Picky Picky

The above look absolutely epitomizes this stinkerpants' attitude toward nutrition lately. I commiserated with Kate, as she recently posted that her little peanut was going through the exact same thing: a food boycott.

I have no idea what to do, other than to give him lots of options and hope that he's getting all the vitamins and nutrients he needs from a couple bites of cheese, a quarter cup of yogurt, and a nibble or two of a waffle. And the ocassional Oreo cookie - which he has absolutely no problem eating. I should also note that the only milk he wants to drink is of the chocolate variety.

As with everything at this age, I just keep thinking this too shall pass (i.e. it must be a big, fat PHASE). So, for the time being, even though he'll keep shaking his head and verbally opposing almost every option I offer (yes, he says no quite often these days), I rest easy in the fact that his cheeks seem to be maintaining their chipmunky-ness and his energy abounds. His diet can't be lacking that much.

And, again, there's always Oreos.

Follow Friday!

If you're looking for some new BFFs (blog friends forever), go check out these lovely ladies...

For Laughs...

- The Stroller Ballet

For Entertainment...

- Pink Lou Lou

For Home Decor Advice...

- All Bower Power

For Tales From Motherhood...

- Namaste By Day

For Style...

- Pammycakes (style/dress)

Quarter Life Crisis

I might go out and buy a convertible VW bug today.

Or listen to Miley Cyrus and Taylor Swift on repeat and sing loudly at the top of my lungs.

Or buy a Seventeen magazine. Or even a Cosmopolitan.

Or see if my girlfriends want to come over for a slumber party and eat raw cookie dough straight from the bowl.

Or purchase a really trendy ensemble from Charlotte Russe or Forever 21.

Because today it was made blatantly obvious that I am, in fact, no longer 21. Or even close to it.

After doing some spring cleaning today from our closet, I came up with 12-15 items to take to Plato's Closet to resell. There were several dresses and tops, many which I've worn in the past five years at some point, however I hadn't worn them this past year at all so I decided it was time to part with them.

The 14-year-old girl (exaggeration) went through my basket with her discerning eye and then returned all but two items.

Her explanation: "Well, we could only accept these two items. You have really nice clothes, but your taste is just too OLD for this store..."

I half-smiled, half-scowled at her, snatched up my almost 2-year-old, accepted the measely $7 she offered and took my basket of OLD clothes to my car where I proceeded to crumple into a big old pile of 27-year-old depression. Well, it wasn't quite that bad. But almost.

Sigh.

The State of House Address

Our house seems to be in a perpetual state of remodel. Don't get me wrong, it's absolutely wonderful to have the opportunity (and spare cash!) to do some upgrades, but the process can be excruciating. I adore the floors and the fact that we were able to sell our furniture quickly, but we now have no where to sit and have spent the past four nights going to bed at 8pm because, well, the only TV in the house is the 19 incher at the foot of our bed. Not pictured. Purposely. In real life (we're living in fake life right now, I guess), we don't even keep a TV in our bedroom. Takes up too much space in our petite chambre and detracts from the serene ambiance. Nothing like a big black eyesore to get you in the mood, right?

So, yesterday, I was determined to return at least one room of our house back to its full functioning state. Our bedroom was the only room that qualified since we have an adequate, though minimal, amount of furniture, plenty of accessories to play around with, and matching bedding and curtains (though my husband would beg to differ). They match in my opinion. We actually bought a new bed this weekend that fit in perfectly with the curbside treasures already in our room.

Sidenote: Our mattress has been through various residences during our brief marriage. First, it sat happily upon an enormous, ornate wood bedframe that pretty much took up the whole bedroom. Then, when we moved upstairs, we gave the bed frame back to my parents (original owners) and situated the mattress atop a hollywood bedframe, 2X4s, and cinder blocks. Classy? No. Resourceful? Yes. Lastly, when we moved the bedroom back downstairs in September, we just sat it upon the hollywood bedframe and said to heck with it. Then, this past weekend, we bought a bed. I wanted white and told B to pick out whatever style he liked. I like what he chose and it works beautifully.

