I've got nothing.

I've got nothing.

Nothing of real imoportance to tell you, that is. Other than it's rained the entire first day of my fall break. And, really, I'm okay with that. Because I felt accomplished today, all holed up in my home, spending time with Becks. And the washer and dryer, of course. Because, well, I had heaps and heaps of laundry to befriend me on this washed up day. Everyone will now have clean undies tomorrow for the first time in a month. Yay! {J/K} I'm thinking I should retitle this blog something that pertains to laundry...and maybe Diet Coke. Since I talk about both so frequently.

{Is anyone else watching Grey's right now and taking note that every shot of Meredith is from the chest up to hide her baby belly?}

Like I said, I've really got nothing tonight. I could detail our plans for tomorrow. But I think I will wait until I have pictures to go along with a post. Here's a hint: it rhymes with sumpkin satch. And Becks will be bedecked in orange to match the sumpkins we will be searching for. Actually, he calls them "mah" for reasons unknown to those of us older than 15-months. My best interpretation is that I bought him a very, very small one at the grocery store a week or so ago and he says "mah" to indicate "mine" and that I shouldn't touch it unless I ask him first.

To end my post about nothing, I will leave you with a cute pic of a little something...

He's suddenly taken to eating apples and watching Sesame Street. In a chair. Like he's a big boy or something.

Drama for your mama...

This is going to be a listy post about The Hills & The City because I just can't bring myself to create something cohesive out of the insane amount of drama that goes on between those two shows.

1. Did you catch the opening credits where KCav is in the convertible BMW? Eerily similar to LC's convertible BMW, no?
2. Audrina and her sister Casey have the exact. same. teeth. For real.
3. How nice of Lo to meet up with KCav in Audrina's absence...
4. Was the look on Steph's face not absolutely priceless when she saw JB and KCav smoochin' in The Playhouse or whatever it was called? They may not have shown it, but I'll bet money she sent out a mass text within seconds of seeing that little bit of gossip-worthy eye candy.
5. And how about that sweet little dance between a hairless JB and KCav. HA! Sorry, stifling laughter here. Snicker, snicker.
6. "I can barely be around adults - how am I supposed to be hanging around with kids?!" a classic and incredulous quote by Spender.
7. Um, how RUDE was Spencer to the little neighbor boy?! I know, I shouldn't be surprised.
8. The preview for next week suggests that JB stands up little Miss Ego Trip. Again, not surprised.
9. Go visit my newly married BFF for more wit and wisdom surrounding this week's episode of The Hills.
10. And here is my brief commentary on The City: I am scared of Kelly Cutrone. Seriously.

These boots are made for walkin'

So, the Beck-man has a slight obsession with my boots. He will go to the closet and pull out every pair and then bring them to me and say, "Booooooo!" very loudly. It's pretty cute. And then, today, we're at the grocery store and he notices a similar pair of boots on a teenager. He loudly proclaims "BOOOOOOO!" for at least five minutes. I try to distract him, "Ooh, Beck, check out this milk that mama's going to save $1 on," but he continues with the "BOOOOOOO!" conversation.

There's not really an end to that story. That's it. Just needed an excuse to post a cute picture.

Thrifty Weekender Recap

I ran into good deals all over the place this weekend.

It all started quite innocently when my mother and I ventured into The Gap Outlet. Now, I know what you're thinking, The Gap Outlet store is really just overstocked items sold at full price or slightly discounted. Well, not our Gap Outlet. In fact, located right here 15 minutes from my house is the real, true Gap Outlet store. The only one in the world like it. I'm not even kidding you. There are racks upon racks of clothes by Gap, Banana, Piper Lime shoes, and Old Navy all under one roof. You could spend hours in there just combing through everything.

My goal was to find Beckham some fallish clothes. I scored big time with a cute Halloweenie Old Navy tee for $1.99 and a pair of size 7 Converse {velcro!} kicks for ten bucks. Totally precious and totally worth every penny. I also got him a really cute tobaggan that he refuses to be photographed in because, well, he'd much rather rip it off an throw it on the floor where it belongs, mom. And, go figure, the only pic I have of him in the new tee is one where he is throwing a fit after being shooed out of the bathroom while daddy got ready for date night. Guess the bathroom can only handle one stud at a time. So, here is Becks fleeing the scene all in a tizzy...

Next on the list was a pair of skinny jeans. After looking through literally hundreds of pairs, I came across the most perfect pair of Gap dark denim skinnies you've ever seen for - stop the world - $9.99. They fit great and I pretty much haven't taken them off since trying them on over my leggings in the middle of the store. I'm risque like that (or the line to the dressing room was just really long).

