May May, Go Away

Dear May,
You always seem like such a nice month on paper. So shiny, bright and full of promise. In reality you take my life, chew it up and spit it out! And to add insult to the double booked calendar injury... triple digit weather. Come on! Mild spring weather was what kept me coming to the table. Seriously, you're May, not August, we don't need the monsoons quite yet.

Soon you will be gone and we'll rock June hard. Next year, let's consider taking a chill pill May. One good start?...more Memorial Days.

Love you anyway,
Mama Lou

Guess what!

This is Keith. Guess what Keith can do?

Lay in his bed and scream for 30 minutes. This is a new personal record. The new time is attributed to the covering of the ears while screaming.


This is Keith. Guess what Keith can do?

Open the refrigerator. You might think this means he takes out the chocolate sauce to indulge every afternoon. You would be right but it also means he leaves things in the fridge. You know... plastic cups, toys, tools... just about anything that needs refrigerating.


This is Keith. Guess what Keith can do?

Climb into his crib. He never climbs out. But he has rendered threats of a nap useless. Usually he is on the brink of BIG trouble and he declares, "I NIGHT-NIGHT" Then it gets quiet, too quiet. At first, it is nice to be able to chop the broccoli without the show, then you go looking for him. Sure enough, he's in his crib, under his blanket, refusing to get up.

This is Keith. He is really something else.

You know you are the mother of boys if.....

you open the lunch box (for the weekly systematic sanitizing) and find this...


And knowing that this is a "treasure" you leave the contents undisturbed (after you make sure there aren't any bug carcasses as part of the loot).

Tomorrow I buy powdered milk.

I have systems in place to guard against Extreme Bad Mommy-ness. I might forget that it is St. Patrick's Day, but we always have toilet paper! Friday is shopping day, I know I at least have to buy two gallons of milk for the week, and I usually buy a loaf of bread (you should see our freezers, stocked with the bread). This morning I poured Keith the last cup of milk. Friday is shopping day, today is Thursday! WHAT!?!?!

Of course since today is Thursday and Friday is shopping day, I forgot to stop by the store on the way home. We probably could have gone after dinner but we went on a walk instead.... Post-bath: I met the milk deficit problem head-on. I did what every Bad Mommy would do, I poured him a nice big cup of Half and Half. HE LOVED IT! He's going to be so disappointed when he goes back on the 2% tomorrow.

Oh, and also, you know you are the mother of boys when you are snapping these pictures AND you think they are hilarious.

He was looking for these, his new tech decks. Bad Mommy made a special trip to pick these Age 9 and up toys for Keith's birthday. He was thrilled.

This is the year he grows a personality

This is the year he finally talks.
This is the year he runs and jumps.
This is the year he rides a scooter.
This is the year he swims in mud puddles.
This is the year he chooses Grandpa over everyone.
This is the year he makes goo goo eyes at strangers.
This is the year he loves babies and dogs.
This is the year he masters the art of the mess.
This is the year he learns comedic timing.

Keith- May 2007
One month old.

He was born to be a little brother. He was born to be a Keith. He was born to be Kevin's mini-me. He was born to be loved by this mama.

Dear Keith Fox Callahan,
You, my son are truly a treasure. You brighten a room with your charm and your smile. Disciplining you is a practice in self-control. Daddy and I laugh over your head as you pout and growl and display your trademark antics.

Sometimes people think I am exaggerating about the extent of your personality. Until they meet you and then they are floored by you and everything you offer.

At night as you sleep you usually call out my name. Sometimes it is a question, other times it is a statement, often it is just a word. My ears automatically turn to hear the problem, the request. But I only hear a sigh. I think of it as you reassuring me that you still need me, because even though you learned how to say "self", you also know how to say "help." And that my little kamikaze sums it up. I will always be here to cheer you on when you do it your "self" or step in when you need a little "help".

I know your independence all too well. Your fearlessness is a bit foreign but the independence I totally get. As long as you remember to use your smarts before your charms, I'll be happy. Happy 2nd birthday my little wonder boy.

I love you.
Mama Lou

It's Friday and I'm Frugal

The last time I paid full price for clothes I had a little (major) panic attack in the middle of Express. It was 2000 and I was purchasing a silk leopard print shirt for $58 that I could ill afford. In the end it was worth it, I rocked that shirt at Speaker Hertzberg's Swearing-in Gala the same year. And I still have it hanging in my closet, nine years later. You don't get rid of silk, silk you hang onto.

One of my favorite Mommy Bloggers, OhMommy swears by the quality over quantity rule. High quality classic pieces that can last a lifetime. And of course if it has a label that makes you giddy, even better.

I have a price point, it is $5. I would buy just about anything for $5. Like this watch...
I came back two weeks later for this watch.
But in general, I just love a deal, a really good deal on high end goods makes my day.

A few months ago my friend Jennifer and I were power shopping at Off Saks. I was lucky enough to meet this darling. She's perfect for a beach vacation, she's the maxi dress of my dreams, and she's mostly silk (no relation to the full-priced silk shirt). To top it all off she's DIANE von FURSTENBERG.
I may be the only person to appreciate the beauty of this dress but I really don't care.
Insert beach and beachy cocktail (all available on polyvore, I'm sure), and sigh.

Back to the deal.... I am completely annoying because I could talk about shopping and clothes all day. Poor Kevin has to play the "what was Lindsay's deal" (Heh) game all the time. How much do you think I spent on this? What do you think the original price was? Now you can play...Make your guesses?

Original price: $425, marked down to $254.90. To me, there isn't a big difference between those two prices. I would have to wear this dress to work every day to justify either price.

SALE PRICE: $147.99---- This my friend's is the reason I have not owned a maxi dress. This is how much these things cost!
But I paid.... $35.18 plus $2.73 in sales tax to the fine people of Folsom (sorry shop local people, my bad). Let me comp this for you, you can't get a poorly cut, all man-made material dress at your leading retail chain for less than $40. No comparison. Sigh.

27 Pants

Just like the movie, only funny and cute.

My baby is turning two. Some days he acts like he is 6, other days he is content to let me hold him in my lap (just like a baby). He is a fantastic little boy but that is not the point of this blog post.

Because Keith is turning 2 and warmer weather has arrived (with a thunderstorm or two, but whatever), I decided to bust out the 2T boy clothes bins. There were 3, I think. I washed and folded all of the 2T clothes handed down from Keith's brother and cousin.

As I was folding, sorting and stacking the pile of pants (not shorts, that's another tale) kept growing and growing. Keith Fox is the proud owner of 27 pairs of pants!!!!! He could practically wear a different pair of pants every day of the month. Except for his attraction to mud puddles, which generally requires 2-3 a day, which means he could wear a different pair of pants for two weeks. But still, that is an impressive wardrobe accomplishment for a nearly 2-year old.

At first I thought that I should blame my sister.... That didn't work, I could remember purchasing almost all of the pants for Patrick. And then it dawned on me today.... Potty Training. Potty training requires extra undies, extra patience and lots of extra pants. I guess we are ready to potty train. (MY BABY!)

Now where the heck am I going to put all of these pants!?!?!