It's Friday! (In a Thursday kind of way)

Patrick took the day off tomorrow, so today is sort of like Friday. Wahoo!

I'm so excited to spend the long weekend with him. I feel like he's my long lost friend whom I rarely get to see in the context of "friend" or "husband" and mostly get to see as "Daddy" right now, if that makes sense. I'm looking forward to just having fun with him.

So what are we going to do with our day together on Sunday?

Well, you guys are just no help with your votes, are you? It's all tied up. Thanks for that!

Just kidding - but if you wouldn't mind casting a few more votes so we can try to get a definite winner, that might help us decide. It's hard because we are so dang tired, and what we really need to do is rest. But at the same time, we want to seize the day, so to speak, and have fun doing something we don't ordinarily have time to do. I guess we'll just play things by ear and see what we feel up to that day.

Tomorrow, we're planning to go to the Green Dragon, a local flea/farmer's market that is just enormous and slightly overwhelming when I go by myself. I've been there a few times with the boys, but Patrick's never been there, so I'm anxious to get his take on it. It's the kind of place that you just either love or hate. Well, I guess that's not entirely true, as the jury's still out for me. There's a lot of really trinkety tchotchke kind of stuff (which I don't really like), fake designer purses and clothes that you might find at vendors' stands on the streets of New York City (which I don't generally like, but if I find something cute I just might buy), and lots of fresh produce sold by local farmers (which I love).

What would you think about a place like that? Is it right up your alley, or would someone have to drag you there against your will?

Remember, today's the last day to post comments for the contest! You might win a free children's book if you comment on every July post.

It's been fun hearing from you over the course of the month. Thanks so much for joining in!

I'll post again on Monday with the name of the winner...and what we decided to do for our day together.

I know you'll be on the edge of your seats all weekend...

Oh, and don't forget...

The July comment posting contest is almost over!

If you missed a few posts, be sure to go back and comment on them so that you can be in the drawing to win a free book!

The contest ends this Thursday at midnight.

(No, this one doesn't count as a post.)

Good luck!

Guilty pleasures

Mine include Celine Dion, the X-Files (which is coming out in a movie and I'm secretly really excited about it...shhh), fluffernutter sandwiches, and murder mysteries.

Not all Celine Dion's music, mind you. But some. Especially that song where she says, "It's all coming back to me now." You know that part with the "Baby, baby baby!"

You know it gives you goosebumps. Admit it.

I get them every time I'm belting it out in the car.

Don't worry - the windows are up.

What are yours?

Anyway, I went to the library last Thursday and got two things:

• A murder mystery that's not unlike an episode of Murder, She Wrote. It's wonderful. Totally fluffy and easy to read with likable characters. I'm almost finished it already. Do you know how good that feels? I haven't finished a book in....I don't know how long.


• A DVD of the HBO series "Extras". Have you seen this? It stars Ricky Gervais, of The Office fame. It's really funny.

Not having a television has afforded me some time I didn't know I had. When the boys go to bed, I don't have to just sit and stare at a black box (who knew?), but can actually read a book!

In other news, Jack has started calling me "Mommy" instead of "Mama." I think I like Mommy better...he sounds so cute when he says it. It does make me a little sad, as I realize that we've just moved on a step and that the step after this is just plain ol' "Mom." My little boy is growing up. But for now, I'm loving the "Mommy" stage.

I've said the sentences "Guess what? I love you" to Jack so many times that now when I ask "Guess what?" he says "I you!" It's one of the highlights of my day.

I'll post pictures the next time. Right now, the power cord on my computer is frayed and occasionally, it sends out a few sparks. Yes, of course I'm still using it, silly - I have to have some connection to the outside world - but I'm afraid to get close to it when I plug in the camera.

Finally, Patrick and I are going away this weekend and we're not sure what we want to do. It has to be something inexpensive....or free. My parents are staying with the boys Saturday night and all day Sunday. Isn't that wonderful? We have a few options. If you were sleep-deprived but had an entire day to spend with your spouse, kid-free, what would you do? Picnic in the park? Check out a flick?

