Posts
Mmmm...salty...
In the last few days I have discovered a brand new addiction:
Starbucks.
Okay, okay, so it's not a new addiction of mine. But the drink I'm addicted to IS new. The Salted Caramel Signature Hot Chocolate.
Oh. My. God.
It is soooo good! My research tells me that this hot chocolate with caramel isn't just sprinkled with sea salt, it's actually "blend of french sea salt and hawaiian cane sugar." All I know is that it's a little bit of heaven.
The richness of the hot chocolate, while not as rich as Starbucks very-bad-for-you-but-so-fucking-delicious Drinking Chocolate, is sweet on the tongue but followed up briefly with a twinge of salty, the perfect combination! And, if you're lucky, you might get a little salt crystal or two through your straw for an extra salty treat.
I love this drink and McDonald's can suck it if they even think their coffee is half as good as the 'Bucks!
Song title: Sgt. Bean by Melinda Schneider
Sgt. Bean
I Saw A Man And He Danced With His Wife
A little belated, but super duper Congratulations goes out Brain Twin, who got married this weekend!
Crazy beautiful, right?
If you want to follow her journey as a married lady, check out her blog: YuMarried.
Bamber, please note that I purposefully am holding back on posting the photo of your beau picking his nose right in front of the camera. However, I will hold it as blackmail against him if the occassion arises. LOL!
Song title: I Saw A Man And He Danced With His Wife by Cher
Living In A Fantasy
Per our normal routine, after Baby Bee's breakfast, we sat down for Sesame Street. Now Sesame Street just started a new season. Yes, Moms all around the world rejoice!!
But that's not all. I usually lose myself in the computer and internets while Bee watches random Street-ness. However, this morning, something caught my eye.
Hells yes, Sesame Street! HELLS YES!! Needless to say, this episode will not be deleted from our TiVo any time soon. Even dressed up like the Shoe Fairy, he's still cute!
Author's Note: Yeah, I know NPH doesn't play for my team, but I just try to ignore that. He's way to charming and cute to not have Sesame Street fantasies about him! (Kidding, Mr. Bee!)
Song title: Living In A Fantasy by Artist: Leo Sayer
Girls In Their Summer Clothes
Today I went to the new Westfield Shoppingtown Southcenter (aka: The Southcenter Mall) with Sissy, Niece, Baby Nephew, Baby Bee and one of the Sissy's high school friends and daughter.
It's so pretty.
The mall just had it's grand re-opening last weekend and it's apparently at least the biggest mall in Western Washington. And they've added some great new stores! We really blew through the place today but here is a list of the stores that I must visit soon (or else):
Banana Republic
Yes, I've been there before, but the closest store used to be all the way up in Seattle! Let's just say that Mr. Bee will be trying on a lot of clothes this weekend when I force him to go shopping with me!
Bare Escentuals
I love this makeup. I pretty much just use the foundation stuff and haven't really explored the blush/eye makeup stuff. LOVE it.
H&M
I've heard mixed reviews about H&M but have never been in before so I can't be judgy yet. Sigh.
Ju Jubes
This place looks like it will either be super awesomely rad or a huge disappointment. I'm hoping for super killer fashion that makes me feel like I'm wearing expensive clothes, but in actuality only costs me $1.00.
Love Culture
I perused this place briefly today and it pretty much looks like Forever 21, but I think I need to visit again to really make sure. Oh, and what the hell is up with this "XXI forever" new look of Forever 21?! You're not kidding anybody, people! You can use shiny silver Roman numerals all you want. We still know you have crappy, disposable clothes. (But we secretly love you anyway.)
White House/Black Market
Another store that was only up in Seattle previously. I find this place a little hit and miss but I always give it a chance.
I've also found a few new cool shops in...you'll never guess...ENUMCLAW! For those of you non-Washingtonians, to get to Enumclaw you must drive south to the Boonies, turn left and head towards No Where Fast and you find it on your left just after Where The Fuck Are We-Ville.
