2 Kids, 2 Personalities

This is what a typical "photoshoot" looks like at our house these days:

... I love it.

Time flies

This was 2. years. ago.

This was today:

... I'm sorry, who replaced my 2 year old with a teenager?

Seriously.

A week in the life

Geoff said to me the other day that we don't take nearly as many pictures of Jack as we did of Phoebe.

I told him that's not true.  Maybe *he* isn't taking as many pictures, but I can assure you -- my cell phone is FULL and my camera is, too.

Yesterday he asked me how many times a day I thought Phoebe hugged Jack.


I said "I don't think she stops hugging him, except when she's sleeping."

And even then, I wouldn't rule out her hugging him in her dreams.

Wordless Wednesday*

(*check the booty/feel free to judge me/kiss my ass if you judge me/the pants weren't grass-stained and full of holes/she was totally normal/YAY-I-HAVE-NEW-PANTS-THAT-FIT-STRAIGHT-FROM-THE-DRYER edition)

I paid $3 at Old Navy for this shirt (that reads "Mad About Maui") shortly after Phoebe (Miss Made in Maui) was born. I know it's ridiculous.  But I love how it fits.

These aren't tight enough to cause a rippling like that ... they are straight from the dryer though, so maybe they'll stretch.  Stacy and Clinton would NOT approve.

I totally thought the cargoes were gonna be my least favorite, that I'd never wear them. Ever.  Until I looked at the booty.  HELLO GORGEOUS!

Why I Love Geoff

So I'm about like 5 lbs away from fitting into my pre-Jack pants (shirts, who knows? what with nursing and all) and until then, I'm stuck with ONE PAIR that look good and fit me.

One.

I get spitup on them like daily, too.

But I can't justify spending money on new pants because I'm SOCLOSE to getting into the old ones.

But then I go to get dressed to go anywhere other than the park or the grocery store and I want to shoot myself because I AM SO TIRED OF WEARING THOSE JEANS.

So I checked craigslist yesterday and found this:

1 pair of gap cargo pants in grey
1 pair of gap long and lean jeans
1 pair of gap sexy boot

Excellent condition! Non smoking/non pet home!!

For $20.

And -- yes -- I'm a size 12.  Fuck you.  I just had a baby 9 weeks ago.  A baby who weighed 9 lbs and 9.5. oz.  Without any painkillers whatsoever.  So you can all kiss my ass if you're judging me.

Besides, I intend to lose 17 lbs by New Year's (yep -- another lb lost since last week!)

Anyway, as you can see, the picture shows the new 1969 label on the jeans and so my heart started racing with excitement and I emailed her, fully expecting them to be gone already (I mean, hello -- it's been listed a WEEK!)

She replied -- they're still available and she's also losing baby weight and is now a size 10, etc etc etc.

So she's meeting Geoff today during his lunch hour for The Exchange.

And I just can't believe it.  All night, I kept telling him "This just seems too good to be true. I mean, she could sell those for $20 EACH probably!"

I also kept saying "Man, I just hope nothing is wrong with them".

I mean, there's no real pictures of the ENTIRE pants ... it's just that one label!  I mean, HOW IS SHE WILLING TO SELL THEM FOR $20!?!?

We may have been drinking Makers Mark while I was freaking out about what a great deal this is.

So Geoff said "Okay so do you like want me to look them over or something before I give her the money?" and I said "Well, I mean, I don't really care as long as they're not, you know, ripped and dirty or something."

This morning when we woke up, Geoff said:  "I had a dream last night".

I said "Oh?"

He said "Yeah, I dreamed those pants were totally disgusting, grass-stained, holes, moth-eaten, just nasty."

I had no idea my neurosis could affect his dreams.  We haven't seen Inception yet, but I get the feeling this is sorta what that movie is about.

I said "Yeah, if they're like that I don't want them."

He said "She probably wants the money to buy meth".

I said "Well, she is in Nipomo."

And he said "Oh yeah, definitely wants the money to buy meth".

I'll keep you guys posted.

Resolution

I decided a few weeks ago that I intend to lose 20 lbs by Halloween.

And then I remembered that I'm nursing another human being so I am giving myself until New Year's. So far, I've lost 2 lbs.

I figure the more people I tell (and the more times I tell it), the more likely it will happen. I can be held accountable. I hate breaking my word.

