Girl Toys for Little Girls

Staying true to my roots, I got these for the twins as surprise airplane distraction toys:


Ah, My Little Ponies. I have fond memories of spending hours playing ponies with Heather while listening to Mannheim Steamroller. Good times, good times.

Reminder: Post Pics of Your Pets Tomorrow!

Don't forget to post pictures of your animal companions tomorrow! Feel free to copy this logo and use it on your own pet post to show your proud participation in Post Pics of Your Pets Day festivities.

Bundle Up

We're looking at high 50s and low 60s for our beach vacation next week. Great. Just great. We'll be wearing long pants and parkas to build our sandcastles. We'll look like that kid from A Christmas Story.

Tylenol, Markers, Teletubbies, and a Stiff Bloody Mary

What else will I need?

Those of you who have flown with young children: I need your help! Please please please leave your suggestions and advice for surviving a four-hour plane ride with two 2-year-olds. We leave Sunday morning!

Blogger's Best Friends

I have a proposition, blogging friends. I say it's time we show our animal companions some blogosphere love. Let Friday, June 1, be Post Pics of Your Pets Day. Photos of our animal friends will spread like wildfire across blogland.

What say you? Are you with me? Leave a comment if you're planning to participate, and I'll include links to all Pet-Friendly Blogs on the big day.

Hooray for our furry/scaly/feathered/etc friends!

Positive Thinking Revisited

Warning, Lost fans: Possible spoiler alert.

I'm just going to say this right here, right now, and the force of my will will make it true:

Charlie is not dead.

That is all.

So Much to Fear

While filling out a poll for an online polling service, I came across this question:

Which of the following is more worrisome to you?

• The government gaining legal access to my phone records (e.g., through the provisions of the Patriot Act)
• A cyber-criminal (someone who uses software for criminal purposes) gaining access to my personal information (i.e., bank account and credit card numbers, passwords, etc.) through my PC (personal computer)
  

Um, all of the above?

We Remain Neutral

In honor of the Crosstown Classic series:

Fighting Crime in the Streets

This is my alderman:

Crime-fighting Chicago alderman foils robbery

I confess, I haven't been Joe Moore's biggest fan (see here), but this is pretty cool. My favorite quote from the story:

"I saw a guy running down the street carrying a purse," Moore said. "I knew it wasn't his because it didn't match his shoes."

Nanny 9-1-1

We've been struggling with the idea of childcare recently.

I love being a stay-at-home mom. I wouldn't have it any other way. I get to be with my kids during these amazing and crucial years, teaching them and learning from them and creating a safe, loving environment for them. I know Airan is totally jealous and would trade places with me in a heartbeat. That said, my side job as a freelance editor has been harder and harder to fit into my day while maintaining my sanity. So a choice is before us: Either we find a daycare solution, or I quit freelancing.

For now, we're tentatively going with the daycare path -- by which I mean we're kind of, sort of, just barely starting to look into our options, and I'm feeling a touch overwhelmed and intimidated. Nanny or daycare? Daycare center or home daycare? Part-time or full-time? Nanny share? Just find a friend with kids and trade off duties a few days a week? How much is all this going to cost?

I tell you, my head is spinning. Aside from the fact that there are so many flavors of childcare to choose from, I have two big concerns that I'm not sure how to handle:

1. How do I find/create a situation in which I'm comfortable leaving my kids, the most important people on Planet Earth?

2. Even when I find/create that situation, where on Planet Earth will I find the courage to actually leave them there?

It's a Small World After All

Gaze upon this and ponder how tiny we all are.


Found at Bad Astronomy, with some very interesting comments about the significance of this image.

Wait a Minute, Mr. Postman

Thanks to Nanette, I am now totally sold on the concept of Good Mail. (Nanette knows the way to my heart -- any greeting that involves the f-bomb is going to win me over. Come over, Nanette, and we'll watch The Big Lebowski together.)

Balance

I love this post over at Wil Wheaton's blog. I'd love to write a long, thoughtful, inspired post of my own on the topic, but I think a simple "ditto" really sums it up for me.

Happy Mother's Day

Who could ask for a better Mother's Day? I got to spend the day with these amazing and adorable kids ...


... who made these stunning works of art for me (with some help from Daddy) ...



... and I got to eat ice cream cake and play two (count 'em -- two!) games of Puerto Rico. Life is good.

Shear Disaster

"Please, for the love of all that's good and pure, don't let our mom near us with scissors ever again."

The Vampire Sophia

I've been musing on the possibility that the twins, especially Sophie, could be vampires. Consider the evidence:

1. They have extremely pale skin and sunburn easily. (Not that I would know that, Mother of the Year that I am.) Also, they love to wear sunglasses.

2. For long stretches of time, they have shown nocturnal tendencies.

3. Like any good Transylvanian, they generally replace "v" sounds with "w" sounds in their speech.

There is some evidence to the contrary, such as the fact that the girls seem to have no aversion to garlic -- quite the reverse. Still, I think this speaks for itself:

I Feel Like I'm Forgetting Something

Happy No Pants Day!

If Atkins Says It's Okay

Actual IM transcript between the hubby and me at about 9:00 tonight (slightly edited to take out the boring parts you don't care about):

Kelly: now, do I order a beef and cheddar sandwich...?

Airan: i was going to order grilled cheese
go for it!

Kelly: My stomach says yes, my hips say no

Airan: did you eat dinner?

Kelly: not yet

Airan: then order and do dishes while waiting

Kelly: eh
it's expensive
and bad for me

Airan: ok...
but you need to eat something

Kelly: the dreams of damned souls

Airan: ?

Kelly: they're not very filling
low-cal and all

Airan: damned souls?
?

Kelly: their dreams

Airan: oh

Kelly: You don't read a lot of diet books, do you?