day fourteen...

Today we attempted to take the Sprinkel family Christmas card picture. I knew it would not go well and my chances of getting the perfect picture on the first try were slim to none. So even though Declan's tie hasn't arrived yet from Etsy, I thought we should try anyway. We got one half way decent one, but I'm convinced we can do better. Check it out:


These are the funniest of the outtakes from today:


And my personal favorite:



And these are the best outtakes of Christmas pasts:

day thirteen...

Wish me luck! Not because it's day thirteen, but because Jay and I are taking the kids to Tyson's Corner for our annual pre-Thanksgiving shopping trip. I need to pick up some new Christmas decorations from West Elm, because as soon as the plates are cleared from Thanksgiving dinner, it is officially Christmas time at the Sprinkel house. We are putting up our trees (yes, that was plural) the day after Thanksgiving this year. The holiday season always seems too short, we decided. So instead of waiting until the first or second week in December to decorate, we are getting on it this year. Black Friday isn't when we start thinking about Christmas, it's when Christmas will be in full swing here! There will be trees, lights, ornaments, cookies, eggnog, and some ABC Family movies to boot. Even though I'm almost done my shopping, I think I will head to the Target at 4 a.m. this year just to get me in the mood. I mean, why not? Why did we have all these kids if we weren't going to do Christmas Griswold-style!

day twelve...

I had a pretty good day today. It started with a coffee date with one of my best friends. As we chatted and sipped our warm beverages, I remembered what fun it was to have an adult conversation. One of my main reasons for wanting to write a daily blog was because I need a creative outlet that I don't always get being a stay-at-home mom. I want to stimulate that part of my brain that comes from developing the random thoughts bouncing around in my head into something tangible, something I could see. It's not always easy to commit those thoughts to paper or in this case, screen. Sometimes I feel that in the six years since I started having babies, that my brain has turned to mush. I have come to realize that while the part of my brain that can form complete sentences and have intellectual conversations without losing my train of thought have become a little rusty, I have instead been developing other parts of my brain.

For one, I have vastly improved my problem-solving skills. I can fashion a diaper out of a roll of duct tape and a Shamwow in a pinch. Or if Finlay's hungry at the exact time I have to leave to pick up Ava from school, I can plug my breast-pump into the cigarette lighter, pump while driving, get out at a red light, prop Finlay's bottle up with a rolled up blanket, and she can feed herself while I drive. Also, my navigation skills have improved. I have learned how to get anywhere in town without having to pass a McDonald's or an ice-cream shop. I can also get to all the stores I need to in the mall, without passing the indoor play-ground or the Build-a-Bear. I have also improved the risk analysis part of my brain. For example, if I leave Ava in charge to take the world's fastest shower, the damage they could possibly do to the house or each other in two and a half minutes is minimal, right? I also use cost benefit analysis on a daily basis, as in, if I give Declan my iPhone to play with and he breaks it, was it worth it for the five minutes of peace and quiet I got before he threw it across the room. And answering questions like "what are ghosts made out of?" and "how did Finlay get in your belly?" have kept the creativity/ improvisational part of my brain sharp.

While, I do find myself forgetting what I walked all the way upstairs for or what phone number I just dialed, I have developed what I like to call my McGyver-mom skills, the skills that can keep four kids alive for a good week with just the contents of my diaper bag if we ever got stranded in my car in the middle of winter. And that to me seems more valuable than being able to discuss what might be going on in the world. I mean, if something huge happens, I'll learn about it from Moose and Zee, right?

day eleven:

Confessions for day eleven:

-I did not have to be anywhere until 11 a.m. today and I still managed to be late
-I wore workout clothes
-It's a good thing I wore workout clothes because I spent the entire hour of Emerson's first gymnastics class chasing Declan around the gym because I forgot to bring him a stroller (because of previously-mentioned lateness)
-I feel as though I've worked out now, so I will not feel guilty today about not going to the gym
-Instead of going home after gymnastics class, to put my clearly-exhausted toddler down for a nap, I chose to go to the Target for a coffee (and groceries...but mostly for the coffee)
-I asked for an extra shot of espresso
-I bought a lunchable at the Target, so I don't have to pack Ava's lunch tonight
-I am writing this blog entry on my laptop in the car, which is parked in my driveway so I can get wifi, because the kids are confined to their carseats and watching a movie, with their snacks and sippy cups and it's the first peaceful moment I've had all day!

day ten...