Vote in the poll at the right.

Reinforcements

Reinforcements arrived yesterday in the form of visits from Nana and Pop Pop, and Aunt Devon. Boy, were we lucky!

Nana and Pop Pop brought not one, but two balloons - mylar, not latex (no popping!) - and Jack did not let go of them for the entire day.

Literally.

He napped with them.

He bathed with them.

I have proof.



See? Told you.

Aunt Devon took the cutest pictures of him in the tub. I don't know why I don't ever bring my camera up when it's bath time, but I just never think of it. I'm so glad she did.



He looks like such a big boy.

Speaking of big boys, I can not believe that PJ is big enough for this already:



I broke out the exersaucer earlier this week. Patrick calls it the Command Center, as if he's at the helm of a large spaceship.

And yes, his feet do reach the bottom. How did that happen? I feel like I just gave birth to him last week.



He's cuter than cute, but if this kid doesn't start sleeping better, I'm going to take a long walk off a short pier. He was up every hour last night and didn't nap for more than 20 minutes all day today. He's absolutely exhausted, but teething something fierce, and I can't give him Orajel until he's four months old. Which stinks.

I even called my pediatrician's office to ask them if I maybe could give it to him earlier.

Here's how that conversation went:

Me: Hi. I'm just calling because my 3 month old son is cutting a tooth right now, and I wanted to ask about using some orajel on it.

Her: Most babies don't have any trouble at all with their teeth since they're so sharp they just slice right through - it's really only the molars that are a problem.

Me: What planet are you from??? (Not really, but that's what I was thinking. It's not like this is my first time with teething! Come on now, lady - your kids didn't start fussing until the MOLARS??? Liar! What I actually said was, We haven't been sleeping for about 3 weeks now, so I beg to differ. I just want to know if it's ok to use some orajel.)

Her: Orajel doesn't really help. Just give him some tylenol before bed if he's not sleeping.

Me: I already tried tylenol. Not helping. I know the orajel did help with my older son. Is it ok to try it on PJ? He's pretty big for three months.

Her: What he really needs is something cold and rough to chew on. Try freezing a washcloth and letting him chew on it.

Me: That's great and all during the day, lady, but at night, he can't chew on a washcloth while he's sleeping! Throw me a bone, here! (Not really, but that's what I was thinking. What I actually said was, Okay thanks for your help....NOT!)

So my question never got answered, and I'm never calling that office for advice again.

It's a good thing God makes 'em cute. It's their only saving grace sometimes.



And this one's just about as cute as they come.

Giving it our all

There comes a time, in the post-baby sleep deprivation stage, when everything seems totally overwhelming and you don't know how on earth you're going to keep going.

That time was today.

At about 10:36 a.m.

In the parking lot of Wal-Mart.

After Jack's balloon popped. (It touched the hot car and it was all over. At least it didn't suffer.)

It was like, all of a sudden, I seriously understood how someone could say something as cheesy as "Stop the world, I want to get off." (Or in my Mom's case, "I'm not happy I'm here.")

You can imagine the onslaught of tears that the popping balloon brought. And these were real, honest-to-goodness, that-was-the-saddest-thing-that's-ever-happened-to-me tears. But coupled with PJ's teething cries, which had started a few minutes before, while we were checking out, I seriously did not have the patience for it. Nor the energy to take both boys back into the Wal-Mart for another orange balloon.

(Jack was very specific about orange, which happens to be my favorite color.)

So the three of us drove home in tears.

(Fortunately, Wal-Mart isn't very far.)

So I'm trying to figure out what's going on and I think I need a vacation. (Do stay-home moms get a vacation?) (Heck, do working moms get a vacation?)

And maybe a Benadryl.

Or possibly just two solid nights' sleep. (One just doesn't cut it.) (But don't get me wrong, I'd take one if you were offering it!)