So, now at least one room in this house looks put together and complete. Minus a rug, of course. {We can't put rugs on the floor for another three weeks due to the curing process of the floors.}

And, if you look hard enough, you might find my new blue cake plate, serving as a lamp plate instead. I needed to even out the height of them lamps until I buy the match to the lamp to the right. It works, right?

I do have an issue that needs amendin' right quick. What to do with all of this????

They all used to live happily beneath our coffee table or stored in our old TV stand. Now they're all looking awful junky on the floor in the dining room just begging for a new home. How do you creatively store toys? If anyone has advice on furniture that would hide store Becks' things, do tell!

PS. I'm on Snow Day #10 here today! Ah! School until JULY. And there is NOTHING on the roads. Ridiculous.

PSS. We are hunting ravenously for new furniture, but nothing seems to be made to fit into small homes anymore. EVERY sofa we've seen is oversized, overstuffed, and reminisce of our old furniture. Suggestions welcome.

Snuggling and More Snuggling

This is Becks eating the aforementioned Walmart Great Value Mountain Trailmix that you should NOT run out and buy right now if you're on a diet, hate the chocolate-peanut-raisin combo, or don't like getting a good deal. Because this stuff is addicting and you will eat a WHOLE bag within 48 hours of purchasing it, necessitating a trip to Walmart immediately. (PS. Who knew necessitating was a word?! Thank you, spell check.)

We've been doing a whole lotta this lately. Because my little pumpkin pie insists upon being thisclose to me at all times. And, because I've come to the conclusion that it's a "phase," I'm going to suffer through the snuggling. Yes, that was sarcasm you were sensing. Count your blessings, mamas.

When we're not snuggling, Becks is doing this. A lot. (Repeat to self: phase phase phase phase.) Or, he could be crying because who in their right mind would opt for this putrid green color on such a great magazine/book basket? Since I knew such an ugly green basket would likely sit upon the shelf at Goodwill basking in its ugliness for an eternity, I decided to buy it and console it by telling it I will spray paint it a lovely shade of white here in the near future. And give it magazines and board books to hold and love on.

I also picked up some other pieces thrifting in the past two weeks. The lamp was our's already, but the table ($15), lovely blue cake stand ($5), and book basket ($3) are all new additions. I can't wait to show you how I'm using the cake stand! Watch for a future post :)

Quick Facts

• My new favorite show is Kell on Earth. If I worked for Kelly Cutrone I would probably cry daily, but there is something I just love about her. Plus, maybe I'd have the chance to be friends with Whitney Port and be on The City. Just a thought.
• Beckham is suuuuuuuper clingy. Like, if I'm not within six inches of him or holding him, he is alternating between screaming, crying, and whining. I'm going to chalk this up to him being sick and being with me for the past two weeks straight. That doesn't make it any easier to tolerate though. ETA: Just read this. Clingy is okay.
• I'm completely obsessed with Walmart brand Great Value Mountain Trailmix.
• Tonight, I am going to be scoring 4th and 5th grade Academic Team essays for three hours. Voluntarily.
• Just thinking the word polyurethane makes me nauseous.
• I should be decluttering the upstairs.
• Also, I should be furniture shopping because, well, we still have nothing in our living room to sit on.

That is all.

Orange you glad you're a winner?!

And the winners are...

Wendy @ The Clark Clan

and

Kara @ Battel Family

Yay! So excited for you both! You will loooooove this CD. Promise! And, if you didn't win, you can buy it right here! It will be the best $12 you ever spent on a kid's CD!

Email me your name and address at babblingabby(at)gmail(dot)com so I can forward your info along to Ross so you can get your CD. Congrats!

Oh for ratings sake!

So. Over. Twitter.

Tonight at least.

I could not get the page to refresh for the life of me and then it was taking eons to update my status so I quit. Kind of like Ali quit The Bachelor so she could pursue her career (i.e as the next Bachelorette). Just saying.

I really enjoyed The Women Tell All. Some highlights...