Yesterday was day ten and I spent most of it on a mission at the mall trying to find the perfect four outfits for the kids for our holiday card. Yes, ordering online would have been much easier, but not faster. And when I get it in my head that I want to do something, I want to do it immediately! Well, since Ava and Emerson are in school all day on Wednesdays, I took Declan and Finlay for a day of shopping. Here's what I purchased for Ava (left) and Emerson (right):


Trying to find something for Finlay and Declan did not go as smoothly. I did end up finding this bodysuit and tutu/pant combo for Finlay. :

For Declan, I bought this sweater that I do not love. Even paired with skinny jeans and his new Clarks, it's a little more "ski chalet" than I was going for.



I'm thinking of maybe going with black skinny jeans, a white button down and a festive necktie, loosened up a bit. Here are some options I found on etsy:






Now I just have to get all my kids bathed, dressed, and in good moods...at the same time! Stay tuned for the outtakes! If they are anything like last year's they will not disappoint!

day nine...

When decorating my new dressing room, I envisioned sitting at my vanity doing my makeup while the kids danced around in front of the mirror playing dress-up. Never did I imagine it would come true so soon. Here are some pictures from our impromptu-dance party this morning:

day eight...

I was having a terrific morning. The kind of morning where I left the house on time and had everything I needed with me. I had dropped off 2 dozen cupcakes at Emerson's school. Her teachers had been impressed with my creativity. I had picked up the dry cleaning. I had dropped off my new jeans to be hemmed and talked her into letting me pick them up on Wednesday instead of Thursday. Then, in the elevator on the way up to the Target, a fellow mom with her toddler in tow, turns and asks me how old my son is. I smile politely and answer that he will be two in January. She says, "Oh...I would have thought older, based on the lollipop"! Ouch! Yes, I gave my son a lollipop! Quick, someone call Social Services! He was being squirmy and not wanting to get into the cart, so I pulled out my stash of "emergency lollipops" and gave him one. I do not know the origins of the lollipop, but I venture to guess it was created by the mother of a toddler. They are genius! I have yet to see any temper tantrum that does not immediately cease at the sight of one! So, yes lady, I gave my son a lollipop! I am sorry that my son is not as well behaved as yours and that you have never had to stoop to such measures in order to get through your daily to-do list. I bet if my son had been standing up in the cart, facing the wrong way and screaming at the top of his lungs, you'd be judging me even more!

Why are moms so judgmental of one another? We know exactly what it feels like to have the kid throwing the temper tantrum in the middle of the store! And yet, we are the first ones to give a dirty look when it's someone else's child. Aren't we all just doing our best trying to raise happy, healthy, well-rounded little people? Are one mother's methods really better than another's? Why can't we just give each other a break? Why are we always trying to one-up each other? Why don't the stay-at-home moms cut the working-moms some slack? And vice versa. So I didn't breast-feed my kids for a whole year. So I bought my kids Halloween costumes online instead of hand-making them. So my kids eat McDonald's sometimes and not everything organic. So I wipe them down with baby wipes instead of giving them baths. Just kidding! (Most of the time)

So instead of throwing stones, lets try uniting in solidarity and appreciate that we are all doing the best we can at the hardest job there is.

day seven...

