So, I made the mistake of showing my oldest son the Zhu Zhu Pets commercial on their website. (I was trying to figure out things to put on his holiday list and was QUITE unaware of the pandemonium these little furry creatures are causing across the US this holiday season.) This has lead to ridiculous levels of frustration on my part, since they are NO WHERE to be found, except for eBay and Craigslist, at outrageous prices, may I add.
I have become a stalker of the toy sections at our local Walmarts and Targets... also calling on a daily basis to see if they received any Zhu Zhu pets in their daily shipment. It's really annoying when the sales associate laughs and says, "Not today... you do know they are the hottest toy this season? We only get 8 total items in when we do get them, and you are only allowed to get 2 items per customer." So, not only are these hard to find, but you are limited when you DO luck out and find them. I have been fortunate enough to find the slide, ball, and hamster play house... no Zhu Zhu pets as of yet - just the homes for them.
I am beyond annoyed at the fact that there are over 7,000 listing on eBay for the Zhu Zhu pets. These people somehow managed to get a complete set (or a piece here and there) and are capitalizing on the fact that the manufacturer can't/won't crank out enough of these little hamsters in time for Christmas. I just can't bring myself to spend $100+ more on something that only costs around$150 in the first place. Oh, how I hope that the toy gods start mass producing these in time for the holidays so that all the people out there who purchased these with the hope that they run away with a fat profit end up with, well, nothing to show other than being $150 in the hole and a complete set of Zhu Zhu pets under the Christmas tree. It infuriates me that there are people out there with little kids who REALLY want these toys for Christmas and won't be able to get them b/c of them being gobbled up by people who are just going to sell them on eBay or Craigslist. sigh
Well, at least everything else on the list is readily available! So, hopefully everyday when my son asks me if Santa is going to make any more Zhu Zhu pers for Christmas, someone somewhere will hear his little plea!!
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
Monday, July 6, 2009
Pet peeves... and stuff
OMG, so i was out driving... minding my own business, when I see a car pulling out of a gas station, trying to cross the 2 lanes of traffic going the opposite direction to come into my lane... not even looking my way. Normally, I do try to be kind to my fellow drivers, but I have NO tolerance for stupidity. If you don't even look my direction and would hit me unless I slow down or stop, I am NOT happy. So, I used the device that my husband despises (my horn!), because if they kept going, they were going to dent in my driver's side door. What do they do... give ME the finger. Wait a flippin' minute here. They gave ME the finger because they weren't looking and almost hit me. Seriously. Well, to help my blood pressure return to something out of possible stroke range, I did some yoga breathing while I laid on the horn through the next intersection (oh, yeah, I forgot the best part, they gave me the finger, and they kept driving, forcing me to slam on my brakes!!). Sigh... one of these days I may see how "all terrain" my rather large SUV is and try it on the good people who invoke this road rage in me (joke, of course!!)...
From that delightful experience, I went to the grocery store for one of the 3-4 weekly trips... let me say that there was a reason in my single days that I went to the grocery store at night when no one was there... people seriously don't understand grocery store etiquette. You walk and drive your cart as if you are driving a car (ok, so maybe this is the problem, since this is assuming they know how to properly drive a car, which an awfully high percentage of folks in the area I moved DO NOT KNOW HOW TO DRIVE!!)... drive on the right, pass on the left. Don't park your cart sideways in the middle of the aisle or walk in the middle of the aisle... don't stop and chat it up with your neighbors/friends/colleagues and park your cart right next to them (making it 1000% impossible to get through an aisle) and then act like I am the one with the problem when I say "excuse me".... and to the cashiers... seriously, I KNOW it is not a glamorous job, but it pays the bills... not sure why quite a few of them don't smile, don't say hi, and sure as heck don't say thank you... and act as if they are doing you some great huge favor by ringing up your groceries... sigh. Sometimes I miss my little hometown immensely - everyone there may have been a bit honky-tonk'ish, but at least they were nice and didn't have a chip on their shoulder.
