Chicago Mama Spot

High School Fashion

(Forgive the mis-aligned pictures and text.  I don't know what my problem is, but I can't get it aligned right.)

At least I know I'm not alone.  The warm weather is making my brain stop working. 

This is just the best I can do right now:

They say that your core fashion likes and dislikes are based on what was in style when you grew up - I assume "they" meant high school.  I can't remember where I read about this, but I think it holds true for me. 

Preppy was in when I started high school and I embraced it with my whole little fourteen year-old self.  For a while my dad insisted on calling me Kiki.

Check out my preppy self.  Don't I look happy?  How about that posture?  I'm not sure if you can clearly see the lovely bows all over my head.  After spending what looks like hours with the curling iron, I braided back one side and then just pulled back the other.  So cute, huh?

Again, with the great posture.  I loved the striped polos.  The hair is looking lovely with a french braid down the back.  How chic!

So what's the point of flashing my humiliating pictures for all to see?  I think I'm projecting my high school fashion sense on to my poor Sweet Pea.  Here are a few pictures I took of her this week.  I noticed the similarity in fashion when I was going through some old pictures during my intensive, get organized campaign yesterday.

Hey, plaid just like me.  If only I could get that fine hair into a french braid.

Here's Sweet Pea decked out in whales.  You can't really see them in the picture, but she's covered.  She's checking out her boo-boo and her cool Dora band-aid.  I loved the whole whale theme in high school.  My favorite store was actually called "The Whale."  (It was actually the scene of my one and only shoplifting experience - purple Ralph Lauren crew socks - very embarrassing.)

Later on in high school, I started dating someone who was very into the punk scene.  I hope I don't start dyeing Sweet Pea's hair burgandy and dressing her in black (yes, I went from preppy to burgandy, spiky hair).

It does seem like Sweet Pea is coming up with her own twist on my past.  Last week, she insisted on this look:

Looks like she loves the bows just like her mama did!

I have to say I still lean toward the preppy.  I'm glad it's made a comeback the last few years. There are some big things going on here this summer.  (Is there a topic that isn't blogged about?)

Espadrilles, I've missed you!  I'm so happy you're back in style.

Links and excuses

I've been on some kind of cleaning/organizing/throwing stuff out binge lately.  Daddy-O is out tonight.  It's past 11:00pm and I just sat down.  I've been so busy that I haven't thought of anything I want to say.  Plus, lately I've been so enjoying reading all the blogs out there that I find myself at the end of the night with no Mama Spot post.

So, I thought I'd share a few things I came across today on the news and in blogland.

Before I became the cleaning freak that I've become in the past few weeks, I thought a Roomba might be the answer to my pet hair woes.  Check out the adventures of this Roomba in New York City.

While Daddy-O gave Sweet Pea breakfast, CNN kept talking about this.  It made me uncomfortable just watching the simulation (they wouldn't stop showing it).  Can you imagine traveling this way with a toddler in tow? The company is denying the story, but I'm buying it.

Yet another crib caught my attention.  This one is for the lower tech parents out there who want to save the earth.

I'm off to check out my Bloglines.  I just can't stop!!!

 

Sleeping through Sunday

I'm blaming this on my cold, but really I think I just needed to catch up on my sleep.  Daddy-O let me sleep in until 10:00 this morning and during Sweet Pea's nap, I napped almost the entire time.  It was so nice.  All the sleeping meant I didn't have time to clean up the house or shower, but you can't have every thing.

Sweet Pea is wiping me out right now.  Every word out of her mouth is Mama or Mommy.  When I was tickling her today, I saw that all of her eye teeth and that last molar are getting ready to break through.  I am so hoping that is the problem.  She just won't let me out of her sight.  This is making my dog issue even more frustrating.  Charlie still won't go up any stairs from the yard.  She is also refusing to potty in the little dog run that we have for her.  She seriously needs the anti-anxiety drugs.  I feel badly for her, but she is just driving me crazy.  I'm trying to get her to potty while all Sweet Pea wants to do is get down and crawl around the dog run (very sanitary).  Daddy-O asked what we would do if things don't improve and I honestly thought about getting rid of her.  I couldn't, but if she were to suddenly find some family that loved her more than life itself and they had a big yard, I'd be tempted.  It kills me to say that.  I hope it gets better once we can go outside through the basement (damn carpet!).

