New Furniture?

Well he's not peeing in it, but he found a great use for his new potty. A TV chair?

Hello Summer.

 I agree that 60 degrees is not real Summer weather, but for this New England girl today it feels like those long hot days are right around the corner. 

The Husband informed me earlier that it is going to snow (ugh) Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday (I cry) so the little man and I tried to get in as much park time as we could. 

22 days until Spring.....I think I can, I think I can....

Potty Update.

Last night we tried out the little mans' "big boy potty." 

After he got out of the tub he sat his little naked tush on the potty. He then proceeded to stand up and put both of his binkis in the middle after flashing us a big smile.

The little man then climbed back into the empty tub and peed all over his toys. 

Clearly, we are going to need some better instructions. 

Overall, I consider this a pretty successful first try!

Now What?

While I was out running errands today I picked this up.

Now What?

I promise any advice will be payed forward when the little man is fully trained. *

*Keeping in mind that the little man is only 18 months old and I realize we are no where near "real" potty training. 

Yummy Spicy Shrimp.

This is the new favorite recipe in the Yummy Mummy household. Seriously, we have already eaten this twice and it's only Wednesday. I must warn you that this s*#@ is HOT. We love hot and this is HOT, HOT, HOT. However, ss hot as it is, it is equally as yummy. Oh, and the added bonus it that the shrimp only take about 5 minutes to cook. You have to love that!

Ingredients (for 2)

• 2 Tablespoons oil
• 3 minced garlic cloves
• 2 serrano chiles or 4 thai chiles chopped
• 1 lb peeled and deveined large shrimp
• Salt and Pepper
• 1/4 dry white wine (and some extra for drinking)
• 6 tablespoons chopped mint 

Directions

In a large skillet, heat the oil. Add the garlic and the chiles and stir-fry until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the shrimp, season with salt and pepper and stir fry over moderately high heat until the tails are pink and curled, about 3 minutes. Add the wine and cook until nearly evaporated, about 1 minute. Stir in the mint and serve. 

Here are the chiles and garlic getting their saute on. 

The final product.

I threw in a tomato salad.

Mmmmmmm delicious! 

Here is the husband really wanting to get his picture taken. 

Enjoy!

Mum To Mum Advice Please!

This question is for all you readers out there who are part of the momtourage (and some of you mildly obsessed pet owners, you know who you are.) I need your help. Bad. Really, Really bad.

The question? 

HOW IN THE HELL AM I SUPPOSED TO BE AWAY FROM MY BABY FOR 7 DAYS?

Yes, we have hit the part of the show where it has just sunk in that I WILL BE AWAY FROM MY BABY FOR 7 WHOLE DAYS. Yea, I'm having a bit of anxiety. OK, OK I am having quite a bit of anxiety. 

The Husband of course thinks that I am a total nutcase. The Husband has also traveled away on business more than a few times. The Husband also goes to work everyday and therefore is not attached at the hip, neck, lips (insert body part here) in the same way that I am to the little man. So, of course he won't understand. I'm hoping that some of you mommies out there have been through this and will give me some words of encouragement (or discourgement if that is the case) or at least let me know that I'm not crazy.

Don't get me wrong. I could not be more excited about this trip. 7 days in Maui with only The Husband is going to be a much needed dream come true. The little man is going be in the best care possible. My mother-in-law and father-in-law are actually flying over from Europe and will give the little man more love and attention than I ever would/could (yes, we realize how truly lucky we are to have this option.)

That being said.....

HOW AM I GOING TO BE AWAY FROM MY BABY FOR 7 DAYS?

I'm not actually sure who I am more worried about, me or him. Probably me. Maybe him? I just don't want him to freak. Like stop eating, stop sleeping, make my in-law's lives hell kind of freak. I also don't want to spend my trip crying, balling, sobbing, etc.... The thing is we are just so attached to each other. I'm sure this is not that unnatural or unusual and I only notice it when other mothers say, "wow he is really attached to you," which may or may not happen on a weekly basis. I always say, "I think we are equally attached to each other." The truth is we are, which is another reason why think that this trip is such a  good idea. 

Except I still can figure out....

HOW CAN I BE AWAY FROM THE LITTLE MAN FOR 7 DAYS?

Looking through some old pictures I'm thinking that our mild (major) obsession with each other may have something to do with the fact that I carried him like this for the first 6 months of his life, 24 hours a day 7 days a week. 

Yes, my back still hurts. No, I no longer have my Katie Holmes inspired hair cut (thank god.) And, yes I have much better frames for my glasses now. Oh, and my parents were in town, we really don't go out to eat that much.