From that delightful experience, I went to the grocery store for one of the 3-4 weekly trips... let me say that there was a reason in my single days that I went to the grocery store at night when no one was there... people seriously don't understand grocery store etiquette. You walk and drive your cart as if you are driving a car (ok, so maybe this is the problem, since this is assuming they know how to properly drive a car, which an awfully high percentage of folks in the area I moved DO NOT KNOW HOW TO DRIVE!!)... drive on the right, pass on the left. Don't park your cart sideways in the middle of the aisle or walk in the middle of the aisle... don't stop and chat it up with your neighbors/friends/colleagues and park your cart right next to them (making it 1000% impossible to get through an aisle) and then act like I am the one with the problem when I say "excuse me".... and to the cashiers... seriously, I KNOW it is not a glamorous job, but it pays the bills... not sure why quite a few of them don't smile, don't say hi, and sure as heck don't say thank you... and act as if they are doing you some great huge favor by ringing up your groceries... sigh. Sometimes I miss my little hometown immensely - everyone there may have been a bit honky-tonk'ish, but at least they were nice and didn't have a chip on their shoulder.
Monday, June 29, 2009
Goals...
Looking at my post-baby body in the mirror is a bit of a shock... cellulite (seriously, at 5'9'', 130 lb, I have cellulite????), muffin top - ok, so maybe even more than muffin top, more like total spare tire around the mid section, saddle bags... argh. I thought, ok, all I have to do is lose the baby weight, and I will at least resemble my former self. And since I just won't be happy with myself and love myself until I get into shape, I am going to write my goals down here... for all the world to see, if anyone so chooses (not likely, but since the possiblity is there, I will NOT fail).
1) Be able to run (outside, not on a treadmill, elliptical, etc) outside for 5 miles without stopping. This may not seem like much, but I am NOT a runner. In fact, I always finished last all throughout high school when we had to run .5 and 1 mile stints for the Presidential Fitness stuff. Unfortunately, our gym teachers only ever made us "run" (i.e, as long as we were not walking, we could skip, hop, jog lightly - I kid you not) for only 3-5 minutes at the beginning of every class. They never made us build up to the mile. I don't know how on earth that was ever supposed to prepare me for anything but failure. Anyhow, I AM going to be able to run - not just a mile - 5 miles - no excuses.
2) Decrease my body fat by 50% - no clue where I am now, but man oh mighty do I have a lot of belly fat going on now. Partillay, I do think that the diet higher in fat (b/c I am still breastfeeding) is to blame. Time to step it up and work at this from not only a work-out perspective but also a diet perspective. I WILL become healthy (I will NOT eat junk food. I will NOT stop at the ice cream shop 3-4 x's per week. I will NOT choose juice and the added calories when I am just as satisfied with water. I WILL incorporate 1-2 vegetarian meals into our meal plan every week - healthy vegetarian meals with GOOD fats and balance. I am not talking just spaghetti and marinara sauce here... I WILL eat at least 20% of my food raw - raw veggies, raw fruits, raw nuts... I WILL buy more organic meats (we are only there with select cuts of beef and turkey)... I WILL do all of this not only for MYSELF - which is so important, since as a mom, I do everything for everyone else... but I will also do this for my family. To make sure that I give my children a head start on a healthy path and way of life - so they are not a statistic (Once I heard that their generation will not live as long as my generation, I know that I need to help them NOW)... I WILL do this because I deserve to be healthy - my family deserves to be healthy. I have a choice every time I go to put something in my mouth... and I WILL make the right choices from this point forward.
3) To help me achive a decreased overall body fat composition, I WILL work-out at least 5 days per week. I WILL order Shaun T's new program and I WILL complete it and reap as many of the benefits as possible in the 60 days. I CAN commit to 60 days... 2 months... only a fraction of a year... to getting myself in the best shape that I can be. I WILL use ChaLean Extreme while I await the release of "Insanity", and I WILL not be a wimp during the work-outs. I WILL push myself... why?? Beacuse I am worth it... I can do this... I WILL NOT FAIL!