It's day seven of my thirty day challenge. We are one week in and I figure it's time to get started on some of the bigger projects on my list. My husband left at 9:45 am for a one o'clock football game that is approximately nine miles from our house. Hmmmmm... So I am left with five loads of laundry to do, four kids, three dogs, two dozen cupcakes to make, and one giant to-do list! So what do I decide to tackle? The attic, of course! I have pulled all twelve bins of clothes down and am attempting to go through it all, and only put back what I am going to use again. The rest is going to the goodwill today. Or more realistically, sometime next week. I did find time to take Finlay's 3 month picture (only a day late!). After the attic, I am going to make the cupcakes, order some pizza for dinner, pack lunches, layout clothes, give baths, read books, get the kids to bed, drink a glass of wine and read some of my book. Just in time for my husband to get home from the one o'clock game!

Today is brought to you by the letter 'R'

I just realized that Emerson will be learning the letter 'R' at school next week and I have volunteered to bring a snack for the kids that begins with 'R'. When I signed up for said letter, I thought it would be a piece of cake. I mean lots of words start with 'R'. Words? Yes! Foods that four-year-olds will eat? Not so much! Still it has to be easier than two years ago, when I got stuck with the letter 'U'. I ended up making Upside-down pineapple cake.

So I googled foods that start with R and got the following: rice, rolls, raisins, roast beef, Ramon noodles, Reese's pieces, relish, raspberries, red grapefruit, ricotta cheese, rhubarb, and radishes. Really? Of those, probably only raisins and raspberries will go over well. Unfortunately, Reese's pieces gets eliminated because the school is a nut-free zone.

As I try to rack my brain for any recipes of things with raspberries or raisins that will please the palate of a preschooler, I think what if I just make something red! And then BAM! RED VELVET CAKE! Ha! I'm going to make red velvet cupcakes with cream cheese icing and a raspberry on top of each one! Brilliant! Time-consuming, but brilliant, nonetheless! Of course not as brilliant as the mom who choose 'V' and just brought in boxes of vanilla-wafers. Damn her!

day five...

It is actually day six now, because I didn't fit in a blog entry last night. But Jay and I did do something last night that has rarely never been done before. We took four kids (none of which had naps) to the mall around dinner time to window shop for Thanksgiving stuff. We put Declan and Finlay (the little ones) in the double stroller while Ava and Emerson (the big ones) walked. We took them in Crate & Barrel and Williams-Sonoma and nothing got broken, no one threw themselves on the ground, no one even cried. We got them pretzels and a frozen lemonade and I got myself a peppermint mocha (I have spent $19.32 at Starbucks so far this week, for those of you keeping track) and we walked around as a happy little big family. We even went in the Sony store and watched the 3-D TV that my husband is trying to convince me we need. We grabbed a pizza and a bottle of red wine on the way home and put the kids to bed and had a nice quiet little evening, basking in our parental accomplishment of taking all of our children out in public at the same time and no one getting hurt.

day four...

I thought I should provide proof that I did indeed get my bed made today. So there it is! While I was up there I also got 4 loads of laundry folded and put away and I put the finishing touches on my sitting room-turned dressing room. This room off of our master bedroom has been a number of things since we moved in, mostly because we weren't exactly sure what to do with it. It's been an office, a sitting room, and a make-shift nursery. Now, it is a dressing room and it might be my new favorite space in the house. My husband got me the parsons vanity table from West Elm for our anniversary last month and that kind of set the room in motion. We bought a big floor length mirror from IKEA for the corner for $99. The little black dresser I found at an antique store for $45. The two long shelves are from IKEA and the set of three small shelves are from Target. The upholstered chair I randomly stumbled upon at Pier 1, along with the fluffy floor pouf. The charcoal and teal floor cushions and the gray two tier table are from Urban Outfitters. The various hooks and jewelry holders around the room are from Anthropologie and Urban Outfitters.It was fun to decorate a space in the house that I didn't have to worry about being too girly. I think my favorite part is the floor cushions. I remember as a kid, always wanting to watch my mom put on her makeup and so I really wanted a place the kids could lay around and hang out while I got ready. I also love having all my jewelry out where I can see it. I think it's going to help inspire me not to leave the house in my yoga pants.

Here are some pictures:

day three...