In my frustration, I googled something about being overwhelmed with two children under two and came up with this blog post that I could have written word for word with name and gender changes for the children and a few spelling changes from what I'm assuming must be English English. (You know, things like "behaviour" and "favourite" and "Mum")

It made me feel better, somehow.

I'm glad people blog.

I'm also glad that I have the most supportive husband in the world. We're both giving 110% right now, and sometimes it still doesn't feel like it's enough.

But there's no one I'd rather be giving it my all with than him.

Right now, both boys are sleeping (in their own cribs!), Patrick's finishing up his workday, and I'm going to bed.

Before nine.

When I was a kid, that was punishment. Now, it's like it's my birthday.

How sad is that?

The birds return

I'm a big Hitchcock fan, but these aren't the birds I'm talking about.

Rather, a few other birds have made a reappearance over the past few days.

First off, a pair of mourning doves continually tries to build a nest in the wreath on our front door. It's amazing to me, because they're not tiny birds, and while this picture only shows one, there are usually two of them in there, collecting twigs and grass and attempting to build themselves a home. It's funny to hear them from the other side of the door, their shifting and scratching usually makes me wonder if someone is there. Then, as I get close to the window to peek out, I'll hear their cooing and know that it's just the doves again.

I feel bad undoing their nest building efforts every time, but we have to get in and out of the house, and if they laid eggs in there, they'd probably be knocked out by our opening and closing the door. It's really for their own good.

Another bird that's made a comeback lately is Mr. Duck.

You may remember him from some photos of Jack as a baby. I give you Exhibits A and B:

I don't remember who gave me this toy at my first baby shower, but whoever it was, THANK YOU! This little duck has the ability to keep my babies entertained for several minutes at a time, which in baby time is an eternity!

Here, PJ is introduced to Mr. Duck.

And one last pic of Mr. Duck and my not-so-little man, who somehow went from 0-3 month clothes to 6-9 month clothes in the last week. It's so hard to keep up with the clothing changes for these two. I can't believe how fast they're growing!

As an aside, I was curious to see the ads Google might come up with after my last post. Interesting to know that there are actually ads for baby bad breath cures.

I was reluctant to resort to putting ads on here, but every little bit helps, you know?

Soon, we can take that vacation in Tuscany we've been saving for!

Simple Chronic Halitosis

Do you remember that commercial?

What was it for? Listerine? I can't remember, but all I do remember is realizing for the first time that there were special names for things like bad breath, and wondering why that was.

Why does bad breath need its own special name?

Since then, I had a trauma nurse as a roommate, and I learned all kinds of special names for things. Like those parentheses-shaped lines that go from your nose to the corners of your mouth? They're called nasolabial folds. Fortunately, I don't have nasolabial folds...yet.

What I do have, however, is a mean case of postpartum alopecia. My hair is falling out by the 3-month-old-baby-sized fistful.

And you lovelies are learning this why?

Well, because who else am I going to tell? Jack doesn't care.

This is the beauty of the blog.

It's like you're getting a glimpse into my own personal diary, but instead of writing about how John Malkovich has this certain je ne sais quoi that I think makes him kind of sexy in a weird sort of way, I'm writing about my hair falling out. Don't worry, I'll write the John Malkovich thing sometime too. I have to keep it interesting, or else you won't keep reading.

But why do I want you to read? Why do I think you should care what I have to say? And, let's be honest, aren't you mostly here for the pictures of the cute kids?

I know I am.

So today I'm realizing that almost seven months into this blogging thing, I'm still really liking it. In fact, I think I'm liking it more and more.

I wonder if I will feel that way three years from now. Angella, the author of Dutch Blitz, another blog I like to read, is celebrating her three-year blogiversary today. I can imagine that like me, she finds blogging oddly therapeutic. And after three years of therapy, she's got to be feeling good!

There's something about just putting your thoughts into words that helps you sort through them and decide which ones are worth dwelling on.

There's something about bouncing things off other people and getting their opinions and ideas on things that makes you feel like you're not alone.

There's something about sharing victories and struggles that doubles the joy and halves the burden.

Thanks for letting me do all those things.

