant and easy. He had a little soccer camp in the morning. You might think that would wear him out, but apparently not. In fact, he's back to not napping. And quiet time is a huge struggle. Thank goodness for old Scooby Doo episodes, which he loves.

Well, it has somehow taken me two days to get this post written, so I suppose I'll publish now and get on with the last weekend of summer. Our pool closes on Monday, so I'm hoping any nasty weather will hold off until after that. 

Have a good Labor Day!