My list-related accomplishments today are laughable. Instead, I chaperoned Ava's 1st grade field trip to the zoo. There's nothing like a day with six-year-olds to help you not take life or yourself too seriously. They skipped everywhere instead of walking. They screamed with joy when the school bus went over a speed bump. Their enthusiasm was contagious. Their biggest worry was whether or not they were going to have time to ride the carousel before it was time to get back on the bus. (Don't worry, they did!) I'm not giving up on my list or my pursuit to be a better, less-stressed, more organized mom, but it is nice to gain a little perspective and realize that sometimes it's the little things in life that are important. I don't need to beat myself up because I didn't make my bed or clean anything today. Will my daughter look back on today and think I really wish my mom had cleaned out the garage? No. Will she remember spending the day with me at the zoo? Maybe. Will I smile the next time I go over a speed bump? Absolutely!

day two

Perhaps I was a wee bit ambitious when I started my 30 day challenge. Maybe I should have started out by trying something simpler, like taking a multi-vitamin every day for the next thirty days. Or picked one thing on my list to tackle each day. Like one day, I'd try to get the bed made. The next day, maybe attempt the gym. So, lets get out of the way, the things that did not happen today. I did not make my bed. I did not go to the gym. I did not do any laundry. I did not clean out any attics or garages. But you know what? I had a good day! I cleaned out my office. I got to watch Gossip Girl during naptime. I drank 6 glasses of water. I was on time to pick up Ava from school. I got dinner on the table and we ate as a family. I read a book to the kids before bedtime. I voted. I got my first peppermint mocha of the season. Clothes are laid out and lunches are packed. I washed my face and I fit in a blog entry. I'm getting better!!!

day one..

Well, I will say this, it could have gone better. The morning started out very promising. I woke up and got dressed (not in workout clothes) and did my make-up in my almost-finished dressing room. I got everyone up and dressed and out the door and dropped off my daughter, Emerson only six minutes late for school. Everyone else was late too though, so it doesn't count. I headed to the Target, not for my usual coffee and meandering, but on a mission for construction paper and stickers for the Girl Scout meeting I had to run this afternoon. Once inside, I held strong and avoided the Starbucks. But then I got sucked in and bought 2 pairs of leggings for myself, 3 pairs of footie pajamas, 3 pairs of knee-highs, a nonstick loaf pan, and Christmas gift tags. When I got half way home, I realized I didn't buy enough construction paper and the nine dollars I spent in stickers never made it in the bag. Awesome! Now off to the Michael's, where I buy more stickers, more construction paper, a package of cardboard coasters, some Christmas ribbon, and a coffee mug that was only a dollar. I did manage to make a big pot of chili in the crockpot for dinner later and get all the stuff I needed for the Girl Scout meeting together and in the car. Except for the book I was supposed to read, which I had to turn around and run back for. I got to Ava's school to meet my husband only 12 minutes late. But he was also late, so that doesn't count either. The time I had carved out after the meeting to take the kids to the gym, was spent in the school parking lot waiting for jumper cables, because my car died. Again, awesome! We did make it home eventually . The kids ate their chili with minimal complaining, while I made some zucchini bread (in my new loaf pan!). We gave baths, read books, laid out clothes and packed lunches. I even got to wash my face and blog before bed. Bed! I forgot to make the bed!

a little fall DIY

One of the items on my rather ambitious November to-do list is to decorate my house for fall. So the other day, armed with a dozen pumpkins and gourds in various sizes, a few cans of spray paint, and some puffy paint, I attempted to recreate one of the many things I've seen and loved on Young House Love's blog. Below, is a pumpkin that I puffy painted dots on just by following the natural lines of the pumpkin and another that I puffy painted an 'S' on.