Oh little man I miss you already and you are only downstairs napping.....

Please help me. 

Looks Like I'm Not The Only One.

As regular readers of my blog you know that I am slightly, OK majorly, obsessed with Gwyneth Paltrow. Yes, I try to dress/look/eat/ (insert word here) like her. I know, I know, there are plenty of people out there to emulate. But I just can't help coming back to her. Why? It's because she is just SO DAMN FABULOUS. 

According to the New York Times it looks like I'm not the only one. This article discusses how Gwyneth has become the new lifestye guru of some (me, me, me!.) With that sort of "Oprah" stardom there is bound to be some backlash. I of course think that most of it is completely unfair and even more uncalled for, but my girl Gwyn doesn't even seem to bat an eye. 

Bottom line it looks like Gwynie is hear to stay.  At a minimum it means she won't be getting that restraining order against me anytime soon. Because:

1. She is too busy giving training tips to Madonna (she did refer Madge to her super uber trainer.)
2. She is too busy looking amazing at all times, even while chasing her two adorable kids.
3. She is too busy making out with her super hot, super charming husband.
4. She is too busy eating her way through spain all the while drinking her soy milk (something this yummy mummy can clearly relate to.)
5. I'm not the only one!!
6. All of the above.

Yes Gwyneth, I'd follow you anywhere. 

Marriage Summed Up In 3 Emails.

Last night The Husband was on call from 5-9 pm. Here is a copy of the conversation that we had over email. I think it sums up married life pretty well.

Me:

"Lils in bed. I have a small glass of red wine, some antipasto (cardboard container), garlic bread and just dvr'd a major chic flick. Please feel free to take your time. Love :)"

The Husband :

"I'm going to come home, bitch about something, make a mess, and want to turn off your chick flick immediately.  enjoy the peace while it lasts. love."

Me:

"I expect nothing less. That's what I signed up for. Love you."

The Girl I Hate That I Love.

If you are not a regular watcher of The City (based on the ratings most of the wold is not) than you will not have any idea who I am talking about. For you avid watchers, like me, I am hoping that some of you can share my pain. I am talking about my current loathing / loving of none other than Ms. Olivia Palermo.

Olivia probably has one of the worst personalities of anyone on television. It's not just that she is an uppity, entitled, snotty bitch, that I could live with.  The problem is that she is just also ccompletely void of any (ANY!) emotion and is really just a waste of space for the majority of the show. 

As luck would have it this internally ugly person is just so freaking beautiful on the outside. She has perfect hair, perfect teeth, perfect skin, and an amazing sense of fashion. In short she has become the girl that I hate that I love. I mean look at her! Ugh it is just such a waste.

She is flawless. I love her "classic" look. She often has her hair tied back in an interesting chignon (which at the moment is my favorite "look") and is usually outfitted in modern yet tailored ensemble that always accentuates her amazing body. The girls over at WhoWhatWear daily (my favorite fashion blog) even made her their January Girl Of The Month (my ultimate goal in life.) 

It's all just not fair. I really really really want to hate her, yet I find myself pausing the DVR whenever she enters the screen. If I am really honest her 2 minutes an episode is probably the only reason I keep watching the damn show. Oh Olivia, I hate that I love you so.

ps. There is a rumor out there that says that the character Blair Waldorf from Gossip Girl is based on Ms. Olivia. This only make me love/ hate her even more.

Oh No They Didn't!

Ahhhhh but they did. The geniuses over at Christian Louboutin have found way to one up the Petal Louboutins with none other than the Carnaval!

 

I know you are speechless. This is exactly how I felt when I opened my email and saw what my good friend the Missus had emailed me last night. At 1600 + dollars the Husband would never OK these but I can guarantee that these bad boys will one day be on sale and this Yummy Mummy will do everything in her power to beg, borrow, and steal to make them mine. 

Seriously, these babies are the most beautiful thing I have ever seen. Oh Missus, you tempt me so.

Someone Must Be Playing a Joke On Me.

I'm starting to think that we may have a ghost living with us. A ghost who's sole purpose is to help the little man get into situations which without said ghost he would not be able to do. 

For example, today I went to answer the door for the Viking repairman (don't even ask.) I left the little man sitting 6 feet away from me playing on the floor. About 20 seconds later I walked back into the living room to find this.

Yes, that is the little man, and yes, he is on top of the table. OK, joke's over. Yesterday he couldn't get on the table let alone the chair. Clearly, someone or something is helping him. Right?