By this time next year, I WILL be able to put on a bikini and feel 100% comfortable in it. I WILL be healthy. I WILL be strong. I WILL be a role model for my children. I will be a better mom, better wife, better person... because I will be able to look in the mirror and feel confident and like the person who is staring back at me. I will NOT need anyone else's approval about how I look. I will KNOW deep down that I look healthy... I look fit... I look amazing...because I will not treat my body with disrespect any longer. I will only use food for energy and not for any sort of emotional solace. I will feel good enough about myself to not need this solace.
1) Be able to run (outside, not on a treadmill, elliptical, etc) outside for 5 miles without stopping. This may not seem like much, but I am NOT a runner. In fact, I always finished last all throughout high school when we had to run .5 and 1 mile stints for the Presidential Fitness stuff. Unfortunately, our gym teachers only ever made us "run" (i.e, as long as we were not walking, we could skip, hop, jog lightly - I kid you not) for only 3-5 minutes at the beginning of every class. They never made us build up to the mile. I don't know how on earth that was ever supposed to prepare me for anything but failure. Anyhow, I AM going to be able to run - not just a mile - 5 miles - no excuses.
2) Decrease my body fat by 50% - no clue where I am now, but man oh mighty do I have a lot of belly fat going on now. Partillay, I do think that the diet higher in fat (b/c I am still breastfeeding) is to blame. Time to step it up and work at this from not only a work-out perspective but also a diet perspective. I WILL become healthy (I will NOT eat junk food. I will NOT stop at the ice cream shop 3-4 x's per week. I will NOT choose juice and the added calories when I am just as satisfied with water. I WILL incorporate 1-2 vegetarian meals into our meal plan every week - healthy vegetarian meals with GOOD fats and balance. I am not talking just spaghetti and marinara sauce here... I WILL eat at least 20% of my food raw - raw veggies, raw fruits, raw nuts... I WILL buy more organic meats (we are only there with select cuts of beef and turkey)... I WILL do all of this not only for MYSELF - which is so important, since as a mom, I do everything for everyone else... but I will also do this for my family. To make sure that I give my children a head start on a healthy path and way of life - so they are not a statistic (Once I heard that their generation will not live as long as my generation, I know that I need to help them NOW)... I WILL do this because I deserve to be healthy - my family deserves to be healthy. I have a choice every time I go to put something in my mouth... and I WILL make the right choices from this point forward.
3) To help me achive a decreased overall body fat composition, I WILL work-out at least 5 days per week. I WILL order Shaun T's new program and I WILL complete it and reap as many of the benefits as possible in the 60 days. I CAN commit to 60 days... 2 months... only a fraction of a year... to getting myself in the best shape that I can be. I WILL use ChaLean Extreme while I await the release of "Insanity", and I WILL not be a wimp during the work-outs. I WILL push myself... why?? Beacuse I am worth it... I can do this... I WILL NOT FAIL!
By this time next year, I WILL be able to put on a bikini and feel 100% comfortable in it. I WILL be healthy. I WILL be strong. I WILL be a role model for my children. I will be a better mom, better wife, better person... because I will be able to look in the mirror and feel confident and like the person who is staring back at me. I will NOT need anyone else's approval about how I look. I will KNOW deep down that I look healthy... I look fit... I look amazing...because I will not treat my body with disrespect any longer. I will only use food for energy and not for any sort of emotional solace. I will feel good enough about myself to not need this solace.
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
Hide and Seek...
So, today I have definitely am off to a fresh start on winning Mother of the Year... I managed to lose my 19 month old (in my own house). How, you may wonder... read on...
The sitter had just left our house (an important tidbit, although I am not placing blame - she's not the one who lost my kid!), and I noticed that the back door was open (not the screen door, just the main door that would DING if someone tried to escape from the house). Since I was going to take the kiddos right back outside, I didn't perform my usual OTT ritual of going around, shutting all doors and windows that managed to open while the sitter was at the housw.
I was in the front living room, helping my oldest find his Crocs. Honestly, we were in the other room for a minute, MAX... I realized about 10 seconds earlier that I didn't hear my youngest. So, I walk around the one side of the house into the kitchen. Nothing... my oldest ran around the other side to meet me in the kitchen... I am rippinng through his favorite "hiding" spots... under the massive stuffed animal pile, behind the recliner, in the cupboards, in the pantry, behind the door in the bathroom - NOTHING.... I am starting to sweat at this point. I mean, did he just disappear? I couldn't call the police... what do I tell them... Um, I lost my child. He should be in the house, but I can't find him. No way..