I'm not "dieting" per se, just trying to eat normal foods (and not too much of them). The "not too much" is actually the easy part ... it's the making "normal" foods with 2 kids that gets hard (okay, yes, we eat mac and cheese like once a week).

We've been walking to the park every day or so (2 miles round trip) ...well not lately, but this week was rough ... and I intend to start working out at the gym soon. Our local gym has a 'trade' policy -- I can work in the childcare (and bring the kids, natch) for something like 3 hours a week and I get a free membership. Score.

In addition to this "clearing out" of excess baggage, I'm also committing to getting rid of a trash bag of ... crap ... every week.

Books, cookbooks, clothes, towels, sheets, bathroom products, etc.

1 trash bag. Every week.

For how long?

I can't say. Maybe until I feel like I've purged enough?

We don't live in a big place, and with 4 people, things are getting cramped with ... crap. Just ... like ... everywhere. I can't put anything away it seems like because there's already something else there.

I want to sell some of my clothes on ebay (hmm maybe I'll link the ebay store here ...) ... maybe I'll make some extra money. Donate books to the library. Towels and sheets? Maybe to the animal shelter. Bathroom products? Ugh ... garbage.

I put on perfume today I haven't worn in awhile. It's gotten old. I look at my old size 6 clothes and realize "You know, most of these probably won't get worn again". I've gotten old. I've been pregnant and nursing and that has meant ... no perfumes for awhile .. and bigger clothes.

So ... the great purge has begun.

I'm excited for the journey.

What have you been holding onto that you could get rid of? Wanna start a resolution revolution!?

One more thing ...

Me and Stillman.  End o' the nite (for us anyway -- I'm pretty sure Stillman hasn't yet ended his Wednesday night ...)

What I learned last night

Last night our friend was hosting Day 2 of his 5-day Wet Zeppelin II party. 

Every year on/around the anniversary of Elvis Presley's death, Stillman has a party.  Last year we couldn't get a babysitter so we didn't go, which worked out well because PANDEMONIUM erupted and the cops came and Stillman has now been BANNED FOR LIFE from having another party at that location. 

His name in my phone is "Heroic Booze Funnel".  The man is amazing.  But that's a post for another time.

My mom offered to babysit last night so we could go (see a punk show -- at a dive bar! Score!) and Geoff said "Let's not waste this opportunity -- we're going".

We were tired, but we had so. much. fun.

But I learned a few things, like:

1. I clean up pretty damn good, I don't mind telling you (especially since I have been dyeing my own hair since around May and I haven't had a trim since March oh and that whole Just Had A Baby 8 Weeks Ago thing ...)

2. I hadn't been to a bar in so long when the bartender looked at me to give her my drink order, my mind went completely blank.  I had no idea what I would like to drink, thankyouverymuch.  Geoff quickly ordered a Newcastle and my brain was overwhelmed by all the options -- do I want a cocktail? A beer? What do I like? I can't remember!  Oh my god I used to like to drink at bars.  I drank at bars a LOT in my early 20s, what in God's name is wrong with me?  The bartender?  Not so amused.  So I awkwardly ordered a beer (Firestone DBA -- one of my faves).  And then a Southern Comfort and Coke (because -- hey -- I liked those in college).  Geoff then spilled half my SoCo and Coke while pointing out to me the bar's "$2 Tecate Tuesdays" (every night is Tecate night at our house).  And then another beer (Shock Top).  And a shot of Makers Mark (because Makers Mark is DELICIOUS).  I did NOT get buzzed enough to enter the dance cage.

3. Jack slept the entire time we were gone.  From 8 until 12.  And he woke up when I moved him from the couch, nursed, and then slept until 5.  I am going to assume this means he wants us to go out more often. 

4. And even though I got about 6 or 7 hours of sleep (maybe) last night, I felt GREAT this morning because I was so happy to have gotten out of the house without kids, with my husband, and wearing eyeliner and a very visible non-nursing push-up bra.

5. We're gonna have to do that again.  Soon.

Wordless Wednesday

Our house

Living room an utter disaster of toys and childstuffs, Geoff tripping over the dog (with a crazy disappearing foot! wtf?!) after dancing with Phoebe (collapsed in giggles), acoustic music station playing on tv, I need a pedicure (BADLY) and Jack is on the couch next to me sleeping.

I love our life.