12 Days of Christmas Day 8

Day 8: Least Favorite Thing about the Holidays


When they come to an end. I always seem to have a bad case of the blues after the holidays. Whether it is fueled by the insane spending I do or the let down after the build up of presents, or maybe the disappointment of not getting something I really wanted. I never could put a finger on it. But I remember having this as a kid too. I think it takes me a good month to get back to normal! Just in time for my birthday. Or maybe it is my birthday that gets me out of the funk!

I have noticed it has gotten better since Lily came around. But not completely better. She seems to make the holidays even that much happier. The high lasts a little longer with her.

Does anyone else get this? I read it is pretty common. I thought I had it narrowed down to the early dark nights. The christmas lights seem to make dealing with the short days a little more bearable. But then after Christmas I am still stuck with the horribly long nights but no cheery lights.

I think I am on to something!

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12 Days of Christmas Day 7

Day 7: DIY holiday crafts


The best holiday craft I can do is placing Christmas balls in a vase. No really that looks great. Get a big clear vase. I prefer tall and skinny. Then place a variety of christmas balls and place inside vase. If you want to add some extra flare place some branches in the vase. You can find them in festive gold and reds at your local craft store.

Sorry I would place an awesome picture in post...but I am in Orlando.

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Truly the happiest place on earth....

Happiness is hearing your little girl squeal in pure delight at the very sight of Cinderella. It brought a tear to my eye. A real tear. I literally saw her jump our of her chair and starting bouncing up and down. She was so adorable.

And she was even a sport for the evil stepsister. Who was by far my favorite. Silly and sweet at the same time.

It has been a good day in sunny Orlando today. Thanks to all those that work so hard to make so many children so happy!

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12 Days of Christmas: Day 6

Day 6:  My Wish List

Okay let's be honest. When you have kids the "it's all about me" at Christmas time stops. I thought this would make me sad because who doesn't like recieving gifts?  I was a little sad the first year because Lily wasn't really into Christmas but after last year I am ruined. I could not recieve anything and be happy as a clam seeing Lily's face as she runs towards Santa's treasures.

My poor husband is not the shopper in the family. I do all the gift buying, all the labor and torture about the perfect gift for everyone. He claims it was in the marriage license. Fine print. The only person he has to buy for is me and he dreads that. We have resorted to lists. Yes lists. Very specific lists. So this year I will submit my list like the years that have already passed.

You'll notice a trend here

1. Photoshop. I have been drooling over this long enough. It is time.  I can take off dress sizes at the click of a button.

2. A fabulous camera strap. I LOVE THESE! I need some flair. Where do you go for that? Shey B.

3. I would love to update my iLife..Only 49 dollars baby! This is mainly for my video editing.  It is time for DA EADS Family video 2010.

4.  I don't know if you know about Momtog.com But I LOVE THIS SITE. She sells a pricey yet very useful UNmanual and UNposing guide. And I am all about supporting small businesses owned by wonderful women.  I really really want these but I haven't been able to justify the money yet. I would want the UNposing guide first. If I had to choose and this wasn't a perfect world where I would get both.

 Yeah I need a cheaper hobby. It sucks to be my husband this time of year.

You can always go with the ol' standby of diamonds baby.

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12 Days of Christmas: Day 5

Day 5: Favorite Christmas Special/Movie

NATIONAL LAMPOONS CHRISTMAS VACATION!!!!

Let's relive the best quotes of this movie:

Eddie: Once he starts it is best to let him finish. :dog humping leg:


Clark: Where do you think you're going? Nobody's leaving. Nobody's walking out on this fun, old-fashioned family Christmas. No, no. We're all in this together. This is a full-blown, four-alarm holiday emergency here. We're gonna press on, and we're gonna have the hap, hap, happiest Christmas since Bing Crosby tap-danced with Danny fucking Kaye. And when Santa squeezes his fat white ass down that chimney tonight, he's gonna find the jolliest bunch of assholes this side of the nuthouse.


Clark: Can I refill your eggnog for you? Get you something to eat? Drive you out to the middle of nowhere and leave you for dead?


Clark (to office workers as they pass by): Merry Christmas. Merry Christmas, Merry Christmas, Merry Christmas, kiss my ass. Kiss his ass. Kiss your ass. Happy Hanukkah.

Ellen: I don't know what to say, except it's Christmas and we're all in misery.