So, after my outlet winning prices, it was on to Kmart to pick up some random things like a shower curtain and bar soap...lest I be distracted by a rack of clearanced clothes for $2.99 which led to the discovery of about twelve other racks also of $2.99 clothes. So, a five minute trip turned into an hour long shopping spree as I piled my cart full of some really cute pieces.
And, I really have to hand it to Kmart - they've picked up a new {trendy} line called Piper and Blue that definitely could compete with F21 when it comes to quality, affordability, and trend. I hadn't heard of them until my $2.99 quest led me to stumble upon many cute pieces, including the ruffly tank that I wore out on date night later that day. To make a long story short, I bought 16 items for $50.81 (which is comparable to, what, one piece on sale at other retailers?). And my husband didn't even balk when I walked in the door holding an enormous bag of clothes. Love him. Pair all of this with my recent Target sale trip, and I shouldn't need to shop for a long time. Or at least until Christmas. Maybe.

So then there was date night at The Bonefish Grill which was absolutely divine. B and I booked a babysitter (thanks Nana K), and off we went to enjoy drinks and dinner alone. It was wonderful and we've decided it's going to be a monthly occasion. So good for the marriage. Believe it or not, our convo didn't even center around the baby for once, which it often does when you're sitting next to someone with mashed bananas in his hair and who is also extremely cute.

Sunday morning I had the opportunity to go to a going-out-of-business yard sale at a local preschool where school supplies we aplenty. While I could bore you with the many books and manipulatives I bought, the real gem was the purchase of my very own - brace yoursef - PERSONAL LAMINATOR. I know, I know! I'm a nerd! But, you all, when you are a teacher and 85% of your planning period is spent running construction paper through a cranky old machine, this is like a gift from God! For $8 I was sold.

So now, I guess, I'm a skinny jean laminating queen.

Happy Monday, BFFs :)

Pretend Play!

When I was a little girl, I spent countless hours holed up in the basement with my sisters, playing house between several bedsheets strung from the wooden beams in the ceiling. The basement transformed instantly from a concrete cave into the most spectacular place to "play house." Since it was rare that boredom was a good reason to watch TV, we were often shooed to the basement to get lost in a good old game of make-believe.

As a kindergarten teacher, I really feel that our kids lack imagination today, and cannot encourage parents enough to deter their children from the TV long enough to invent a make-believe game that requires more thought than pushing a button repetitively. Who needs to swashbuckle pirates on a game console, when a wooden spatula, old bandana, and a shoebox of old pennies can suddenly make you Ye Pirate of the Blue Sea defending his treasure from his tyrant of a brother? I mean, seriously, we need to encourage our kids to do this kind of stuff.

At a recent education conference I attended, it was called to my attention that children even have trouble independently visualizing an image because they are constantly bombarded with eye-candy from multiple sources. The shows they watch, the games they play, and the digital images on the computer all lend themselves to a lazy imagination. Think about this for a second: if you're waiting in a doctor's office and poor mom had to drag along her school-aged child, is that child enthralled in a chapter book or pecking away at his Nintendo DS, oblivious to his surroundings. I'll take Nintendo DS for $1000, Alex.

And here's the worst: Mom, Dad, and child out to dinner at Bob Evans, and no one is talking as they wait for their meal. Mom and Dad alternate sips of their iced teas, while child avoids all human relation in exchange for beating Mario Kart. That is RIDICULOUS you all.

My point is this: Kids need to play. They long to play. You need to make them play. And by play, I don't mean tethering them to their X Box live where they play virutally with their neighbor three streets away.

Arrange play dates. Encourage inventive behavior. Buy toys that promote imaginative play.

Take for instance the Grande Gourmet Corner Kitchen recently released by KidKraft. How many of you played house or restaraunt? (Me, me, me! Raising my hand real high!) My sisters and I played this frequently - and toys have obviously come an awful long way since I was little (not that I'm old or anything because I'm so not.) Would you not have died to have this little kitchen as your very own?! I mean -wow- this thing is every little kid's dream! From the pastel pink detailing to the cute cloth curtains hung behind the sink, I can only imagine the fun that could be spent preparing pretend cupcakes or pbjs here. You can run a load of clothes in the built in washer/dryer combo, bake a batch of cookies, and boil soup on the stove all at the same time. If looks aren't impressive enough, the wooden construction along with the fact that it can fit in the corner of a room, will surely require a second glance. Plus, cute little metal accessories are included so that your little one can play along with you as you work in your own kitchen.

Playing house is only one of many activities that children could play with this kitchen - think restaurant, lemonade stands, or bakery! The possibilities seem endless, and I really think that this type of toy is educationally sound. It promotes creativity, socialization (it's big enough that more than one child can play at a time), fine motor skill development, and fosters independence - a skill that is important when the I'm sooooo bored's hit on snow days. And it beats sitting in front of a television any day.

This particular piece is currently priced at $194.95 and seems to be comparable to similar play toys. Be sure to check out Pretend Play Kitchens to see this play kitchen along with a great variety of other play kitchens that come in multiple colors.

Whether or not you're in the market for a sweet little kitchen, I beg of you, as the potential kindergarten teacher of your child, please encourage your child to play! The benefits of pretend play are worth your investment toys that encourage just that.

