"Of course I buckled her seat belt! Did you not see the letter she wrote to me? You know the one that says, 'you are the greatest mom'?"
And then I recollected a time long ago when I was a new mother...
Kaitlin was still a small baby in a rear facing car seat. I had taken a fabulous trip with her to the mall. After many purchases we headed back to the car for a long drive home. I was thrilled by the recent purchases made, but most of all a tiny pair of the cutest shoes I have ever seen! Upon returning to the car, I ripped the plastic ring holding the shoes together with my teeth and put those adorable shoes on my adorable daughter. The result was stunning! Was it really possible to have two of the most beautiful things in the world in California, never mind my car? Happy with my triumph, I merrily drove home. When I got into the back seat to release my little diva, I realized the distraction of gorgeous shoes had made me neglect to strap my own daughter into her car seat! Hmmm... they were really nice shoes...
What's a post about shoes without some eye candy? And no, these are not the shoes I put on my baby... I'm pretty sure they don't make Louboutin's in child's sizes.p.s.- I have written 11 posts about shoes and counting
With my fake 3 carat diamond ring and Kaitlin's Sugar boots- all the other preschool moms are jealous (that, and I make sure I'm listening to fabulous music each time I am in the school parking lot- windows down, of course)
Yesterday, Jimmy and I informed Kaitlin that the tree had been up long enough and we would be taking it down the following day. She cried herself to sleep. This morning, we painstakingly put each ornament away after kissing it good bye and wishing it a great year. Each and every ornament. As Jimmy dragged the poor dead tree out the door, our precious girl sobbed. She insisted on kissing the tree good bye and taking a final picture with it.
This beautiful and unique finish is accomplished by leaving two unsupervised dogs at home for the first time. The tools required are very simple. Just leave an unopened FedEx box by the front door. The key to a great sharp result is to have a water activated glue inside the FedEx box. Make sure one of the two dogs you have left alone can chew through cardboard, wood and high performance plastic. The rest is easy- be certain that the dogs will chew on the heavy duty bottle of glue over the carpet and use their saliva to activate the foaming glue. To give the faux finish extra oomph, leave to let dry at least two hours. For the polka dot effect, repeat as necessary.
Just as with the faux finish for the carpets, this project requires unattended canines. Leave two dogs in an environment with beautiful hard wood floors and a trash can filled to the brim with discarded raw chicken containers. This method only works if you have neglected to return trash can to it's proper place- UNDER THE SINK.
Every year, we attend Main Street Bethlehem. I was a little leery after last year... a leper followed me around freaking me out all night. I think he thought it was funny to see me squirm. I do have to say, it's nice to go without needing a stroller- that hay really rides up. I still cry every time I see the live Nativity with Mary, Joseph and the Christ Child. 
Do you ever think we will be able to get away one Christmas without going to the Jelly Belly Factory? No, not when they still hand out free candy and have larger than life creepy nutcrackers. 
This is the first of many pictures from Christmas Eve. I have to give you a little background... Jimmy's attention span can only handle so much... when the night slow down, he tends to find interesting things to do while the rest of us are making sweet priceless memories. This year, my sweet husband decided our digital camera on the sly was the ticket to bore-free success. This first picture is a fun and innocent picture I took... the rest will be unveiled below. Enjoy. 
This is when the real fun starts. Jimmy's first victim. It seems that his headache is just a precursor as to what will come.
And it just goes down hill from here folks...
It's good thing Nora's got a good personality... just kidding- she's adorable- I can't understand how Jimmy could have gotten such an unpleasant shot of her.
Yeah, I don't want to ever be on Melissa's bad side- yes, she's smiling, but, please, don't hurt me...
Not so candid, but I bet no one was expecting this on a blog.
R.I.P. Natalie, it seems the ghost of Christmas past has taken over.
My parents got an adorable little chef outfit. She always helps in the kitchen, but now she matches Mommy. She wore it most of the morning.
Mommy is one happy camper, er, scrapper.
With that previous picture being so terrible, I thought I'd put in one that makes me look less like a total slob. I did, however, wear pajamas all day and eat junk food. But, that was part of the requirement. Everyone in attendance had to come in pj's and eat all the fabulous things laid out. Plus, we each got a pint of Ben & Jerry's ice cream to ourselves... yeah, I haven't weighed myself yet... please, don't remind me...
We do not have cable TV so that I won't sit on my round rump (soon to be toned- I hit the 2o lb. weight loss mark!!!) all day and watch TV. There are boring and unrealistic shows on in the daytime... so what's a girl to do? Get the Blockbuster all access pass, of course! Now, I can sit on my posterior all day AND all night! I am currently in the eighth season of 'Friends'. Luckily, I can't watch that show when Kaitlin is home because it's a tad bit inappropriate for a five year old... but hey!-that's what preschool is for!