And for not sending me a bill.

Kicking the habit

It's official.

This morning, at 6:51 a.m., our satellite dish service was disconnected. No more T.V.

It's something Patrick and I have been contemplating for a while now. It was way back in January when I wrote this post, but I've done little to curb my television appetite since then. Lately, though, we've had more and more month left at the end of our money, so we decided that would be a good way to cut our expenses. It's not a necessity after all.

Is it?

I'm more than a little bummed that it happened today, though I knew it was coming. When I called ten days or so ago to cancel, the nice lady informed me that we were paid through the 14th, so we could continue service until then if we liked.

We liked.

It was the "through" that got me, and I thought surely today would be my last full day. I had imagined ceremoniously switching off the T.V. after Bones tonight, knowing that it would be my last show. Instead, the network cut me off in the middle of Fox and Friends - a remnant from Patrick's time up with the baby this morning.

It was like eating Melba toast for my last meal.

When it switched off, to a blue and black screen telling me that the channel I was watching was a subscription channel that I needed to order, I quickly grabbed the remote. "Maybe the major networks still work!" I thought as I frantically pressed the down arrow in search of NBC. No such luck.

I guess in some ways, it was better that they pulled the plug unexpectedly like that, or else I might have tried to spend the day watching every single episode of The Office that we've stored in our - *sniff* - their DVR over the last few years. One last binge before it was all over.

Oh well.

Resigned to the fact that I was television-less from this point on, I got up to make the coffee.

Our coffee pot has been acting weird lately - not sending all the water through for some reason - and yesterday, we cleaned it several times with water and vinegar in an effort to loosen up some deposits from our hard water that may be causing the problem. We figured we'd flush them out and then even if today it only made a half a pot, we'd still have something until we could get a new one.

I got the beans out of the freezer, and put them in the grinder, which started grinding away, and then stopped, on its own, the fast buzz of the motor telling me that the mechanics weren't working right somehow and the blade wasn't spinning to grind the beans anymore.

Oh God, what have I done? Two habits at once?

It's going to be a loooong day.

Three months old

Check out my little man, propped up on the couch like a big boy. How on earth is he three months old already?

Jack never had big cheeks like this, so you know I'm eating them all day long. Love them!

He's definitely bigger than Jack, and some of his 3-6 month clothes even fit snugly right now.

He just likes to smile. Smiling's his favorite.

Aside from his recent sleep issues, which I'm pretty sure are from teething, he is just the happiest, giggliest baby I have ever seen. It's amazing how quickly a baby becomes such an integral part of your life, and I almost can't remember what it was like without him.

Jack had an awful stomach bug yesterday, that must have been a 24-hour thing because aside from waking up screaming and crying at 4 a.m. today (yes, that's right, FOUR! I think he had a bad dream or something) he's been okay so far today. We drove to the local airport yesterday to see some planes and helicopters, but otherwise, stayed inside and drank lots of fluids. Which is a shame, because it was beautiful outside.

Thursday was even nicer, though - cooler with less humidity - and we did spend some time outside then. I just can't resist taking a million pictures of Jack when I'm outside with him. If he could just run around and give the outside a great big hug, I think he would. He's that enthusiastic about everything when he's out there. Every flower is like the first flower he's ever seen. Every slide down the sliding board is the best one. Every raspberry eaten off the bush is the most delicious thing he's ever put in his mouth.

I love it.

I wish I could be a little more like that.

He's absolutely smitten with bubbles. While they're in the bottle. Then once I take the wand out and start blowing them, he couldn't care less. I end up feeling like a moron because I'm sitting out there blowing bubbles for myself, working hard to blow softly and steadily enough make them really big, imagining he might be excited to see such an amazingly huge bubble and say, "Wow, Mama! Big bubble!" Maybe someday I'll be rewarded for my efforts with something other than lightheadedness and lips that are slightly tingly from hyperventilation.

This shot of him blowing the bubbles himself, though? A treasure, since it rarely happens.