One of the Bunco ladies gave me a tip about a little shop called Over The Edge. Sissy and I checked it out on Friday but it was during the Enumclaw Street Fair and was super crazy busy (you know, with the 25 people that attended the Enumclaw Street Fair). I hope to go back soon sans Baby so I can actually try things on without having to do a little half-naked dance to entertain her/keep her from fussing.
On my way out of town, I saw a store called Suburban Soul that looks pretty rad too. Who would ever think that I would be trying to schedule Mama-free-time so I can go to Enumclaw. Seriously.
Song title: Girls In Their Summer Clothes by Bruce Springsteen
Just Like You
My New BFF
Last night I was up in Snohomish for a wedding rehearsal. During the processional practice, the Matron of Honor complimented me on my "look". I had curled my hair, which I've been doing a lot lately, and it looks a little, actually a lot, like this:
I was thanking her when she told me I looked liked someone, she just couldn't place it. It took her a second and then she told me that I looked like...
...wait for it...
...KATHERINE HEIGL.
That's right, my friends, your very own Izzie Stevens at your service! What the MOH didn't realize is that I've had a girl crush on Katherine Heigl since her My Father The Hero days. I remember being 15 and I would've given anything to be as gorgeous as Heigl. So, needless to say, that chick last night totally made my night! I'm determined now to replicate that hair, makeup, outfit combo every single day until I die!
So, sorry Mr. Bee, Sissy, and my Lovely Lady Friends, but Mama's got a new BFF - random Matron of Honor from tomorrow's wedding who obviously had been hitting the bottle to think that yours truly in any way resembles the Hollywood beauty. You, too, could be Mama Bee's BFF. All that is required is baseless, ridiculous compliments comparing me to today's most beautiful people. Simple, really! ;)
Song title: Just Like You by Keisha Cole
Oh! Look At Me Now!
Whatdya think of the new look? Thought I'd give y'all a realistic gander in to what my life looks like. Every. Single. Day.
Song Title: Oh! Look At Me Now! by Frank Sinatra
All I Need
The Monopolistic Cable Company just finished "hooking up" (read: flipped a stupid switch and plugged in our modem in to the jack) our cable television and broadband internet. Things are looking up, my friends!
(If you've wondered how I've been blogging and emailing in the interim, I can tell you that I absolutely wasn't stealing wireless from our many new apartment neighbors. PS: Thank you random linksys owner who doesn't know how to encrypt their router.)
Song Title: All I Need by Matchbox 20
A Change (Would Do You Good)
In order to not lose my mind, I will refrain from rehashing this weekend's moving events. Long story short: Mama Bee & Baby Bee are not transitioning to apartment life well. Baby Bee refuses to sleep or do anything normally. Oh wait! That's only when I'm around!! And, as most moms would expect, I am the only one around the majority of the time (while Mr. Bee is busy with the heavy lifting and moving strategies).
"Oh, you're plastic. I'm talking to a plastic tree... I'm still doing it..."
On a more uplifting note, Sissy and I got some time to hang out together last night and we chose to see the new M. Knight Shyamalan movie The Happening. I don't care what any "movie critic" says, I loved it! As is typical with M. Knight movies, it leaves you just creeped out enough that you start looking at the world in a different light when you step outside of the theater doors (if you have enough courage to go outside again after this movie!).
The writing is really good (although, there are some lines that are just stupid). And the dialog is funny! Marky Mark was a little too soft-spoken for my taste and I was very disappointed that the rest of the Funky Bunch were not featured in the movie. Zooey Deschanel, on the other hand, is so adorable, I just wanted to pinch her cheeks throughout the movie!
Sissy and I both agreed that while we liked the movie, we would have loved it even more if it wasn't "R" rated. This movie has been a big deal because it's M. Knight's first R-rated movie, so it gets pretty gory. Both Sissy and I prefer the gross-shit-is-happening-but-M.-Knight-is-making-me-imagine-it-instead-of-showing-it-to-me style that M. Knight is known for.
But overall the movie was suspenseful, disturbing, and M. Knight-a-rific! I'm pretty sure Sissy screamed once or twice and I pretty much watched the entire movie through the slits between my fingers!
Song Title: A Change (Would Do You Good) by Sheryl Crow
Who's Gonna Shoe Your Pretty Little Feet?