Sooooo, what was your favorite thing to play pretend when you were little? Were you stringing up sheets like me and my sisters were in 1992? Or were you riding your big wheel all over kingdom come in search of bad guys?

Edition 1: The Hills and The City Wrap-Up

The Hills

Let's just say I'm intrigued. Not a big fan of the f bomb being dropped by KCav every other word, or her can't-fit-it-in-the-room ego, but she's definitely going to amp up the drama factor. I think we're in for an interesting season. And, is she not gorgeous? I really think her and Audrina are stunning.

Fortunately for us loyal followers, there are still the familiar awkward pauses that we all love about these semi-staged reality shows, thought I really do miss LC and don't think KCav is an equivalent replacement.

I'm not sure what's going on with Audrina. She pulled the whole don't-call-don't-text-we're-over bit with JB, and yet she's upset by Kristin's interest in him. I don't know what the attraction is. He just doesn't bring out the unicorns and fairydust for me. He does make me want offer him a gilette though.

It appears that Steph is still the pot-stirrer. I mean, did she not start up the whole Kristin/Audrina battle at the Speidi party? I think there wouldn't have even been an altercation, no less the girl-on-girl warfare that went down. (PS. Recent pics show Stephanie very thin. Anyone else notice that?)

And look at Lo trying to be all I'm staying on her good side. It doesn't look like anyone stays on her good side for long.

Other random things I picked up on...

1) During the intro's, Lo is introduced as Audrina's Friend rather than LC's Friend. I think she's been on the show long enough that she can stand independently without the lame title.

2) Spencer's cowboy hat.

3) The presence of Stacie as a frequent guest. Wasn't she just a bartender last season?

4) The absence of Justin Bobby's beard in future episodes.

5) Heidi's emphasis on the word nursery. Emphasis on the ser. Every dang time she said it.


6) Prediction: LC will make a guest appearance at least once this season.

The City

My first thought (among many actually): Where is Erin? I really like her. Suddenly they're not friends anymore? I need to know if she'll be back or not. Sad face.

And, I'm not going to lie, I really wanted to know what's happened in the interim since Whitney's break-up with Jay. Like, did they get back together temporarily? Was it put in his Season One contract that he needed to make himself disappear by Season Two so that she could pal around single with LA transplant Roxy? Can the producers arrange a surprise meeting at a bar so that we can witness more awkward awkward moments? Plllllease? Merely a suggestion.

And then there's Roxy. Where to begin? How about that interview where she pushed sweet Whitney under the bus and criticized, well, everything about her? And then Kelly allows Whitney to hire her? And, unbeknownst to her, Whitney hires someone who dogged her choice in the color yellow! Ludacris! Er, ludicrous. When Roxy immediately met up with Whit and invited herself to room with her, I about died. A real friend that Roxy is. Rrrrrrr.

Oh, Olivia {picture me looking to ground, shaking head}. I just don't even have words for your level of self-absorbtion.

Overall, the show was very little about Whitney, but more so about the introduction of the new cast. Hopefully, the storyline will develop more on Tuesday when the second installment of my most favorite show airs. Swoon.

So, dish up! Your turn to spill!

PS. I am not sitting at home only blogging on a Saturday night. I did go on a date with my handsome husband sans baby and it was delightful. More on that later, BFFs. Nite ;)

TGtomorowIF

Hello, BFFs.

I am working on a post-Hills/City post with all my intuitive opinions, but it's not quite ready for submission. I'm overthinking it, I'm sure.

We've been busy this week around the Babbling household, yet the week has seemed to last forever. Don't you hate weeks like that?

Becks had his 15-month well baby check-up, and they again confirmed how perfect he is. Only he wasn't so perfect at the appointment. He cried almost the entire time, pausing only to play with one of those wooden-bead-moving-contraptions (is there a better name for that thing?) that would surely test positive for anything swine flu related, I'm sure. Then he got mad at it, threw it to the ground, and looked for something to bite. Biting things is the way he releases agression, apparently. He's even tries to bite the wall at times. I try not to laugh, but am not always successful. Thankfully, he hasn't bit an actual person yet. That will not be funny.

In other news, I decided to embrace the season wholeheartedly this week, donning my black knit Uggs to school with tights and a sweaterdress. I mean, it was like 40 degrees when I left for school. That is cold. However, I wasn't near as cute as Beck was in his little boy jeans. Unlike the quest for the perfect pair for myself, his are an easy buy - pretty much any pair is a score as long as it bears an elastic waistband.

Here he is with bedhead after a nap, rockin' the denim. Are they not the sweetest when they wake up all sleepy and snuggly? Love him.

He's also taken to hobby that we really don't condone. But it's funny. Kind of like the whole biting the wall bit. We discourage sharing your dinner with the dog, of course, but he derives so much pleasure from letting the dog lick his sticky fingers that we just kind of watch his little kid wonder at its best. It's pretty much worth seeing him giggle, even as we cringe as he scoops up mashed potatoes with the same hand. Ick.

Well, this was a boring and random post, but such is life sometimes. TGtomorrowIF!