He loves to be in charge of his own deck destiny. Whether he's up on the deck or down in the grass, he'll decide. Which usually makes me nervous because the steps on the deck are so god-awful steep, but there are only four of them, so it wouldn't be a terrible fall if it happened. But it hasn't yet. He'll spend a good portion of our time outside just going up and down them, so he's had a lot of practice. And more than a few splinters. But he doesn't seem to notice, and how else is he going to feel the grass between his toes if I don't let him go barefoot? (Sure, I'm too lazy to keep putting on and taking off the shoes, but this is how I justify it - the whole toes-in-the-grass thing. Don't I sound like a perfectly crunchy mommy?) And they're not big splinters after all.

Strike a pose, Jack.

And now, he's off in search of flowers for Mama. We have this one little patch of clovers in the back yard, and he's always bringing me flowers from it. It just makes me melt.

I love how excited he gets when he finds them. "OH! Flow!" he yells, as if they're not in the same place every single time. (That "flow" rhymes with "cow." He likes to say just the first syllable of words, though he's getting better at adding more syllables lately.)

And then he comes running back to me, holding a clover, arm extended the entire time. It's just the sweetest thing, and one of the many little rituals we have together.

I have to agree with his Aunt Devon, who told me just the other day, "He's just the coolest little person."

Funny Face

This one's nothing like Audrey's.

Just a funny picture from the July 4th barbeque we attended. PJ and I are almost making the same face.

I wish you could comment with funny pictures of your own, but since you can't, let's think of a topic.

What's your favorite barbeque side dish? My favorite this year is a broccoli salad that I usually eat to the point of gastrointestinal distress. (Can you say Bean-o?) But I'm always looking for another go-to dish to bring to get togethers. Whaddya got?

Tuesdays with Marmie

I know it's Wednesday, but yesterday was Tuesday and my Mom came over to help. Halleluia!

We've been barely making one foot in front of the other with PJ irritable and waking several times inexplicably at night, and an extra-rough weekend, sleepwise. Jack was a terrible sleeper as a baby, but at least I didn't have to keep up with a toddler during the day, too. PJ's been a gem so far, sleeping most nights from 8ish to 6ish with only one wakeup at 3 or so. But lately...not so much. He's up several times and very fidgety. We've decided all signs point to TEETHING!! Can you believe it? Already?! Poor kid. PJ will be 3 months this Friday, and I don't understand how that happened so fast!

So between bad sleep at night and keeping up with Jack during the day, I don't think I had done one of the chores on my chore chart for this week. Well, maybe one, but that's about it. No stickers for me. But my Mom came yesterday, helped me with laundry, stayed overnight and took care of PJ to give Patrick and me a full night's sleep, and watched the boys today while I cleaned bathrooms and vacuumed. It was amazing.

She offered to come every Tuesday for a few hours to give me time to run errands, get some cleaning done, rest a bit, or just do whatever I need to do. Does that not sound like a dream?

I remember having a few Mother's Helper sort of jobs as a younger babysitter (11 or 12ish), and I always hated those ones because the kids were always naughty while the parents were there and I felt awkward correcting them in front of their mother. This one time, both parents were home and wanted to paint or something on a Saturday afternoon, and the boy just kept jumping on the couches, pulling my hair and smacking the top of my head. I really just wanted to drop-kick him, but kept trying to get him to stop with "Now, Billy, that's not nice!" because his parents were in the next room. Do you think that stopped him? Nah.

Man, the things I did for $2 an hour...

I can't even pay that little emolument (today's word) for a warm body to watch TV and eat snacks in the living room while the boys are in bed for the night these days.

But now I totally understand the need for a mother's helper-type person. And the boys just love spending time with their Nana.

Don't you just totally appreciate your Mom more once you have kids? Both for the ways she can help now, and for all the things she did while raising you. It's been such an eye-opener for me.

So now, I have clean bathrooms, a full night's sleep under my belt, and a bottle of teething tablets. I'm ready to take on the world!

At least until next Tuesday...