Ellen: Oh Aunt Bethany, you shouldn't have done that.

Aunt Bethany: Oh dear, did I break wind?
Uncle Lewis: Jesus, did the room clear out, Bethany? Hell no, she means presents. You shouldn't have brought presents.

Ellen: Our Father, who art in Heaven, hallowed be Thy Name. And forgive my husband. He knows not what he does.

THE BEST MOVIE EVER!

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12 Days of Christmas: Day 4

Day 4: Budgeting for Christmas

Ha! I am sorry I couldn't even type that with a straight face. Okay let me try again...

Budgehahahaahahat.

Yeah that didn't work. I try people I really do. My first line of defense. Excel. I make a list. I check it twice. And again. I will say I am usually pretty good about keeping it in line with family. But I struggle to rein in with Lily and Michael. I keep seeing such cute stuff and I buy and buy. But there is hope people.

1. Excel. Make a list of everyone you buy for. At the top put your budget in bold red letters. Now go down the list and place a limit for each person. Don't forget Christmas cards should be part of the budget!
2. Amazon wish lists are your friend. Now you can even add items from other websites. I send one out to family for Lily every year. That way no one double buys. I even made one for myself this year. Hint Hint Michael!

But if you are like me you have that after Christmas spending remorse. I always seem to feel better once that tax return comes in though. Makes it all jusifiable. Right? :crickets chirping in the background:


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I am grateful

I think Thanksgiving is starting to take over as my favorite holiday. Don't tell Christmas. He will get jealous. Not only is it a completely anti diet day, it is a day of family. A day to be grateful for all that we have. A day to look around the dinner table and baske in the love of those around you.

I am grateful that my daughter has been all about Mommy for weeks. Everyone told me the "favorites" go in stages. We are in mine now. It makes me happy!

I am grateful for the snuggles and hugs that go along with the being the flavor of the week.

I am grateful for my loving husband.  Who knows me better than anyone and still loves me.

I am grateful for family. Even if they are far away.

I am grateful for a home. Not just the structure but the home we have built for our family.

I am grateful for my job because so many are without one.

I am grateful for my friends who much like my husband still love me even though I have no filter. Especially after a bottle of wine.

I am grateful for all unnecessary things my husband provides for our family. Like the Disney vacation we are about to embark on. Because of him we do not hurt for much.

So thank you to all the people in my life. My family and friends. Because above all you are what I am most  thankful for. May I never forget that.

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My First Disney Trip

My first Disney Trip was when I was about five. We knew we wanted to take Lily because Disney is special to us. We honeymooned there and since this was our five year anniversary we decided to make a special trip with Lily this Christmas.

We leave for Orlando on Friday. Needless to say I am looking forward to the memories that are going to be made. This will be Michael and I's first time going during Christmas so I am sure it will be magical.

I just don't understand why Michael is so hesitant to recreate my first picture at Disney. The pure excitement on my face. The 80's hair from the Mousekeeter in the background.

And my Dad's smoking hot outfit.



I mean who wouldn't want to wear this......

Sorry Dad! I had to post this just for your birthday week! 

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12 Days of Christmas: Day 3

Day Three: Most meaningful gift

Hands down the Christmas after Lily was born I got the most special present. Michael had taken the day off of work because Lily's Daycare was closed. He searched everywhere for one of those Paint Your Pot places to make me a Christmas ornament. It says it was proving to be difficult as this was when the economy was at its worst and the places were going out of business left and right.

Lily slept through the whole ordeal. It took Michael a dozen times to get her to actually open her hand and place a smooth print on the ornament. When a baby is that young they tend to ball their fists up. He said the poor kid working there had to keeping coming over to clean it off so Michael could get it just right. And boy did he get it perfect.

I actually opened it on Christmas Eve and teared up immediatly. It is still my favorite ornament to place on the tree and is dead center for all to see.

This year I had her put her palm up the ornament just to see how much she had grown and I got a little misty eyed when her hand was bigger than the ornament. Oh how the years have flown by and big she has grown.


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12 Days of Christmas: Day Two

Day 2: Black Friday Shopping Tips

People are generally crazy when it comes to a great deal. I am not throwing stones by any means because I am one of those people that stand in line all night to get that great deal. So instead of tips I thought I would share some of the crazy things I have seen or done.