I'm busy watching the Cubs trying to pull out a sweep, so I'm keeping tonight short and sweet.  I haven't posted many pictures of Sweet Pea lately, so here are a few.

Even though she's not looking at the camera, she has her hair in pigtails and her beloved boots on.  I took it on her last day in our old house.  She looked like such a little girl that day to me. 

(Go CUBS, Grand Slam by Michael Barrett in the 8th inning to put the Cubs up 7-4)

One of the adorable, but maddening things that Sweet Pea is loving right now is taking everything out of my closet.  She found this sun hat that I got when we were in Hawaii while I was pregnant with her.  She loved checking herself out in the mirror while she modeled it!

Who's my guy today? and a Target Lovefest

Alarm guy . . . Fascinating.  Any other week, I probably would have welcomed another adult in the house.  This week, I am just ready for everyone to leave.  Same old, same old.  The wiring had issues, so his 30 minute visit turned into a three and a half hour visit.  Very nice guy - a few kids in high school.  I'll spare you the career choices that his kids are interested in. 

Alarm testing . . . no fun.  Sweet Pea had just gone down for her nap when it was time to test the alarm. 

Very loud.  Poor Sweet Pea.

The alarm guy didn't really know much about VOIP.   It was really hard explaining it to him with 4 hours of sleep.  Finally, we got it all worked out.  We have a few little issues here and there because of a wall we took down, but overall I'd say we're pretty secure.  The conversation he had (I pretty much said "uh-huh" ) about It Takes a Thief was so detailed I was sure he was going to see my eyes glaze over.  But no, he just kept going like I was in the security biz too.  The show has an couple semi-hot ex-thieves who try to break into a house and basically destroy the inside.  It actually does sound like a pretty interesting show.  The website has a few cool interactive stuff that shows you how easy it is to break into a house.  I have no doubt they would have a good time here.  I am going to try to be really good about the alarm and locking up.  It's so hard with a squirmy toddler.

Once my friendly alarm guy left, I only had a few minutes of silence before Sweet Pea woke up.  By the time Daddy-O got home, I just wanted out of this place.  I told Daddy-O yesterday that I wanted to do a little shopping after Sweet Pea went to bed.  I have things that I want to get for the house and I have been trapped here by my various guys and all the unpacking for almost a whole week.  Sweet Pea isn't feeling so hot, so it took awhile to get her down for the night.  By the time I was done, it was after 7:30.  I almost gave up on the idea until I realized that if Sweet Pea is sick, we won't be going anywhere tomorrow either.  So, I hopped in my car and headed to Target. 

As soon as I saw that the store is open to 10:00 pm on weeknights, I was in pure heaven.  Target has never seemed so relaxing and enjoyable.  My lack of sleep has me in kind of a daze, so I just went aisle by aisle with no idea of what I was looking for.  Our Target just remodeled, so there is tons of new items and a whole new layout.  I didn't end up with anything interesting except for chalkboard paint that was marked way down.  I did throw a bread box into the cart with the idea that it could cover the modem and router mess of wires in the kitchen, but took it out once I decided I better think about the reality of me cutting a hole in the back for the wires.

It was just so nice to be by myself with no one talking to me.  I guess you take your "me" time when and where you can.  Daddy-O called wondering where I was when I was stuck in the hardware aisle trying to figure out if Target sells the perfect extension cord.  I tried to make a break for it then, but the aisles kept dragging me back.  Sandboxes, office supplies, networking cables.  I even spent some time looking at the pay-as-you-go cell phones.  I got out under $100 and felt ten thousand times more relaxed when I left.

Aside from Sweet Pea's cold, I think things are definitely on the upswing.  Besides the fun at Target, the house is slowly getting organized and the weather was gorgeous today.  I have to agree with one of my favorite mamas - warm weather makes me happier.  Sweet Pea and I took the swing set for a test drive.  I am embarrassed to admit it . . . kind of boring out there with her.  She can't really do anything on her own and most of it is too big for her.  Daddy-O spent forever out there with her tonight, so maybe it will be his deal.  I like the park nearby better because there are little things for her to play on too. 

Too bad we didn't realize she was getting a cold since we had her out there running around with no coat on.  I am crossing my fingers that this isn't anything too awful.  She had a little temperature tonight.  It's her first fever!  We've avoided it for almost 19 months, so I guess our luck ran out.