So, I make my second run through of the first floor of our house, making sure that the door leading to the finished basement is deadbolted, as it should be. Again, I look in any spot small enough to hide a 19 month old. NOTHING! Seriously, I was beginning to wonder if I have been hallucinating this whole time... did I imagine my son for the past 19 months? Did someone come into the house and take him while I was 10 feet away? In a mad frenzy, I run outside, screaming at the top of my lungs - running to the sandbox, his Little Tikes house... around to see if he was playing in the front landscaping - NOTHING. I run back around the house - looking in the bushes that line our property... in the meantime, my 3 year old just stood there, looking at me as if I am a complete nut job. "It o-tay momma, brother is just hiding"... um hmmm... never was great at games, but come one, there's only so many places that a 19 month old can hide, even if he was a total contortionist...
So, I phone the neighbor... I couldn't call my husband, since he is 2000 miles across the country on a week long business trip... my parents live more than 30 minutes away... time was of the essense and about 3 gruesome minutes had already transpired since I lost my son...she runs up the street, her own children in tow... takes my 3 year old so that I look AGAIN w/o my 3 year old asking me questions and getting in the way of my panicked search. I comb the downstairs floor of our house AGAIN - he is nowhere... (the baby gates at the top and bottom of both staircases were locked, as they always were, so I knew he wasn't upstairs unless he learned how to fly - highly unlikely :))...
As I am heading around the corner to grab the phone to call the police (I had no choice at this point)... I see a tiny hand under the door leading to the basement. It wasn't moving - OMG, it's my son!! But, his little fingers look lifeless... why isn't he moving??? Why isn't he crying or laughing or making some noise (and why hasn't he made any noise for the past 4 minutes???) ... I unlock the door, and there he sat, in the dark, at the top of the stairs leading into our basement. Seriously...
How in the *&^( did he get behind a locked door, you may ask... well, let's ask the 3 year old brother... "I unlocked the door, and brother sat down... so I locked the door behind him"... WHAT???? The sad part is that I know that the door was locked at the top of the stairs when the sitter left (part of my OCD'ness or just being a mom, not sure which!), so me thinks that the story is not contrived, but rather quite true. The deadbolt is WAY too high for the 19 month old to reach, and well, the probably thought this was the BEST game of hide and seek ever, since momma just couldn't find the baby...
Great - I will be gray before I am 31, and that is only a few weeks away!
The sitter had just left our house (an important tidbit, although I am not placing blame - she's not the one who lost my kid!), and I noticed that the back door was open (not the screen door, just the main door that would DING if someone tried to escape from the house). Since I was going to take the kiddos right back outside, I didn't perform my usual OTT ritual of going around, shutting all doors and windows that managed to open while the sitter was at the housw.
I was in the front living room, helping my oldest find his Crocs. Honestly, we were in the other room for a minute, MAX... I realized about 10 seconds earlier that I didn't hear my youngest. So, I walk around the one side of the house into the kitchen. Nothing... my oldest ran around the other side to meet me in the kitchen... I am rippinng through his favorite "hiding" spots... under the massive stuffed animal pile, behind the recliner, in the cupboards, in the pantry, behind the door in the bathroom - NOTHING.... I am starting to sweat at this point. I mean, did he just disappear? I couldn't call the police... what do I tell them... Um, I lost my child. He should be in the house, but I can't find him. No way..
So, I make my second run through of the first floor of our house, making sure that the door leading to the finished basement is deadbolted, as it should be. Again, I look in any spot small enough to hide a 19 month old. NOTHING! Seriously, I was beginning to wonder if I have been hallucinating this whole time... did I imagine my son for the past 19 months? Did someone come into the house and take him while I was 10 feet away? In a mad frenzy, I run outside, screaming at the top of my lungs - running to the sandbox, his Little Tikes house... around to see if he was playing in the front landscaping - NOTHING. I run back around the house - looking in the bushes that line our property... in the meantime, my 3 year old just stood there, looking at me as if I am a complete nut job. "It o-tay momma, brother is just hiding"... um hmmm... never was great at games, but come one, there's only so many places that a 19 month old can hide, even if he was a total contortionist...