1. I literally saw two people get into an elbow throwing fit over an 89 dollar GPS as Walmart. There was blood people. Somebody got BIT!

2. I stood in line in the freezing cold, pregnant, all night to get my husband a Wii for Christmas. They ran out one person before me. You have not seen rage without a seeing a frozen pregnant woman not get what she wanted. PS I ended up getting it elsewhere.

3. I stood in line for hours to get into to Toys R Us at midnight last year. Grabbed a few things and threw them in the cart only to take one look at the line and peace out. Cart in the middle of the aisle. Then went to Walmart and bought a TV instead. Sorry no ZhuZhu for you Lily.....

4. It was mob one year and I saw a lady tear into a pallet of toys like something from the Discovery Channel.

5. At Walmart a person got speared at the knees by securtiy gard over cutting in line. No joke ya'll.

One tip for colder climates: Walmart lets you stand inside now!!!

I am sad to say that I will miss Black Friday shopping this year. My wallet was quite happy until it found out we would be in Orlando instead of at Walmart!


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12 Days of Christmas

This week's topic? Family traditions. Mmmm this is a tough one. Since we only started laying down the law about Christmas last year I don't know if one year of data is called a tradition.

1. Decorate the Sunday after Thanksgiving. Well this is definitely a tradition that has been longer than a year. Poor Steph had to decorate early this year (Sunday BEFORE Thanksgiving) because of a looming Disney Vacay! Don't you feel sorry for me? Ok drool of jealousy now...
2. Lyle the Elf. Oh how Lily loves the elf. I actually broke out the "Lyle is going to tell Santa" today. Even though Lyle has not made an appearance yet. I am so turning into my mother. Lucky for us Mommy asked Santa if Lyle could follow up to Disney and he agreed. We should see him Sunday morning.
3. Christmas Eve Dinner with the three of us. Last year we enacted marshall law with the family and decided no more traveling on Christmas. We eat a big ol' dinner, go to church for our annual visit, and then drive home to the grandparents after breakfast and gifts. We live about three hours away from them.
4. Wake up at the butt crack of dawn to open gifts. Whew this has been around since I was a kid. Did not factor in elf work on Christmas eve when we carried this tradition on to our family.
5. Opening one gift on Christmas Eve. Also from my family. Hey what can I say we were impatient. My husband despises this but I always win.

The thing about traditions I love? You can start a new one any time you want. I want to add the Christmas Story to our list of traditions. They covered that at our annual church visit last year. Well at least for me. Michael was outside with a screaming 18 month old. We will see how she does this year...and if we add a new tradition by the end of the season.


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You Da Man BOB!

You know there are those times in your adventure of parenthood that you know you are going to be disgusted with yourself for one reason or another. You screw up A you don't do B, you do C but god knows you could have done it better. About a half a second after I handed over a $350 dollar check to the nice lady from Craigslist for a USED Stroller I knew I was having one of those moments.

I literally had to swallow back the vomit as I loaded up my new Bob Revolution stroller in black and tan, with optional car seat adapter, mommy organizer, child snack tray, and cup holder. Retail $490.

Did I really just do this?

Yeah I did and I was ashamed the whole ride home. I am not that glitzy person who needs all this top of the line stuff. I am just a mom. And that stroller is worth a the better part of a full weeks worth of work for me. Yeah I am apparently not the money maker in my household either.

Then I talked to my girlfriend and she was like "why do you think you need that?" all judgy (AKA YOU DON'T EVEN RUN!) Well lets be honest this is the Porsche of strollers and it drives like one. What a nice addition to our Disney trip. But really a secret...Michael wanted it.

Michael has officially refused to push our current stroller any longer because it deserves to be set on fire, thrown down a cliff and then to top it off drop a boulder on it. PS don't by the Combi strollers.

So I got home and unloaded the stroller. Unloaded Lily. And the stroller was all staring at me like you know you want to play with me. You know you want to.

Let the record show it took a $350 stroller to get me off my fat arse and outside to exercise today.

So I loaded Lily up. Strapped on my running shoes and went for a run :cough fast walk cough:. Well actually I did the first day of the Couch to 5K app that I downloaded forever ago and never did.

As soon as I started going for my warm up Lily started crying she wanted out. ARE YOU EFFING KIDDING ME? She hates it. OMG what am I going to do? This was a CRAIGLIST PURCHASE! :Insert string of naughty words going through my mind:

Then I hit my run time and starting chugging along and she relaxed. Started to enjoy the fall air and listening to Mommy wheezing in the background. Wheezing or dying. Whatever. But she was silent. As long as I was running.