Next, I spray painted them white. I also spray painted a couple other smaller pumpkins in a yellowy orange color and a cool black cherry color. I made a runner for my console table out of burlap and wrapped some twine around a glass vase to add to the rustic, fall feel. Here's how it turned out:

girls night with woody & buzz

While I did not get very much (er...anything) crossed off my to-do list today, I did get to do something different with the girls tonight. I spent the evening with Ava and Emerson at Toy Story 3 on Ice, which is in Baltimore for the weekend. The girls loved it and I thought the adults around me all seemed to be enjoying themselves too. I did get suckered into buying not one, but two $10 snowcones because they were served in alien souvenir cups. But the looks on their faces watching the show were priceless and totally worth it!

detour

So, I'm gearing up to start my self-imposed 30 day challenge on Monday and instead of getting a few things knocked off my list early, I seem to be adding things to my list of what I need to get done during the month of November in order to come out the other side, a less-stressed, more-organized and together me. Last week I had sent back a pair of boots to Piperlime that I had ordered for Declan and had requested them in a bigger size. They call today and tell me that my adorable boots I had picked out for him in July are no longer available in the next size up and sorry about my bad luck! Here they are:

So cute, right? Well, now I have to find him new boots! I can go with Uggs, which are nice because they slip on and don't require socks (good for running out the door). On the down side, they're don't have the personality that the 1st pair had. They are also $90, as opposed to the first pair which were only $49! My other option is a pair of Clarks Wallabees, which are super cute and closer to the original pair (minus the orange laces!) and more reasonably priced at $50. They also come in sand suede. Hmmmm......

OR

my 30 day challenge

I know, I know.... I haven't blogged in a long time. I have an excuse. Actually I have four excuses ranging in ages from 2 1/2 months to 6 years. But, it's time! I really do like to blog. I enjoy it. I feel such a sense of accomplishment when I finish a post. But, alas...it is not at the top of my priority list. It hovers near the bottom with going to the gym. But all that is about to change. I feel as though I am in need of a total life makeover. I feel like I am always just a step behind. I am always late. I am always tired. My house is always a wreck. I am always searching for something. I always have a to-do list that takes up 3 pieces of paper (front and back). My bed is never made. Dinner is never thought of until 10 minutes before it is served. The laundry is never caught-up. My beauty routine in the morning rarely consists of more than brushing my teeth and putting in my contacts. I wear yoga pants but don't go to the gym. I have approximately five unfinished projects going on simultaneously in my house. I need to get it together. This is my life, it's time to figure out how to live it. I need some order, some organization, some balance. So I am challenging myself to try to get my life together in the next thirty days. Starting Monday. You can't start a new routine/life-changing regimen on a Thursday night. Everyone knows you have to start on a Monday or on the first of the month. Well, lucky for me the first of November is also a Monday. They say it only takes 21 days to form a habit. I consider myself extra stubborn, so I feel that I need an additional 9 days. So, hence my 30 day challenge. Here are a list of things I would like to accomplish during the month of November:
1. Finish transforming the sitting room attached to my master bedroom into my fabulous new dressing room
2. Decorate my house for fall/Thanksgiving
3. Plan/shop for/cook/enjoy Thanksgiving dinner
4. Clean out garage so I can once again park my car in it
5. Take everything out of the attic & organize/label/donate/etc.
6. Clean/organize my office
7. Back-up all photos onto an external hard-drive
8. Wash/dry/fold/put away all laundry in the house & then do a load every day to maintain
9. Make my bed every day
10. Go to the gym every day
11. Plan & shop for dinners a week in advance
12. Finish my Christmas shopping so the month of December can be filled with decorating, cookie baking, cheesy-Hallmark channel movies, and driving around looking for the tackiest light displays instead of last-minute, anxiety-induced trips to the mall
13. Read my book for book club plus one additional book
14. Write at least one blog entry every day
15. Read to my kids every night before bed
16. Wash my face every night before bed (hey... no judgement!)
17. Only leave the house in work-out clothes and no make-up if I'm headed to the gym
18. Fit back into my pre-pregnancy jeans (even the skinny ones)
19. Give myself a reasonable weekly budget and stick to it
20. Update passports
21. Schedule doctor appointments for the next 3 months
22. Write down all school activities, appointments, etc. in my planner and iPhone and chalkboard calendar
23. Spend less time on facebook and other time-sucking websites
24. Limit my weekly Starbucks expenditures to $20 (again...no judgement!)
25. Take kids for more brisk walks outside and less trips to the Target
26. Find more free things to do with the kids (i.e. story-time, apple-picking, crafts)
27. Take Finlay's 3 month picture on November 6th instead of days (ok, a week... and a half) later
28. Take a Christmas-card worthy picture of the kids
29. Pack kids' lunches and layout their clothes the night before
30. Drink more water