So, I phone the neighbor... I couldn't call my husband, since he is 2000 miles across the country on a week long business trip... my parents live more than 30 minutes away... time was of the essense and about 3 gruesome minutes had already transpired since I lost my son...she runs up the street, her own children in tow... takes my 3 year old so that I look AGAIN w/o my 3 year old asking me questions and getting in the way of my panicked search. I comb the downstairs floor of our house AGAIN - he is nowhere... (the baby gates at the top and bottom of both staircases were locked, as they always were, so I knew he wasn't upstairs unless he learned how to fly - highly unlikely :))...
As I am heading around the corner to grab the phone to call the police (I had no choice at this point)... I see a tiny hand under the door leading to the basement. It wasn't moving - OMG, it's my son!! But, his little fingers look lifeless... why isn't he moving??? Why isn't he crying or laughing or making some noise (and why hasn't he made any noise for the past 4 minutes???) ... I unlock the door, and there he sat, in the dark, at the top of the stairs leading into our basement. Seriously...
How in the *&^( did he get behind a locked door, you may ask... well, let's ask the 3 year old brother... "I unlocked the door, and brother sat down... so I locked the door behind him"... WHAT???? The sad part is that I know that the door was locked at the top of the stairs when the sitter left (part of my OCD'ness or just being a mom, not sure which!), so me thinks that the story is not contrived, but rather quite true. The deadbolt is WAY too high for the 19 month old to reach, and well, the probably thought this was the BEST game of hide and seek ever, since momma just couldn't find the baby...
Great - I will be gray before I am 31, and that is only a few weeks away!
Monday, June 22, 2009
Addicted to Infomercial Work-Outs
Ever since I was a teenager, I loved sitting down on the weekend and tuning in to infomercials - not the ones about a shammie that can hold 2 tons of water or the plug-in thing that can rid your home of roaches... but good ole work-out infomercials. I am a junkie for the before and after pictures. I think I may have started with Tae-Bo and my obsession with Billy Blanks (until I torn my meniscus from kickboxing) and it continues through today... sitting here, waiting for the magical email from BeachBody touting that Shaun T's new work-out "Insanity" is available.
With kids, popping in a DVD is SO much easier than packing a bag for the gym, hopping in the car, driving to the gym, trying to find a spot in one of the "popular" classes like Zumba or spinning, doing whatever else at the gym before getting back in the car to drive home to 2 demanding little creatures who missed me the 1 1/2 - 2 hours I was gone (then I have to factor in the cost of the sitter for that time). I have totally jumped ship on the idea that my children will ever stay in the day care that is provided by our gym free of charge (that would be way too easy)... the mere thought of hearing my name over the loud speaker and having to leave my coveted spot in the spin class was too much to bare. It didn't help that the other people in the class have to watch me do the walk of [parental] shame to go and gather my little monkeys. At the beginning, I would actually convince myself that it was a fluke and the kids would be okay in the childcare for just an hour while I worked-out... so we would brave the gym again... I would not have to endure comments from other people in the class saying "Trying it again, huh?" or "How long do you think they will last today?" but I had to sit there praying silently that the kids would be okay instead of concentrating on my spinning. Just when I would get a little comfy, thinking they DID IT - I WILL be able to work out and use the free child care that comes with the membership - then, the loud speaker would crackle "Would the parent of "X" please come to the child care center immediately?"... my nerves just cannot take that kind of abuse.
So, my addiction with infomercial exercise programs continues. DVD's can be done during nap times (not that my kids nap) or at least when the kids are doing an art project, playing with Playdough, eating their snack - something that can buy me some time to get the workout started before their little attention span starts to wander. Most times they end up abanding said project/activity to come and jump around in the living room with the Turbo Jam, Hip Hop Abs, Zumba DVD. Can I fully concentrate on my workout with 2 little 3 ft humans running under my legs as I attempt to do round house kicks, avoiding their moving targets? Nope, but it is better than the alternative of the dreaded gym...