Swim, swam, swum

I mean, seriously. Come on, now. Thursday, we went to Nana and Pop Pop's house to go swimming. This is Jack's swim getup. Can you stand it?

That shirt used to fit until I washed it once, but I think the midriff shirt and long trunks totally makes him look like a surfer dude.

Here are a few pictures of him and Patrick in the pool from the weekend. Can you tell who's having more fun?

I can't.

We had an adventurous Fourth of July weekend, to say the least. On Friday morning, we went to Virginia to meet up with some ladies that I met online who all have babies born in November of 2006, like Jack was. We met when we were pregnant and have stayed friends through until now. It was fun to put names with faces and to see them with their babies in person!

Then, we went to Aunt Tori's house for the rest of the weekend. It was busy-busy, but fun to catch up. Jack and O'Malley the cat were reunited, much to Jack's glee (and O'Malley's dismay). Jack calls him "Maow-Maow" and would walk around the house trying to find him. The poor cat stayed holed up as much as possible, but would occasionally oblige Jack and come out to eat now and again.

I personally did not don my bathing suit once, although it was hot as you-know-what. This brings me to my exciting news...well, exciting for me and for my friend, Andrea. We are using the buddy system to lose weight, and have a goal for outselves by the end of the year. I won't share it with you lest you snarf the beverage you're drinking out onto your laptop and fry your hard drive, but let's just say we'd like to lose 50 pounds by the end of the year. It's challenging, but it's perfectly attainable with some self control.

Of which I seem to have none.

But I did today! I even worked out!

Go me!

Have you ever buddied your way towards a goal? Whether it was losing weight, quitting smoking, or working out - did you find that having a buddy helped you stay on task?

I think it has to be the right person, though.

It's hard for me because Patrick's metabolism is so dang fast that he can really eat whatever he wants and not gain an ounce. Don't you hate friends like that? I mean, I really love him, but he can eat three hotdogs at one sitting and not flinch. I gain 5 pounds just opening the package. If he were my buddy, he'd be justifying the cookie dough I ate last night - before the diet officially started - by telling me that dough has fewer calories when it's raw.

So not helpful.

Andrea and I are weighing in every Monday, so I think that will scare me enough to stay on track. Pooh was right - it's so much friendlier with two.

Oh, and thanks for all your money-saving tips! I knew I could de-lurk some of you! Glad you joined in on the conversation!

Cricket, cricket

The silence is deafening. Where is the comment love? I don't feel it, people.

I'm kidding, of course. I know it's hard to start commenting on a blog you've been lurking on. I lurk on a few myself...but I'm so nervy, I usually don't have a problem leaving my own two cents, despite being laconic in person. (I'm trying to use my new words.)

So I have a contest to propose to lure some folks out of lurkdom and to get to know some of my readers.

Here it is, are you ready?

If you comment on every post for the month of July, starting today, I will do a drawing and send the winner a free Usborne children's book! How's that? Yes, I've resorted to giveaways. But I figure if you see how great the books are, you might want to host a show or an eShow and get some more books for free! I'll wait to offer a few choices to the winner, depending on the age/gender of the children. And I can only mail it within the 48 contiguous United States - I'm not made of money, you know.

Which brings me to the topic for today: What are you doing to save some money these days?

We've been cutting down on driving, which is tough when you live in a very rural area with two kids. I feel like I'm wearing the house sometimes. When we do drive, we try to take the Taurcedes. Hooray for the company car!

I've also been shopping at grocery outlets a lot more often. There are quite a few of them here in Amish country, and some are better than others, but I've found a few I like. I can't get everything there, and usually have to hit a "regular" grocery store for meats and things, but every little bit helps, and you can't beat an outlet for cereal. I never pay more than $1.99 for a box of cereal.

It's funny - growing up we used to grumble that my parents would buy cereal in bags, or in black and white boxes that said "Flakes of bran with raisins" instead of "Raisin Bran." (And raisin bran was our sugary cereal. We were the ones that bought puffed rice, too. Seriously, is there any cereal out there with less taste than puffed rice? That stuff should be used as biodegradable packing material for shipping fragile things....but I digress.) Anyway, Mom, Dad, sorry I used to make fun of the bags. Now I understand. And I have a few bags of cereal myself.