I hope to post a few pictures of the new place soon.  I should have taken some while there were boxes everywhere, but my camera was in one of those boxes.  Maybe the memory will fade like they say childbirth does and I'll be ready to move again in a few years!

Letters from the past . . .

Of course, while packing, I have a bit of a tendency to start to go through everything - instead of just packing it.  I want to throw things away, but also it's so fun to look at all the stuff you don't see too often.

I have this old green backpack filled with pictures, letters, and just junk.  I've moved it from place to place for the last ten years or so without even looking in it.  Since I'm overflowing with time right now,  I decided to go through it. 

There were lots of pictures from high school and college, but what really surprised me was all the letters.  A bunch from my old boyfriends, but also my family.  I didn't read them.  I wanted to so badly.  It will probably be another ten years before I get around to that.  I already know how embarrassing it will be to read some of them.  My high school boyfriend was older than me and moved to Palm Springs at the end of my senior year.  We kept dating through the first part of freshman year in college.  He definitely poured out his emotions.  I'm saving them because I feel like one day maybe Sweet Pea will want to know what I was like.  But, do I really?  Is there anything more intense than that first semi-grown up relationship.  Again, embarrassing!  I'm not even sure I can read them.

It's a shame that there isn't so much letter writing now.  It's all email and text.  Which is great, but, as my grandmother used to say, there just something nice about a letter.

One of the many things I wanted to do for Sweet Pea was to write her letters each year.  Let's see, nope, none written.  Maybe this will inspire me to write one.

Ikea Hell

Mondays are my day off.  Well, not really.  But, my father-in-law comes from 11 - 3:30 or so and I get to do whatever I want.  So, it feels kind of like a day off.

Today, I decided to head out to Schaumburg to go to Ikea.  I want to get a Sweet Pea sized table and chairs for our new house.  It's not like I don't head out to the 'burbs every once in a while, but usually it's out near my old workplace so I kind of know what I'm getting into.

My father-in-law got to our house late.  I had to fax something for Daddy-O and we were out of ink, so I had to run to the UPS store to fax it.  I was already well behind schedule before I even got on the highway.  It took me forever to get there. I got lost like ten times, but I finally pulled into the parking lot.

I've never been to Ikea before.  This place is huge.  The parking lot looks like a Fortune 500 corporate headquarters.  I braved the crushing wind and walked the 2 miles from my car to the front door.  The second I walked in, I knew I'd made a mistake.  Just not my thing.  Huge Pardon Our Dust signs flanking the escalator up.  Too crowded with too many people from too many far away suburbs with their carts stacked high.  Everyone was really nice, but almost too nice.  It probably wouldn't have been so bad if it hadn't been under construction, but I was just overwhelmed.  Plus, all the signs were in Swedish which didn't help me.  Most had tiny English subtitles, but not the stuff I was interested in.  I spent a good fifteen minutes looking for a lightweight twin comforter - and I don't even need one!  Not a good place for a girl with ADD. 

I did find a blanket with birds on it for Sweet Pea.  She still doesn't really sleep with a blanket.  I just have a few receiving blankets thrown in her crib with her.  Since she loves birds so much, I thought this was perfect and it was $6.99. 

The tables seemed too small.  The ones online looked better.  It didn't seem like they had their full inventory - maybe the construction? 

I got a few other odds and ends (stuff I didn't need) and then headed for the checkout.  Okay, the Swedes might have functional furniture at super low prices, but they don't have a good checkout system.  There were 15 people in line at every register and these carts were stacked high!  I was already thinking I only wanted the blanket, so I grabbed it and started looking for an express checkout.  No luck.  So, I decided to cut my losses and just leave.  I ditched the blanket on a display table.  But, as I tried to leave, I spotted those irritating self-serve checkouts.  I went back, found my blanket and a few minutes later I was back on the road, lost again. 

When I finally made it back to Chicago, I realized I spent 2 hours and 30 minutes on a trip to Ikea for a
bird blanket.   And, I only had 20 minutes left of my big day off.   I hate wasting my precious time alone.

At least I enjoyed my 20 minutes.  I sat in the garage and read my bookclub book. 

 

Diving Right In

Blog name, oh blog name, come to me!!  What to call my husband?  It's driving me crazy calling him J.  For some reason, I just don't feel like I can use real names (so much for my not wanting to let fear take over my life).  I'm just having a real hard time.