So, I sit here, waiting for Shaun T's Insanity to help re-juvenate my work-out routine (downside of DVDs - they can become boring, even when you have YBB (gotta love the squishy ball), Turbo Jam, PiYo, Winsor Pilates, ChaLean Extreme, a few of Jillian Michael's workouts, various yoga work-outs, the Fluidity bar work-outs, Core Secrets library... and a few other random ones.)... good news, at least the ads when I do the Google search are telling me the price now...
With kids, popping in a DVD is SO much easier than packing a bag for the gym, hopping in the car, driving to the gym, trying to find a spot in one of the "popular" classes like Zumba or spinning, doing whatever else at the gym before getting back in the car to drive home to 2 demanding little creatures who missed me the 1 1/2 - 2 hours I was gone (then I have to factor in the cost of the sitter for that time). I have totally jumped ship on the idea that my children will ever stay in the day care that is provided by our gym free of charge (that would be way too easy)... the mere thought of hearing my name over the loud speaker and having to leave my coveted spot in the spin class was too much to bare. It didn't help that the other people in the class have to watch me do the walk of [parental] shame to go and gather my little monkeys. At the beginning, I would actually convince myself that it was a fluke and the kids would be okay in the childcare for just an hour while I worked-out... so we would brave the gym again... I would not have to endure comments from other people in the class saying "Trying it again, huh?" or "How long do you think they will last today?" but I had to sit there praying silently that the kids would be okay instead of concentrating on my spinning. Just when I would get a little comfy, thinking they DID IT - I WILL be able to work out and use the free child care that comes with the membership - then, the loud speaker would crackle "Would the parent of "X" please come to the child care center immediately?"... my nerves just cannot take that kind of abuse.
So, my addiction with infomercial exercise programs continues. DVD's can be done during nap times (not that my kids nap) or at least when the kids are doing an art project, playing with Playdough, eating their snack - something that can buy me some time to get the workout started before their little attention span starts to wander. Most times they end up abanding said project/activity to come and jump around in the living room with the Turbo Jam, Hip Hop Abs, Zumba DVD. Can I fully concentrate on my workout with 2 little 3 ft humans running under my legs as I attempt to do round house kicks, avoiding their moving targets? Nope, but it is better than the alternative of the dreaded gym...
So, I sit here, waiting for Shaun T's Insanity to help re-juvenate my work-out routine (downside of DVDs - they can become boring, even when you have YBB (gotta love the squishy ball), Turbo Jam, PiYo, Winsor Pilates, ChaLean Extreme, a few of Jillian Michael's workouts, various yoga work-outs, the Fluidity bar work-outs, Core Secrets library... and a few other random ones.)... good news, at least the ads when I do the Google search are telling me the price now...
Getting closer to the release date - yippee!!!!!
Saturday, June 20, 2009
The uniform for a surburban mom
Speaking of What Not to Wear and fashion emergencies... I am having a fashion crisis of my own... dealing with life after babies...
Everyone use to say that I was fashionable. If I had to answer those questions in Seventeen magazine (or Cosmo, Glamour, etc as I got older)... that asked about how fashion savvy I was, I would always check the one that said that YES, I AM A FASHION GODDESS!!! I am not sure where the fashion train got de-railed, but... it is certainly off track right now.
It's funny, I looks around at the normal suburban mom uniform. Note: I do NOT live in some chic suburb of a major metropolitan area. So, people are not quite so fashion forward in my neck of the woods... but I see an awful lot of Juicy couture (or knock-off) velour sweatsuits and Gap issued yoga attire. Mind you, I do think that these items do look cute on and have a time and place - but not stuff that I want to wear EVERY DAY. Face it, unless you do not have the slightest bit of 'muffin top', the Juicy bottoms just do NOT look good. And, unless I am headed to or from the gym, I don't normally wear my gym clothes out and about.