So that's my list. I could have probably kept going, but I figure 30 things in 30 days is ambitious enough. I will blog daily to update you all on my progress. Wish me luck!

mad about mad men

Even if I wasn't completely enthralled by the characters and storyline on Mad Men, I would watch it just for the genius set design. Its mid-century modern decor is as captivating to look at as Don Draper himself. It does for design what Gossip Girl does for fashion. Here are a few of my favorites:














The Creative Office at Sterling, Cooper, Draper, Pryce (season 4)

Betty's Living Room Renovation (season 3)

Roger Sterling's new office in the Time & Life Building

my fall shoe picks

Fall is my favorite time of year, with its crisp air, colorful foliage, smells of apples, nutmeg and cinnamon, back-to-school shopping, and of course the return of the pumpkin spice latte. I love curling up with the September issue of Vogue and making a mental wishlist of everything my closet is lacking for the upcoming season. I have already evaluated my shoe needs and have narrowed it down to 5 (relatively) reasonably-priced pairs for fall.

#1: Over-the-knee boots:

Eric Michael 'Vogue' Boot in Black - $249.95

#2: Distressed Motorcycle Boots

Jeffrey Campbell Brit Wrap Strap Booties in Brown- $230

#3: Stacked Platform Sandals

DV by Dolce Vita 'Jezabel' Sandal in Natural - $89.95

#4: Clogs

Marc by Marc Jacobs Ruffle Platform Clogs in Dark Grey Goat - $330

#5: Mens Oxfords

Seychelles 'Bismuth' Bootie in Olive Green - $119.95

Alexa Chung for Madewell

I heart Alexa Chung. She always looks effortlessly cool, making peter-pan collars and full skirts look fresh and stylish. Her new line for Madewell, J. Crew's hipper, edgier younger sister, comes out next month and will be a huge factor in motivating me to lose my baby weight. Here are a couple of the looks from Alexa Chung for Madewell:To view the entire line, check out elle.com.

Countdown...

This Sunday marks my 30th week of pregnancy. In my first pregnancy, this would have meant writing thank you notes for my baby shower gifts, washing everything I could get my hands on in Dreft, playing classical music through headphones stretched around my growing belly, packing my hospital bag, taking child-birthing and breast-feeding classes, installing the infant car seat in my car, and relaxing on the couch with my feet propped up on pillows while my husband ran to the 7-11 to get me root-beer and pints of Ben & Jerry's.

Oh, how things have changed in six short years! The remaining ten weeks of this pregnancy will be spent doing all of the things I should have been doing for the last seven months in addition to all the things I will be too busy to do right after the baby is born.

The biggest and most daunting of all of these projects is the completion of my basement so that I once again have a guest room (and bathroom) as well as significant more living space. And by living space, I mean space to throw all of the kids toys so I don't have to see (i.e. trip over) them on the main floor. So my husband has 10 weeks to turn the dusty, half-drywalled concrete-floored basement dripping with exposed wires into a functional living space, complete with walls, carpet, lights, and running water. Hmmm......

The addition of a fourth baby has also caused a little rearranging of room assignments. My girls are now sharing a room with bunk beds, which is going quite well considering their polar-opposite personalities. My son had to move into one of the girls' old rooms, so his room is bright pink except, of course, the large white patches of spackle adorning the walls. The baby's room is a temporary guest room, which until the basement is done, I can't even begin to decorate.