Daddy-O, Big Daddy, Mr. Big, Golf Daddy - I don't know, they all just seem so "used."  I think I'll go with Daddy-O, because he's a little like a 50s guy. 

I've decided to turn my adorable little G into Sweet Pea because I called her that while I was pregnant. 

So, henceforth, G is Sweet Pea and J is Daddy-O.  I'll see if I can stick with it.  If not, I guess I'll have to go to real names - who knew the dilemmas blogging would bring out! 

One of the things that Daddy-O (not that easy to type, maybe I made a bad choice) and I did before we had Sweet Pea was SCUBA diving.  We only went to a few places - Cozumel, Cayman Islands and Daddy-O went while we were in Hawaii (I was pregnant).  But, we loved it and definitely want to do it again.  It is so amazing that you forget you're in a skin-tight wetsuit. 

As much as I love diving and as much as I love my dog (I really do), I cannot imagine wanting my dog to dive with us.  I just got this crazy video from my step-dad.  How much time does this guy have on his hands that he is inventing this? 

Download divingcat.wmv

What made him even think - hey, I think my cat would like diving?

Certain people just make you feel more sane!

Oscars and Aliases

I spent most of tonight watching the Oscars and trying to get a new template up.  I've got some other ideas, but wanted to get rid of the standard template 

It's almost as much fun fiddling around with this thing as it is writing it.

I just have a few random thoughts for today.  I can't get my brain interested in anything too complex tonight!

The Academy Awards  - Jon Stewart - My verdict is that he did a good job.  If anything, the Oscars needed a little more of him.   Loved the cowboy piece and Steven Colbert is always funny.  Just hearing his voice makes me laugh.

All the fashion that I saw looked pretty tame, nothing too horrible.  Charlize maybe could have had taken the bow down by about 75% and I wasn't crazy about her hair.  Jennifer Garner looked much better than the last picture I saw of her.  I felt bad for her doing the little tripping thing.  I can so relate.  I am a big tripper. 

What happened to E's pre-Oscar show?  I couldn't find it.  The only one I found was on ABC for a half hour.

I did read that Helena Bonham Carter and hubby didn't look too hot, but I didn't see them. 

It is so hard for me to admit this, but I haven't seen one single Oscar nominated picture.  Not this year, and not last year.  I'd like to say it's because of G, but it's not.  I haven't seen a movie in a theatre for probably four years.  I'm not really sure why.  I used to love going to the movies.  I loved art movies, foreign films, independent - anything interesting. 

After I started dating J, we discovered pretty fast that as much as we like doing so many of the same things, we just don't click on movies.  He's really more of a meat and potatoes guy and that comes across in his movie taste.  But, he doesn't like typical guy movies either and definitely nothing with even a slight sci-fi twist.  I can't even get him to watch Lost! 

I hate to think that I stopped doing something I really liked because J didn't like it.  I don't feel like that's really it.  It's more that we have so many things that we both like doing together, that we end up doing those things.  I know I could go on my own and I used to once in a while.  But now, the idea of sitting in a movie alone with a bunch of people chomping popcorn right next to me doesn't sound like that much fun.  When it comes to my girlfriends, I don't know it just never really happens. 

The other thing that happened is that somewhere along the line, I stopped wanting to watch anything sad.  Doesn't it seem like the good movies are always sad?  J and I wached Million Dollar Baby on pay-per-view (hey, I guess I did see an Oscar winner - just a few years later).  I really didn't want to watch it because it was so sad.  My whole face gets swollen for the next 24 hours every time I have a big cry.  I definitely had a crying hangover after that one.  I knew what was going to happen, so I started crying before it even got depressing.

I guess you only have time in life for so much.  Maybe movies will make a big comeback for me once I hit my fifties.

I have to say even without watching any of the nominees, I felt like I'd seen most of the movies because I'd heard so much about them. 

Catchy names - I'm already tired of calling G and J, G and J.  Now that I've read so many other great blogs, I really want some clever little aliases for them.  I'm going to think about it for a few days, but expect a little more creativity than G and J.  Plus, J isn't even the first initial of my fabulous husband's name.  It's G, but it was too confusing to have G and G, so I changed it to J.  Very confusing to write the wrong initial. 

Off to bed now, I am determined to get to bed once this week before midnight.  A few nights this week it's been after 2 am.   It's tough being a mom and a night owl!