Dressing used to be so easy... for work, I had my cute, fashionable suits and business casual wear. Pair my outfit with a rockin' pair of stillettos, and even in my early and mid 20's, I felt that I could own any board meeting that I walked into. Now, the same stilettos invoke a fear of sorts... the wear TOTALLY taboo during my pregnancies, since I am not the most graceful human that ever walked the planet (not that I ever fell in my 4 inch heels,but something with the shifting of my center of gravity and the snow and ice in the NE did NOT make me even want to attempt to put on a pair of boots or shoes with even a minimum heel). In the months post-partum, I dare not wear heels, because my body was trying to adjust to the weight loss (losing and gaining the 60 baby pounds made me feel 'clunky') and carrying around the precious bundle. Since I was concentrating on keeping the wee one safe, I wasn't looking for pot holes in the road and sidewalk, and I just felt that risking everyone's safety for the sake of looking good wasn't worth it.
Going out on the weekends pre-baby was pretty easy too. I would always go and buy a new outfit for whatever event I was headed to (even if it was to just go and check out a new club that opened with a new guy). I never really gave what I wore much thought, since getting dressed was fun for me.
Not so much nowadays... where I have to worry about whether or not something is dry clean (or even worse - hand wash) only... within 5 minutes of having a piece of clothing on my body, it is normally covered in snot, juice, banana, you name it - whatever is on the hands of my little ones ends up all over me, no matter how careful I am. Between that and steering clear of certain colors (too dark means that everything shows up and, well, so it goes with clothing on the other end of the spectrum)... what do I wear??? I want to look cute, not frumpy... sexy, but not OTT, Milf'ish... young (I AM only 30)... yet, I feel like I can't find clothes that fit the bill anymore... they are either too conservative (i.e. make me look like my mother's age) or too teenie-bopperish. Where are the middle of the road clothes that fit into a normal person's budget (ok, so I DO see things online, but I am NOT spending $300 a pop on a shirt!).
Sigh - well, time to get the day started, which means digging through mismatched articles of clothing to pull together an outfit that doesn't make me look too frumpy - at least my kids are too young to be embarassed by their mom, so I have some time to get this figured out :).
Everyone use to say that I was fashionable. If I had to answer those questions in Seventeen magazine (or Cosmo, Glamour, etc as I got older)... that asked about how fashion savvy I was, I would always check the one that said that YES, I AM A FASHION GODDESS!!! I am not sure where the fashion train got de-railed, but... it is certainly off track right now.
It's funny, I looks around at the normal suburban mom uniform. Note: I do NOT live in some chic suburb of a major metropolitan area. So, people are not quite so fashion forward in my neck of the woods... but I see an awful lot of Juicy couture (or knock-off) velour sweatsuits and Gap issued yoga attire. Mind you, I do think that these items do look cute on and have a time and place - but not stuff that I want to wear EVERY DAY. Face it, unless you do not have the slightest bit of 'muffin top', the Juicy bottoms just do NOT look good. And, unless I am headed to or from the gym, I don't normally wear my gym clothes out and about.
Dressing used to be so easy... for work, I had my cute, fashionable suits and business casual wear. Pair my outfit with a rockin' pair of stillettos, and even in my early and mid 20's, I felt that I could own any board meeting that I walked into. Now, the same stilettos invoke a fear of sorts... the wear TOTALLY taboo during my pregnancies, since I am not the most graceful human that ever walked the planet (not that I ever fell in my 4 inch heels,but something with the shifting of my center of gravity and the snow and ice in the NE did NOT make me even want to attempt to put on a pair of boots or shoes with even a minimum heel). In the months post-partum, I dare not wear heels, because my body was trying to adjust to the weight loss (losing and gaining the 60 baby pounds made me feel 'clunky') and carrying around the precious bundle. Since I was concentrating on keeping the wee one safe, I wasn't looking for pot holes in the road and sidewalk, and I just felt that risking everyone's safety for the sake of looking good wasn't worth it.
Going out on the weekends pre-baby was pretty easy too. I would always go and buy a new outfit for whatever event I was headed to (even if it was to just go and check out a new club that opened with a new guy). I never really gave what I wore much thought, since getting dressed was fun for me.