• The drama was tangible. I could almost feel Rozzy's deathstare through the television. +12 for ABC.
• The unseen footage that quotes several of the girls referring to Tensley's Disney-esque personality. Vienna saying that she dreams in cartoons was just plain hilarious. + 1 for Vienna.
• I was glad Elizabeth admitted that her kissing rule was ridiculous. + 1 for Elizabeth
• Jake's outfit being sterotypical Jake. - 2 for unoriginality + 2 for staying true to himself.
• I just can't believe Roz. I can't. Something happened. Whether it was as dramatic as the network made it out to be is anyone's best guest, but something questionable happened between her and that producer. I mean, Ella called her out on it, for goodness sake. Ella! -20 for Roz. Own up sister.
• I had trouble swallowing Ali's sencerity when apologizing to Vienna. For ratings sake, it was staged! She'll be the next Bachelorette. And I haven't even read Reality Steve for that one. {And, yes, I'll totally watch her and her yellow dresses take on group dates and fantasy suites. I can only hope Jake and Vienna drop in to help her choose. For ratings sake, of course.} -2 for apology +5 for choosing a non-yellow outfit and accidentally saying FART on TV.
• I kinda like Christina and wish she would have made it longer, even if she did make parting gifts for the girls on Day 1. + 10 just cause I like her.
• GWoww stayed true to her Jersey roots by rocking a sparkly purple number. +1 for wearing something I never would.
• Also, -50 for Twitter. It still won't let me log on. 45 minutes later. Arrrrgh.

Sorry I don't have any fav tweets! I never recorded them before Twitter excluded me.

See you next week for #ATFT for The Final Rose Ceremony!!!!!

Lots to Talk About!

Hi guys!

I don't even know where to begin, we've been so busy! Becks is still sick. Dr. Google is thinking it is totally roseola since his fever has been so darn persistent and then yesterday he broke out in a spotty rash. It's fun being one, picking up every germ that crosses your path, no?

Also, my sister, Chelsea, and I had Girls Night on the Town last Thursday night. I had to chuckle when we called my other sister, Aubrea, to let her know we were missing her and she asked, "Oh, are you going out for dinner and drinks?" Ha! Silly girl. No, we're going shopping child-free! However, we did make the most of our time together and not only hit up some sweet winter-clearance sales, but also had fun snapping pictures in the trashiest outfits we could find. Meet our alter-egos: Jerilee and Bonnie-Sue. When they're not trying on denim tights, you can find them posted up at your local truckstop eating moonpies and flirtin' with the locals. Yee haw! (And, yes, if you're in the market for denim-looking tights, they're totally at NY&Co - on clearance, shockingly.)



This is what happens when you've been snowed-in for two weeks straight.

Jerilee. The superblond hair, no makeup, pasty skin really adds to the overall look.

Bonnie-Sue. No one pulls off the the faux silk, attached-pearl necklace look quite like you, sister.

And, then we tried on Derby hats. And tried desperately to look sophisticated. I failed. Chels looks rather darling.

But we didn't stop there. We would have got makeovers at the Chanel counter, but it was nearing 8pm and we turn into pumpkins shortly thereafter, so we opted to try on prom dresses instead. And, oh yes, we runway walked down the fitting room.

Wait? Do you smell that? YES, IT'S POLYURATHANE! We're hoooooooome!

Two weeks, two snow storms, and four coats of shellack later and we finally can sleep in our own bed and cook dinner in our tiny, outdated kitchen again! Yippeeee! We enjoyed our time with my inlaws immensely, but I was ready to come back to my own space. We still haven't found the perfect furniture yet, so our bedroom is currently serving as our living room too, but that's okay! I will post better pictures once everything is redecorated, but the new floors are a HUGE improvement over the old floors (which were 1950s originals, full of spots, stains, and scratches). FYI: Any spots you see are from the camera.

So that was the longest post over.

If you just looked at the pictures and need a cliff's notes synopsis, here's the gist of the post:

Becks has roseola.

Abby and Chelsea are complete dorks. But fun ones.

Snowdays make you crazy.

The floors are finally finished!

Can't wait to tweet with y'all tonight!!!!! I've been looking forward to it all day!

See you for #ATFT!

I'm going to be a...

...Matron of Honor!!!!!!!!

So excited for you, Allison and Ryan!

Booooooring.

Okay, so an update.

We're still out of our house, but the floors are officially refinished! They are still lacking toestrips, but that's okay. Because we can live in our house without toestrips. However, he smell of the polyurethane is still pretty strong, so we'll probably venture back home on Saturday to avoid the toxic fumes for as long as possible.