Baby Fashionistas
I simply can't decide if Heelarious High Heels are hilarious or retarded...but I can admit that (1) If they had 6-12 month sizes, Baby Bee would totally be getting a pair, and (2) Bamber's first baby girl will SO be getting a pair (probably the zebra print)!
Song Title: Who's Gonna Shoe Your Pretty Little Feet? by Art Garfunkel
Fast Forward (or "bloop bloop" in TiVo language)
Back to the Future
Do you ever sit around dreaming about your future? Well, I do. All the time, in fact. Not that I want to fast-forward though my babies' early years, but I'm so excited for, roughly, 3 years from now. This is how I think it will pencil out.
Mama Bee & Hive in 2011...
Picture this: Mama Bee & Mr. Bee with our 2 Baby Bees (4 and 2, respectively). Living in our suburbanian, Stepfordesque utopia. Hopefully we'll move to our new home by the end of 2008, so we'll have been there for about 2 years - comfortable, but still settling in. I'll have convinced my family and friends to move close, so playdates and dinner parties will be abundant.
By the end of 2010, all my student loans from law school will be paid off. Yes, my math friends, that will be 6 years after graduation. For those that think that is a long time, I left graduate school with a law degree from a private institution and, since I guess talking about money is taboo with some people, let's just say I could buy two brand new Porshe 911s with the debt that came from tuition and books, etc.
So, by the end of 2010, with our super aggressive debt attack method (trademark - haha!) we will be completely debt free. We'll have a new-ish home. We'll have our 2.5 kids (well, hopefully just 2 kids. Maybe we can trade in the half-a-kid for a dog or something). Probably be shopping for a new car and/or saving for a super awesome vacation.
But, as I've discussed before, I have the patience (and attention span) of a 2-month old puppy. I'm so happy that we got working towards this awesome goal, but I want it all NOW! (cue whiny baby voice) We found the house; I want to buy it yesterday! We figured out the debt pay-off solution; ok, is the debt gone yet? Can I actually buy furniture that wasn't designed by some guy named Ingvar? I'm sure many of you are thinking, "you whiny little brat! So you have to wait a couple years before you get everything you want. Waaahhhhhhh waaaaaaaaaahhhhhh." And you know what?
You are completely right.
House Hunting
More like "House Stalking"...
A few months ago, Mr. Bee & I realized that, because of how we had balanced some of my student loans from law school, the amount we pay monthly now for our P.O.S. 70's house is the exact same as we could pay for a brand new home in a community that we both love. We like where we live now but we never intended to be here more than 5 years and this month is our 5-year anniversary! The community is fine, but I've lived in this area for the last 26 years (minus 5 years or so for college and grad school) and I'm totally over it. The whole neighborhood is slowly becoming a retirement home with hardly any families with young children. With Baby Bee, we need a new hive with young families. The next house will be our long-term home, probably for the next 15+ years (kinda freaky!).
So, anyway. When we realized that we could move and pay less in this horrendous housing market for a kick @ss house, we started looking around immediately. Since we don't want to live in Seattle proper (want to raise Baby Bee somewhere safer), don't want to live North of Seattle (commute and communities), don't want to live much more South of where we are now (commute and communities), it didn't take long to find where we want to live. It's a great planned community up on a ridge. The whole area is based around it's own elementary school (which, ironically, Baby Bee wouldn't be going to because our "house" would be right over a city boundary line). There also is a whole shopping center with a grocery store, ice cream, hair stylist, restaurants, fast food, and, most importantly, a Starbucks!
We went up to tour the model homes about a month ago and I absolutely fell in *love* with a particular house style (see above photo). It totally fits our budget (after my cold-as-ice negotiations) and would hopefully includes a whole bunch of fabulous upgrades like hardwood, travertine floors and countertops in the bathrooms, etc. I pretty much want to put in my order for the exact model home we toured! I wish I could even get it with all the designer-chosen wall colors and furniture!