"Why sit on the table when it is so much more fun to stand?" the little man inquired.

When I questioned him about his accomplice he gave me the silent treatment. 

Finally I was able to convince him to sit down. A compromise we'll call it. 

And back to our morning breakfast.

This kid is clearly going to be the death of me. 

Buy This NOW.

You know the saying about how you can only truly appreciate something when it's gone? Well that saying has never rang truer than when I ran out of my Clinique moisture surge face cream last night. I have only started using this product this year and I wasn't sure if I loved it. That was until I ran out of it. 

Cut to me walking up this morning to dry, flaky, and peeling skin. My face looked the way I fell after a 5 martini night (my head hurts just remembering those days.) You know the feeling, when you wake up and you are just so freaking thirsty. Like I could drink an entire swimming pool of water thirsty? Like you feel like you are licking the bottom of the Grand Canyon thirsty? Yea, well that's how my face felt. 

Luckily I had the sitter today and I was able to pick this up while I was running around town. I literally poured some on my face and immediately my skin is again hydrated and dewy. I again have the skin of a person who does not live in New England in February. Yes, that kind of skin. This stuff really is amazing and if you haven't tried it and you live anywhere north of the equator I suggest you run to your nearest department store and pick some up. It's inexpensive (relatively), oil free (a must for this acne prone mummy), and it's a gel so you can wear it at night and during the day under makeup. 

While you are at it might I suggest you buy two? No one wants to wake up to what I saw this morning......no one.

Cold.

This is the one word that describes my life right now.

1. I cannot seem to shake this damn cold. I continue to wake up every morning feeling like I was just hit by some sort of truck. Today I'm feeling like it was a very large garbage truck, which is actually pretty appropriate given that a garbage truck was what woke the little man and I at 6:45 this morning. Add to that the fact that I still can't breathe through my nose and you get the general picture.
2. It's just so cold outside. I made the mistake of pulling up the weather and this is the cold reality that I was just faced with. You make have to click on the picture to get the full effect but generally the range is somewhere between 20-40 degrees, AS A HIGH! Winter I officially HATE you.

The only silver lining on this downer of a post is the weather report for next month's vaca in Hawaii. You will notice the lack of cold in those average 80 degree temps. 

This is the only think keeping me going. Especially now that I just heard it is going to snow again tomorrow. 

Yep, cold pretty much sums up my life right now......

Happy Valentines Day!

Today is Valentines Day. In the Yummy Mummy household we don't do too much to mark this occasion, however I am always happy to get and receive a card on this holiday.

Kate Spade has the most adorable selection of free emailable (is that a word?) cards on her website. Here are a few of my favorites.

I must say I am obsessed with the moustache one and a certain Husband of mine may have this waiting in his inbox at this very moment. 

I hope everyone gets to share this day with someone they love. My little man has assured me that yes, he will be my valentine,

This Kid Sucks.

From the very moment that the little man exited the womb he has loved to suck. It's actually a running joke in the family given that I did everything in my power in those early days to keep him off a Binky. 

I, like most first time mothers, had gone to a breast feeding class where they had brainwashed me into thinking that if my baby is given a Binky then he will never, never latch on. Well latch on he did, and he latched, and latched, and latched. You get the picture. After two days of me whining about the fact that my nipples were going to fall off the nurse finally said to me that I just needed to give my kid the damn Binky. This of course worked like a charm, and we have never looked back. I'm sure you have noticed a running trend in pictures on this blog, that the little man is never too far from his beloved passie. 

Now the little man is approaching 18 months and all I have been hearing lately is that it's time to give up the Binky. In fact most of the pressure seems to come from the pediatricians, but of course it also comes from other mothers who are quick to inform me that "he really should be giving that up soon." The thing is that I just don't see it as a problem. He likes it. He sleeps his ass off. His teeth are already jacked from it, and as a former finger sucker till the age of 12 I definitely think that this is the lesser of two evils. Therefore, when I am asked about our Binky situation by the doctor or a meddling mother, I simply lie. I say of course he has given it up, and the bottle too. Lie, lie, lie. He's my kid and if he likes to suck so be it.

However, I have tried to make the Binky a less prominent part of the little man's day. I rarely let him take it out of the house, and when he's home I try to keep them (all 20 or so) out of sight. Occasionally he will find one under the couch but the majority of the time he is good without them.Yea, that was until the other day. The little man was playing so nicely sans Binky with his new puzzle when this happened.

Yes, that is a puzzle piece and yes he sucked on it for about thirty minutes.

What can I say except.....This Kid Sucks?