It's not snowing anymore, so that's a bonus. But Becks is sick again with some crazy virus that made him spike a temp of 104. Freaked. Me. Out. I hate when he is sick. I would have rather it been something curable like an ear infection or strep throat, but nope, it's a virus. A stinky old virus that has to run it's course. I always feel bad taking him to the doctor only to find out it's something viral. It makes me feel like I'm a hypochondriac. But, he's my first baby and I'm largely inexperienced at this sickness thing, so I guess until #2 we'll be seeing the doctor to alleviate my personal fears.

Well, I'm feeling pretty boring. There's nothing to really say and no new pics of my sick babe to post, so maybe I'll post more later.

And, in case you forgot, go win yourself a new kid's CD!

My Snow Baby

This sorta makes the snow worth it...

Sorta.

Would you believe, another snowday?!

Lovin' this...

Sick of this...

Ready to go home to this...

Three coats down, one more to go. Toestrips in place and we'll be in business. My husband is a trooper! The floors look beautiful. Thanks, B!

Orange you glad we're having a GIVEAWAY?!

Remember when I wrote this review a couple of weeks ago for Becks' absolute favorite CD that's not only child-friendly, but also {and equally as important} parent-friendly too? Well, Ross and I have teamed up so that you, too, may benefit from his incredible CD! Yay! I am so excited to announce that I have TWO copies of this toe-tappin', hip-swingin', beat-clappin', hilarious CD to give to my readers!

Whether you're singing along to Juicebox (our personal fav) or Don't Do It (a smooth way of telling your little ones to, um, refrain from booger eating...), I guarantee that this CD will make you and the kiddos want to dance and sing along. And you'll probably giggle along the way too :)

Here's how you get your chance at a copy:

1. You MUST be a follower of Babbling Abby.
2. Leave a comment that includes a phrase "ORANGE YOU GLAD..."
3. For an additional chance, become a follower of me on twitter @babblingabby.
4. For an additional chance, tweet about it to your followers.
5. For an additional chance, post a link to this giveaway on your blog.
6. For an additional chance, go say hi to Ross on his blog!

That's FIVE chances to win! Now, don't forget to TELL ME in your comment which chances you've taken advantage of. I will be checking!

You have a week to play! I'll announce the winner sometime next Monday, February 22nd. Good luck!

Happy Saturday!

Get 'em while they're hot! Baby in a box!

It's a great day...

I am grouchy in the above pic because my hair looks like poo. Or like yellow with black as one of my former babysitting charges commented when I was in dire need of a highlight. Nothing like getting the brutally honest truth straight from the mouth of a child, right?

Well, today the sun looks brighter. My makeup looks fresher. My outlook more positive. My self-esteem is as high as ever.

All because Marie worked her magic and I am no longer yellow with black. Goodbye six inch roots. So long stringy split ends.

Helloooooo, Blondie!

Gaaaaaw, could self pictures look any more awkward?

Teaser Pic!

Lookin' good, huh?! Polyurethane here we come! (Excuse horrendous pic quality - they were painting in the dark and my camera lens must be spotty!)

Also, some pics of Beck. Getting him to look at the camera was difficult. His favorite word lately is no. He's sooooo big!

Go Buy These!

Disclaimer: I teach kindergarten. I {heart} Eric Carle. That is all.

If you teach elementary grades, have a fondness for The Very Hungry Caterpillar, or have a cute little girl to buy these for you MUST go to your local Walmart and buy one (or three) of these super cutie tees! Because not only are they precious but they're only SEVEN dollars a piece! And that, my friends, is a deal! You can find them in the little girl's department.

Also, I didn't have school again today. We had a 2-hour delay (which cancels AM kindergarten), and now we have a 4-day weekend in front of us. Oh, yes, also more snow on Monday and Tuesday of the coming week. Gah!

The floors are in the staining process and hopefully will be shellacked by this weekend. Wahoo!!!! I. CANT. WAIT.

Okay, well, go to Walmart. I'm off to Target with my sister and her kids. Because otherwise we're all going to go insane from cabin fever.

PS. I'm getting my hair done tonight and am pretty much over the moon about it. Because we all know how blondes get when 6 inches of roots are showing. Caaaahrazy!