Lots of Love :)

It's a rainy, dreary day here in Maryland, which makes me a little bummed about trick-or-treating tomorrow night... Let's hope it clears, because I did not lovingly sew - on a sewing machine! - two costumes to be covered by raincoats!  But I may day was brightened when I read Megan's post at Heartbeats and Little Feet today!  Thanks for the Liebster Award, Megan!



So here are "the rules"
1. Thank the blogger that nominated you.
2. Answer the questions given by the blogger who nominated you.
3. Nominate 5-11 bloggers with fewer than 200 followers and give them questions to answer.

1.  Gold or silver?  Platinum!  But really, it depends on the outfit.  I have favorite jewelry in both!

2.  What is your favorite candy?  Reese's Peanut Butter Cups and M&Ms

3.  Best book you’ve read recently.  I have read a few good ones of late.  I think The Book Thief by Markus Zusak should be added to the middle/high school Holocaust fiction reading list, right next to Diary of Anne Frank.  I also just read Beautiful Ruins by Jess Walter and couldn't put it down.  Seriously - I chose reading over gambling in Vegas!

4.  Link and/or photo of a handbag that you are currently coveting.  I am such a dork/mom... I have been really excited by the Fall line of Vera Bradley.  I never thought I'd be excited about carrying around a quilted carpet bag, but... Never say never?  How cute is Olivia PInk!

5.  A sentence or two describing a happy memory from your childhood.  Salt spray in my face on a sunny, windy day of sailing on Cape Cod.  With a fudge round chilling against the ice pack in my lunch bag waiting for me back on the beach.

6.  Three favorite online shopping websites.  I do a lot of shopping on Amazon.com - I love the free shipping with Prime!  I also just bought a lamp I am WAY too excited about at Lampsplus.com.  The shipping was free, and speedy, and I LOVE my fish lamp.  It's so tacky whimsical, it's awesome.

7.  Something that you learned recently.  That I can be productive working from home without eating everything in sight!  Proof: it's day three of this new venture, and I haven't opened a single bag of Halloween candy.

8.  Beauty product you can’t live without.  Oil of Olay age-defying daily anti-wrinkle cream with SPF 15.  My skin is really dry, and I would be parched without some sort of moisturizer.  I like the Olay cream, as it's light, not oily, and has definitely reduced some signs of aging.  I'm only 31, but why wait for wrinkles to start fighting them??

9.  A pet peeve.  SNORING.

10.  What is your favorite season of the year?  Of the four seasons, I love Fall for the colors and smell and coziness.  Of the holidays, Christmas for the cheer and smell and food and presents and Santa.  But July Fourth for the fireworks!

And... I'm not going to nominate anyone specifically.  I had fun answering Megan's questions on this dreary day.  So if you need some cheer, consider yourself awarded, and feel free to answer the questions I did!

WAHM

As of today, our family starts the new routine.  The one where we wake up around 6:45 on Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays, and leave the house around 7:30 to drop off at the new daycare.  The one where I drive home, brew my coffee, and remotely access my PC at work.  The one where for three days a week, exact times don't matter as there are no trains to catch.  The one where maybe I'll be able to roast a whole chicken - with stuffing! - for the first time in years.

The one where two days a week, I'll leave the house by 6:20 to catch the last train south... and I won't head north again till after 5:00 pm.  The one where two days a week, I'll get home after the kids have had dinner... but the one where I know they are having fun at home with Grandma.

The one where I am kinda, sorta a work at home mom.  At least part of the week.

Ornithophobia

I am afraid of birds.  (and mice, those jumping spider things in the basement, and bones...)  But birds is a big one.  One I have to deal with very frequently.  I mean - pigeons are everywhere.  All the time.  Flying, shitting, pecking... UGH.  I hate pigeons.