Well Mommy ain't in that good of shape. In fact I fully admit I had to skip one minute of running because there was a hill involved and the math of the weight of the stroller plus the weight of the two year old was too much for my physicsless mind to comprehend. But I finished.

And much like my iMac. That stroller is worth every penny. EVERY. PENNY! And now I will go devour the rest of that pumpkin cheesecake in my fridge and put back on those pesky calories I just wasted on that run.


PS. Only the locals are going to get that title.

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S&1% my Kid Says

I made a yummy mexican dinner tonight. Burritos with beef, rice, corn, and black beans. I also made refried beans (the Fat Free ones aren't that bad!)

While sitting at the table Lily looked at me with all the two year old honesty in the world

Lily: Mommy? What's that?
Me: Oh that is beans.
Lily: Beans? Not Diarrhea?

Needless to say I didn't finish my beans. How does she even know what that is??? Where does she get this stuff. She kills me sometimes. I have to admit...she might be right.

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Halloween 2010

Why yes that is the most kick arse pirate I have ever seen...thanks for asking. Okay serious cuteness. I was doubting my pirate costume after my photoshoot for our Halloween card. So I beefed it up with a touch of Wolfpack Red and TADA! 

I put together the costume myself. Dress with a shirt over it, and boots all from Target Circo line. Hat and sword from WalMart. Red scarf and leopard scarf from my bedroom drawer. I kind of have a thing for scarves.

Mommy I am a sad pirate...come make me feel better....

Two seconds later....Just Kidding...I will cut you with my sword! 

I am not really sure what the tree ever did to her but she was definitely in character. 

This is our third straight year celebrating Halloween with the Bakers. AKA going to the rich neighborhood to get the good candy. We didn't even buy candy this year because we knew we wouldn't be there to pass it out. It does save money I will say. Good candy is not cheap. 

Lily attacking Daddy for no apparent reason other than to be an awesome pirate. 

Her best line "WALK THE PLANK!" 

This is the Baker girl Aubrey! The best cowgirl yet. 

Her horse's name was pretzel. Awesome. I mean if I was going to name a horse it would be after a yummy food. Brownie. Ice Cream. Reeses. Snicker. Mmmmmm

Love these pics of her! (PS Not on Auto and 80% of these pictures are straight out of my camera! ) 

The infamous pretzel makes his debut

Like a rhinestone cowboy played in my head all night

Michael must like getting beat up. This is why he is the cool one and I am the one always snapping pictures. He is willing to get down and dirty with the kids.

And get beat with Pretzel. 

And generally just get belly flopped on. Or as the Eads' household calls it...Froggy Splashed.

The night was good. Next year I will ditch the wagon and just have her walk. It ended up being more of a hassle than it was worth. Also to the guy at the first house we went to that wore the really scary mask. Thanks Dude. My kids luckily recovered pretty quickly and although I laughed at how scared Lily immediately got I will still kick your arse. Because that is what Momma Bears do. Then I felt bad when Steph B. told me he was raising twin 18 month old boys by himself because the Mom bailed. So he lived. But only for the sake of the kids. She was REALLY upset. :cough; laugh; snicker; cough: Oh and she ran to me so a small victory for Mommy since Daddy got major cool points for the pirate battle.

Lily was polite and really had the hang of it by the end of the night. She said her Trick or Treats and Thank yous like a big girl. Other than grabbing a few candy bowls the night was a success.

We ended the night by swinging by Uncle Kevin's to Trick or Treat. Uncle Kevin was home but refused to answer the door because he didn't have any candy. Then his buddy opened the door and was all like "aaww I am sorry we don't have any candy...wait Dude it's your brother!" ahahaha! I think Kevin was excited about his Halloween surprise. And we all know she loves him so it was a good ending to the night.

But boy was I exhausted. I don't remember it being this much work as a kid. We only Trick or Treated about and hour and a half and I thought I was going to die by the time we got home. I was in bed before 11 and still drug myself out of bed and tried to be presentable. I felt beat down ALL Day. As that old person....I would have been just fine doing that Saturday night. Whew.


Disclaimer: She in NOT AN ECU PIRATE. We bleed red in this house peoples. Only RED!


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