Not so much nowadays... where I have to worry about whether or not something is dry clean (or even worse - hand wash) only... within 5 minutes of having a piece of clothing on my body, it is normally covered in snot, juice, banana, you name it - whatever is on the hands of my little ones ends up all over me, no matter how careful I am. Between that and steering clear of certain colors (too dark means that everything shows up and, well, so it goes with clothing on the other end of the spectrum)... what do I wear??? I want to look cute, not frumpy... sexy, but not OTT, Milf'ish... young (I AM only 30)... yet, I feel like I can't find clothes that fit the bill anymore... they are either too conservative (i.e. make me look like my mother's age) or too teenie-bopperish. Where are the middle of the road clothes that fit into a normal person's budget (ok, so I DO see things online, but I am NOT spending $300 a pop on a shirt!).
Sigh - well, time to get the day started, which means digging through mismatched articles of clothing to pull together an outfit that doesn't make me look too frumpy - at least my kids are too young to be embarassed by their mom, so I have some time to get this figured out :).
Friday, June 19, 2009
Reminiscing....
As I was driving home today, I heard a throw back to my college days - Hypnotize by the Notorious B.I.G.... I took a look at myself in the rear-view mirror and all I could do was laugh. I had a flash back to sitting at my best friend's house, mixing Bath & Body Works lotion with glitter (hey, I was a poor college kid who didn't want to spent the $$ on shimmer lotions - not sure if they even existed then!) to rub all over our exposed midriffs and arms. I also remember putting it along the inner V/tear duct of my eye - now, that may not have been the smartest thing that I have ever done - but, darn it if it didn't look amazing! All the prep work to get ready to go clubbin' and just let our hair down after a tough week of nose-to-the-books classes. My close knit group of friends certainly studied hard (I graduated with a 3.98), but we definitely partied it up on the weekends!!
Anyhow, it amazed me that as I allowed myself to be transported back to such a carefree time of my life to look at where I am today. I honestly would have thought someone was on some serious hallucinogenic substances if they told me that I would be driving a full-size SUV and operating as a full-time SAHM of 2 little ones. I never wanted kids... well, at least they were such a distant thought on the horizon when I was 19 that I never gave them much thought... I just guess I thought I would have a child/children at some point once I was settled in my career and had a lot of selfish me time to go travelling and finding who I am and want to be.
So, when I looked in the rear view mirror and saw a 30something version of myself staring back at me I was just amazing at how much I have changed... but a part of me definitely missed looking forward to Friday and Saturday nights getting all glammed up to go clubbing and dance away all of the stress of the week... just allow myself to be transported to another place by the music - the rush of the adrenaline from hours and hours of dancing on a crowded dance floor, no one really minding that everyone was in each other's personal space... drenched by the end of the evening with sweat...
My plans tonight (Friday, for the record book)... TIVO'ing What Not to Wear, JIC I fall asleep before it's over - it is on in the 9-10 time slot after all :)... wondering if I should nominate myelf for a mommy make-over of sorts. After all, there HAS to be more to life than Juicy sweatsuits and Gap issued yoga pants...
Anyhow, it amazed me that as I allowed myself to be transported back to such a carefree time of my life to look at where I am today. I honestly would have thought someone was on some serious hallucinogenic substances if they told me that I would be driving a full-size SUV and operating as a full-time SAHM of 2 little ones. I never wanted kids... well, at least they were such a distant thought on the horizon when I was 19 that I never gave them much thought... I just guess I thought I would have a child/children at some point once I was settled in my career and had a lot of selfish me time to go travelling and finding who I am and want to be.
So, when I looked in the rear view mirror and saw a 30something version of myself staring back at me I was just amazing at how much I have changed... but a part of me definitely missed looking forward to Friday and Saturday nights getting all glammed up to go clubbing and dance away all of the stress of the week... just allow myself to be transported to another place by the music - the rush of the adrenaline from hours and hours of dancing on a crowded dance floor, no one really minding that everyone was in each other's personal space... drenched by the end of the evening with sweat...
My plans tonight (Friday, for the record book)... TIVO'ing What Not to Wear, JIC I fall asleep before it's over - it is on in the 9-10 time slot after all :)... wondering if I should nominate myelf for a mommy make-over of sorts. After all, there HAS to be more to life than Juicy sweatsuits and Gap issued yoga pants...
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)