Sometimes I can see some fancy looking bird and think "Ok, at least that one has some pretty coloring."  And then it up and spreads its wings to fly.  Or stretches a weird, feathery, taloned foot out.  Or pecks at something.  Then I remember how horrible and terrible and terrifying birds are.

But I really didn't want my fear to affect my children's attitudes towards birds.  So I have been really conscious of my fear and hatred of birds in front of the kids.  Or so I thought until we went to the Santa Barbara Zoo last week.

Laura flipped. out. over some ducks and flamingos.  The ducks (which Gavin loved) were innocent enough... until they started bathing and splashing water all over us.  Laura lost it.  I thought maybe it was the cold water drops on her legs?  But then we got to the flamingos (which Gavin loved) and she started shrieking.  I mean, they didn't smell very good.  And they are huge offenders of the weird, feathery, taloned feet problem... and they have those feathers... and beaks... and wings... OK.  There's a LOT wrong with flamingos, and I wasn't thrilled to be watching them either.  I did not flip out, I swallowed my panic and said "oh look how pink they are!"

Hours later, nary a bird in sight, Laura asked my mother:
Grammy, are flamingos birds?
Yes, they are
Well, I'm not fond of flamingos... Grammy, I'm not fond of birds.

But in my head, pushing aside my own bird issues, all I could think was "crumb buns!"  Have I inadvertently passed along my fear to my daughter?  I so wanted to shelter Laura from my own anxieties, to raise her strong and fearless.  But I guess maybe I flinch at pigeons a little too often.  Maybe I balk at touching shed feathers found on the ground.  Maybe I'm not as good as I thought about hiding my own fears.  Let's just cross our fingers that Nate doesn't have to start cutting the meat off the ribs and wings for the children as well as for me!

Capturing Happiness

Our family just experienced one of those weeks.  The kind where maybe not everything goes perfectly... but everything is somehow perfect anyway.  In the midst of our move and the furlough (yes, I was impacted), we took off for a week on the West Coast.  We had begun planning our trip long before we knew of my little passenger, and therefore the move.  So the timing wasn't perfect - except that actually it was.

With so very much going on in our lives this past month, we desperately needed our trip together.  So on Thursday the 10th, we flew to Los Angeles to see my parents and their new place.  It was my first time in California, and I was very excited to see what all the fuss is about!  We spent a day in Santa Barbara, a morning at the Farmer's Market, an afternoon at the La Brea Tar Pits, and a few brief moments at the Will Rogers State Park on the drive home.  I can't say that I've been inspired to shed my East Coast ways and move across the country, but I was in awe of the mountains abutting the ocean.


After a quick visit, Nate and I continued our adventure to Las Vegas - yet another city I hadn't yet visited!  Gavin and Laura stayed in LA with my parents for their own adventure, while Nate and I got some serious one on one time that we so badly needed.

Are all of our worldly problems solved after one week basking in each others company?  Hardly.  But what a wonderful chance for us to catch up, really talk, and set aside some of the stress of the past few weeks.  As we got ready for dinner Wednesday night, we heard the news that the furlough had ended (for now), and that I'd be able to head back to work again after our break.  A huge stress relief in itself.  We still have a lot going on (finish make the house our home, host both a birthday party and Thanksgiving within days, Christmas...), but we have all of that going on together.  As a family.

So while I could have FILLED this post with all of the wonderful photos during our week, I leave you with one.  The picture that brings me the most joy from our family vacation.  The photo of us all together, barefoot in the sand, shivering, smiling and happy.

Boy oh boy!

That's right! Baby #3 is baby boy #2! I am more surprised by anyone. This pregnancy could not be more different from my infection-ridden pregnancy with Gavin! I guess this proves that every pregnancy is different!!


Laura's a little sad she's not getting a baby sister. I have to say, I was sorta rooting for her to have a close in age sister. But I'm sure she'll love bossing two boys around, too!

In other news, we're all moved into our new house and loving it. And I'm so totally OVER being furloughed. Dear Congress: please let me go back to work!