Now we're just trying to play it "cool" with the housing developer. They keep on telling us, "Well, we have a lot of interest right now," and I'm *this* close to calling bullsh!t on them. We're trying to not show too much interest and let them know that we really don't *have* to sell our house right now (and, because of the market, would probably get more for the house if we wait). I've also emailed the guy who is our contact at the homebuilder and let him know that "we're not totally sold on purchasing new construction and there are some other areas we are looking at." If I were honest, I'd write, "I love this house. We will buy this house. It is simply of matter of when and how much. We completely have our hearts set on your community and this house. We are *totally* in your pocket, Mr. Salesman." But instead I have to bide my time by longingly staring at our photos from the model home walk-thru and checking the homebuilder's website religiously. We are currently working on our house to sell it and have made a lot of progress the last month! I'm dying to know what it could sell for (but worried for what it will sell for!).
Question of the Day
Because it has been so long since Mr. Bee and I have been house hunting, and since we really had no idea what we were doing the first time around, do any of you have any tips on home-buying and/or negotiating for Mama Bee? I know a lot of you have purchased new homes in the 5 or so years and hopefully your experiences are fresher in the mind than mine!
More cowbell!
101 Most Unforgettable SNL Moments
The title for this post went from "One fine @ss Jew" to "Like Butta..." and it just kept getting better!
"I've got a fever and the only prescription is for more cowbell!" I don't understand how Christopher Walken, who is sooooooooooo creepy, can be so funny! He's like the only one in that entire sketch who is keeping a straight face!
Speaking of SNL...
There is a movie coming out in April called Baby Mama, starring Amy Poehler and Tina Fey. 'nuf said.
Open mouth, Insert foot
Last week I decided to set TiVo to record Sesame Street for Baby Bee. We'd never really watched it before (since I was a wee little one) and I figured she might like it. The first episode we watched I thought, "Geez! I can't believe it's an hour long! Who let's their kid just sit in front of the television for a whole hour!"
So, um, yeah. Sesame Street is awesome. It's like my #1 Season Pass now. Baby Bee is so captivated, I can finally eat a whole breakfast without being interupted! I wish it were two hours long... ;)
Where'd you get that?!
Moby WrapThe Moby Wrap is a great baby carrier! We have a Baby Bjorn too but I always choose the Moby over the Bjorn. The Moby is so comfortable (for mom *and* baby) and comes in super cute colors. I also love that you can use it so many different ways.
Baby Einstein Activity Center
Especially now that Baby Bee has perfected the "army crawl," it's so important to have something to keep her in one place while Mama Bee enjoys some lunch (or just needs a break from chasing her around the house)!
Oi Oi Diaper BagI looooove my diaper bag! I went through two other styles/brands before I finally found a diaper bag that was chic and, most importantly, useful! The best features are the long, messenger bag-like strap, the huge interior pockets, and the top flap that keeps all the toys, bottles, diapers, etc. from overflowing! I have gotten a lot of compliments on it from women who like that you can have a diaper bag without having Winnie the Pooh or a Disney character on it.
Bumbo Baby SeatEven though Baby Bee is getting way to big for it now, I still use my Bumbo! It was fabulous to help her learn how to sit up by herself and even at her age (11-month), I keep it in the bathroom and toss her in it whenever I have to pee! I'm sure one of these days she'll figure out that she's a huge monster in comparison to this tiny seat and crawl out of it while I chase her with my pants around my ankles.
Safety 1st Bath Seat
When Baby Bee graduated from her infant bathtub, I got panic attacks thinking about giving her a bath in a big girl (read: normal) bathtub. I found this seat at Toys R Us and fell in love. It attachs to the side of your bathtub and keeps your little bugger upright while they play and get washed. The only irritating part of bathtime is that we have shower doors (not a curtain) so it can get pretty restrictive where you place the seat.
A Video Baby MonitorTranny Transvestite from Transylvania
Am I smoking crack or is this top FIERCE?!
My clothes are uber-boring. One of these days I'll be able to dress as fierce as my inner-hot-mess-tranny-from-transylvania.
The Magic Bathing Suit!
Juicy Swimwear must be designed by unicorns and made by leprechauns at the end of a rainbow. Seriously. It sucks in my post-baby-having belly like nothing else!
Now if I can figure out how to origamically fold my breasts in the suit to make them look like this model...