Not to mention, the fact that this baby is due right around the time that I need to be throwing my daughter a six-year-old birthday party and going shopping for back-to-school supplies.
So... this calls for some organization on my part. And thankfully after three pregnancies of zero nesting-instincts, I have so much motivation and crazy cleaning-sprees this time around I might actually get all of this done.

I just booked a paint-you-own pottery place for my daughter's birthday party, a full week before her birthday just in case this baby wants to make her debut a little early. I ordered invitations online that should be here any day. I have begun buying her gifts online and stashing them in my closet.

I have gone through all of her school uniform clothing and gotten rid of anything too small, stained or "accidentally" cut with her kid scissors. I have ordered replacement pieces as well as washed everything that will still work for next year. I have put everything in a large plastic bin along with her lunchbox and backpack. I am going to start buying the items on her school supply list now and putting those in the bin, to save myself a giant trip at the end of August when I'm nine months pregnant. I have bought my rolls of clear contact paper for her book covers now while they are abundant instead of waiting until August where they are so scarce, grown women are mowing each other down with their shopping carts just to get their hands on some.

So, I am not able to prop my feet up every night and read baby books and play Vivaldi to my baby in utero. So I don't have a nursery put together and I'm not even sure where in the garage the infant car seat is. So I don't have a bag packed for the hospital or even a name picked out. I have ten weeks! And in crazy pregnant-women warp zone time, that's an eternity! I'll get to it all! Two weeks ago, I stayed up until 2 a.m., organizing my closet. And last week, I taught myself to knit in a half hour watching youtube videos. I can do anything! Well, besides tying my shoes or walking up a flight of stairs without getting winded. Or shaving my bikini line without the help of several strategically-placed mirrors. Or sleeping through the night without peeing eight times. But other than that, I can do anything! There's nothing like a pregnant woman on a mission!

Kindle: friend or foe?

I have loved reading since before I can remember. Some of my greatest childhood memories consist of hours spent at the public library, the agonizing decision on which books would make it into my little tote bag. I would read in the car, in my bedroom, outside in a tree. I even turned my closet into a reading nook when I was eight. I took everything out of it, put in a desk lamp and lined it with a sleeping bag, and spent hours and hours reading in there. I was the kid who took a flashlight to bed and read under the covers, until my mom busted me and made me go to sleep.
My love of books has continued well into my adulthood. My favorite place in the world is a bookstore. There's something exhilarating about it. The best book you've ever read, the book that changes who you are or how you look at the world could be just waiting for you to stumble upon. I could sit for days in a bookstore, in one of those cushy armchairs with a coffee in hand and read until my hearts content.
So naturally, the invention of the wireless reading device (i.e. Kindle, nook, Reader) has never resonated with me. I mean, don't get me wrong, I get the concept. I get that having a little device I could keep in my purse with 1500 books at my disposal sounds like a good idea. It's convenient. And as a mom of almost 4 kids, I am all about convenience. But there is just something about it that makes me feel dirty. Like I'm cheating on books, real books, with paper pages that get musty with age or crinkled after a day at the beach. I can see how downloading a book in a matter of minutes is so much easier (and cheaper) than going to the bookstore. But that thought just makes me sad. I wonder how all of these great authors, that sat by candlelight with a pen in hand and jotted down what would turn into some of the greatest literary works, would feel about me downloading their masterpiece to my Kindle. Is that the way The Great Gatsby or Anna Karenina was meant to be read?
So, I am resisting technology. I am going to stand my ground. I believe that the electronic reading device is a fad, one that we will look back on in a few years and laugh about. I believe that books will come back into style. Everything truly great does, right?

Picky Sticky

Since almost everyone I know is either pregnant or has just had a baby, I've been on the lookout lately for cute baby gifts. I received this one recently, and thought that it was a really fun idea. Picky Sticky makes cute number stickers that you can stick on the front of a plain onesie in order to take monthly milestone pictures of your new baby. They have a bunch of different styles and they are only $14.99 for 13 stickers (0-12 months). Pair with a couple packages of onesies in various sizes and you have a really easy shower gift!