So how are you cutting corners these days? Do you clip coupons? Buy in bulk? What's your secret? I can use some more ideas.

You don't have to comment before midnight on the day of the post - just at some point over the following days to be entered in the drawing. And don't worry - I have other stuff going on for the holiday weekend, so I won't write again until Monday. But the contest will end at midnight on July 31.

Happy Fourth!

Word freak

I tend to be a word freak. Some people might say I'm a nerd. Heck, I'll say it.

I like games like Scrabble. And Huggermugger. I really liked this book:

I get a "Word of the Day" email. I like to learn the etymology.

Today's word of the day is laconic. It means using or marked by the use of a minimum of words.

The funny thing is, that for as much of a word freak as I may be, I tend to be rather laconic in person. Especially if something's bothering me, which drives Patrick crazy because he's a talker. He likes to talk things out, and if I clam up his wheels start spinning trying to figure out what's wrong.

I like to write, but I think that laconicity (is that a word? I need to look that up) would be a fun idea for a blog. A friend of mine writes a one-line blog, but he posts way too infrequently. (Yes, Z, I'm talking about you. Post more! Please? I liked the venti post.) The idea intrigues me...just to take one line from your day - the most interesting thing or the silliest thing or what have you - and use that as the blog entry. It sort of leaves you wanting more. I wonder if I could do it. I don't think I could.

Another blog I like uses no words at all. Just photos. Visual blogging, they call it. Check it out. In addition to the photos, I love that they describe themselves by saying they don't stay up too late. It gives just enough of a tiny glimpse into the kind of people they are that it makes you want to know more. Why didn't I think of that? I don't stay up late either.

If I had to describe myself using a slightly obscure fact, I might say I go barefoot as often as possible.

How about you? What's one line that describes you?

Shameless Self-promotion

A stay home mommy has to do something to make herself feel like a productive member of society...and these days, to contribute to the household finances, if possible. This stay home mommy is trying her darnedest to do just that. Here's how:

-I just opened a store on Cafepress where I'm selling some cards and gifts using photos I've taken over the years. Go ahead, check it out. Pass it along to your favorite francophile. I stayed true to my 35mm film well into the digital age, so I have lots of negatives from trips to Paris and London and Ireland that I need to have made into cds, but in the meantime, there are a few things on there that might make you smile.

- I sell Usborne children's books at home. Most mommies are really excited about books for their children, so I don't even have to do a big spiel. People just browse the sample books I have and they sell themselves. Jack loves them. But I have to have shows in order for people to see the books. The cool thing is that now, instead of a home show, people can have eShows. You don't have to make hors d'oeuvres, vacuum the house, or shove things into closets and out of sight (my usual pre-company cleanup) because no one comes to your house! If you know someone who's about to be a new mommy, someone who has a baby, someone who has preschoolers and is trying to think of creative things to do with them, or someone who has school-aged children they're trying to keep occupied for the summer months, then you can have an eShow too! It's easy as 1-2-3!

1. Go to my Usborne book site, by clicking here.


2. Click on "Host an eShow" at the bottom right, and set up your show. It can run for as long as you like, but generally two weeks is a good length.


3. Send the link to your eShow (it will be provided on the site) to as many people as you know who would be interested in baby board books, children's books, early readers, activity kits, baby scrapbooks, puzzles or games and tell them about your show.

That's it.

Then, all the free hostess books you'd earn from sales at a home show, you can earn by sending an email!

In your pajamas.

With dust on your coffee table.

(I won't tell!)

So if you'd like to earn some free books for your own kids or grandkids, why not set up an eShow and see how it goes?

And if you're interested in maybe selling Usborne books yourself, let me know. I love it because there are no quotas. I can work as much or as little as I want, which is great with a toddler and a new baby!