Avoiding Naptime...

I got my haircut this morning, and I love it! I thought I'd share a picture of it, just in case I can't replicate it before anyone gets to see it.

Isn't it amazing how a good haircut can make you feel like a new person? My hairstylist said I have enough hair for three people... do you need some? I feel like I lost 5 pounds just by getting my hair cut.

I also thought I'd share my newfound love for cooking blogs. I like places like allrecipes.com, but blogs really get inside the details of a recipe, usually including pictures and comments. Two that I visit frequently are http://crockpot365.blogspot.com/ I love my crockpot, and this blogger has committed to using hers every day for a year. Next on the must-try list from her website:

and http://www.pickypalate.blogspot.com/ This one has lots of tasty-looking treats, but I've only tried entrees so far- and they've been good! Next on the must-try list from her website:

And I got a few comments regarding the Favorite Things party that I posted about last week. A friend of my sister had a party, and my mom decided to replicate it. It really wasn't anything fancy- anyone could do it- but it was a whole lot of fun!

Basic Math

1 nap missed due to Stake Conference
+
1 nap missed due to uncooporative little girl
=
1 very quiet dinner.

Like Christmas in February

The Favorite Things party last night was so so so much fun. I didn't know many of the people there, but found connections with different people quickly based on our favorite things! One of my favorite things is a good pair of socks- no holes in the toes- so I brought that to share along with homemade cards (I can't approach scrapbooking, but card-making seems much more doable). I thought that was fairly original, but someone else had the same idea! Who would have thought that hole-free socks were such a sought-after commodity?

Plus, in addition to sharing my favorite things, I got to take home other people's favorite things, and I scored big! My two favorites were The Sweetest Softest Bath Pillow on Earth from Bath and Body Works

and this super cute multi-purpose tin containter from IKEA

How fun is that? And the best thing about it all was that it was just a party for the sake of having a party. No distant relative's obligatory birthday party, no awkward meet your neighbors BBQ, and nobody selling anything. While those parties can be great fun, too, sometimes you just need to party because you can party. So, in light of the popular recommendations from a few weeks ago, I highly recommend doing something just because you can... it can be the most fun of all!

Rainy Days and Mondays....

I love reading updates on other people's blogs, and I like to think that maybe other people enjoy reading updates on mine. Too bad I've been such a slouch about posting lately. There just isn't a whole lot going on around here, and I'm grateful for that. I guess I could write about Leah cutting molars- ouch!- or our recent attempt at shopping for a new carseat for her (how the heck do you know what to look for?). I could write about the latest book I finished (The Goose Girl- I highly recommend it) or the fact that Jason has a nasty whooping cough that frightens me in the night. But I don't... so you get nothing instead.

Although, I am VERY excited about the Favorite Things party that I am going to tonight. Everyone picks a favorite thing, brings 5 of it, and swaps it around with other people, then goes home with 5 of other people's favorite things. It's a little like Oprah's favorite things, but I'm pretty sure there won't be any mini-van's handed out. I'll let you know, though!

And since every post needs a picture, here you go. This is a self-portrait of Jason and I from a few years ago at the Art City Balloon Festival. We rode in the yellow one that is right behind Jason's head. Have you ever been in a hot air balloon? I loved it, even though I'm a bit afraid of heights.... and wicker baskets? Who came up with that idea???

Pretty Pretty Princess

Leah is turning into such a girly girl. She loves having her hair brushed, tries to put clips and bows in her hair, and loves rooting through my jewlery box. She has started draping my necklaces around her neck, and will parade through the house with them on, stopping in front of us and then waiting for a compliment or two. She also loves putting on pretend makeup with me. It's so fun, but I didn't know girly-ness started so early!

I was worried that Jason would try to turn her into a little boy, but he loves his little girl- let it be known that Jason bought Leah her first Barbie toy. It's a cute little puppy that barks and pants when you pet him, and Leah thinks he's great! (The puppy, although she thinks her dad's pretty great, too.)

We were all pretty sick last week, so we got to spend a lot of time together at home. Leah had so much fun with Jason, and I really appreciated the help when I was couch-ridden. But this week it's back to the grind, and hopefully back to a more regular updating of this blog!

Fantasy Shoe Friday

If you have a love for shoes that stretches a little further than BOGO at Payless, I highly recommend checking out my good friend and former roommate's blog every Friday.... Fantasy Shoe Friday! It will make you laugh out loud and realize that you're not the only person who thinks it's ridiculous to spend $200 on a pair of shoes, but still secretly covets them.

Enjoy!

http://jcbrowerfamily.blogspot.com/2008/02/friday-shoe-day-spring-tastic.html

Baby Einstein

I love the Baby Einstein videos. They give me a chance to make dinner in peace. Leah loves them, too. But lately, Leah's "appreciation" for them has turned into more of an infatuation. She toddles up to the TV and starts banging on it at all hours of the day, yelling "Be-be! Be-be!" in hopes of getting it to magically appear on the screen.

Today after lunch she walked over to it and started petting the screen, softly asking "Be-be? Be-be?" as in, "Are you in there, my best friend? Would you like to come out and play with me?" And since the house is trashed and Leah has been stuck to my leg since 6:00 this morning, I gave in. She's watching "Be-be" and I'm taking a break.

But I'm a little disheartened. 95% of each day is filled with fun activities, good meals and snacks, and much needed sleep. But it is the 5% of each day that I let Leah watch her 20 minute puppet-filled video that is her favorite time of the day. It's tempting to give into her "Be-be" filled requests more often. I could run a business out of our home with the spare time I would have if I let her watch TV as often as she'd like.

But, I won't. We will still go Mother Goose story time at the library and play group and our swim lessons. We will still play with finger puppets and read stories and build block towers. We will still take walks around the block and through stores and pray for warmer weather soon so we can go back to the park. Because I'm not going to raise a couch potato! We will find a healthy balance between television watching and all of the other fun things the world has to offer. I'm adament!

I'm sure the "Be-be" battle will continue, and something tells me it won't be won anytime soon... just thought I'd share.

(And in case you're wondering why Leah is wearing so little clothing in the above picture, sadly enough, it was taken in September.)

Finally February

I don't know about you, but I thought January was a looonnng month. It always is for me, but this year, we had holiday recovery, a major car-repair bill, a broken little wrist, three new teeth, weaning, and lots of snow to deal with. I don't know why, but I've been looking forward to February for a few weeks now. Today we are decorating for Valentines Day, going to story time at the library and baking cookies. Tonight Jason and I are going to the temple to do sealings. What a great day to start the new month off.

I've been thinking about Valentine's Day a lot, too. I have a lot of great memories of holidays growing up- my mom always made V. Day special with heart-shaped pancakes, festive decorations, and a little Valentine's treat. I want to create the same kinds of memories for my little family. Jason and I agreed to not spend any money on gifts this year, so I'm trying to be extra creative. I'm exited about one idea I came up with, but since Jason reads this blog, you'll have to ask me in person if you're just dying to know.

What are your ideas for Valentines Day? Is it an over-the-top all out celebration with ridiculously prices roses and Whitman's samplers, or do you boycott the holiday all together? Only two weeks until the big day!

The Queen Rules Again

Lest we forget who rules around here, Leah and I colored a crown for her the other day. Here she is posing for it, complete with scepter to rule.

After our early morning doctor's appointment, we have good news today- no more cast! They took some x-rays and said it was healed, so we slipped the cast off and into the trash (nostalgic packrat Jason wanted to keep it- eww!). Leah keeps stroking her newly freed arm- it's so cute!