Superstar Crazy Princess

No point to this post really. I just think Shelagh looks funny with her crazy red hair, big sunglasses, and snow white costume.


She had a dentist appointment this morning and did okay. She cried through the whole thing, but at least she lay there still and let the hygenist clean and floss her teeth. The pediatric dentist she goes to is just a bit creepy. Nice enough guy, but reminds me of Goofy. I suppose you have to talk through everything you do and in a kind of weird voice in that profession. But, it's still strange. She does a good job brushing and flossing...Rory actually needs his teeth cleaned, but I'm going to wait until September when Shelagh goes back. I dread that day.

Jingly Hats

Okay, don't laugh, but my mom knit the kids these jester hats with bells at the bottom. The kids put them on this weekend and ran around the playroom with the "jingly hats" dancing and making music. Here are my little nuts...

And just for good measure...Rory playing basketball and Shelagh just looking so tall. I can't believe she's coming up on 4. She's like a little lady!

Top 10 Lost Comments on Pop Candy

Whitney has posted the Top 10 Lost comments on her blog. Fantastic insight. I love reading other peoples theories about Lost. I'm WAY to lazy to have many original thoughts of my own...too much thinking and I tend to veg out while watching. It makes me realize how little of my education I've retained...History, literature, religion. I need one of those all-inclusive "from the beginning of time to now" books to get a clue.

Lemon Garlic Chicken w/ Escarole & Orzo

I made a super-easy dinner last night from an Everyday Food recipe from this past months issue, I think...I'd have to double-check. I would change a couple of things, but it was pretty good, fast, and easy. The chicken was a whole cut up chicken spread out on a cookie sheet with some cut up lemons and smashed garlic cloves. Drizzle on a little olive oil, oregano, salt and pepper and roast at 450 for a 1/2 hour. The orzo had a teaspoon of olive oil and some dried dill and the escarole was sauteed with garlic. The only thing that was a bit of a pain was cutting up the chicken, but you can always buy a pre-cut chicken and there is a part of me that enjoys using really sharp poultry scissors to just hack up a whole bird. I did overcook the chicken a bit, which I always do with chicken, and I would reduce the amount of lemon. I've never been much for lemon in recipes, but it's starting to grow on me.

It's Going to be a Great Day!!

It is amazing what some sunshine and a 50 degree morning brings out in me. What a fantastic morning I've had so far...everything has gone well and I can't remember the last time I felt so great starting out my day. I'm generally mostly on the sarcastic side with a splash of negative :)

The kids went to bed late so they both slept in a bit this morning (of course on a work/school day). I actually got through my whole shower and getting ready for work BY MYSELF! What a pleasure. Shelagh woke up smiling and actually put her clothes on by herself while we were making breakfast WITHOUT BEING TOLD and was happy with what I put out for her and said so - "Mommy, I LOVE this shirt. How did you know I LOVED it?" After she got dressed, she came running into the kitchen and said "Did I surprise you, Mommy?" While she was eating, she specifically requested her "Party Hair" which is 2 pigtails and is my favorite on her. Throughout breakfast she was singing that Maroon 5 song "She Will be Loved", but with her own special words which totally crack me up..."I don't mind spending the day. Out on the corner in the Donut Rain". Here she is showing me how happy she was this morning. And, Rory too, b/c if Shelagh is saying cheese and showing me her teeth, then he wants to also...

CCCHHHHHEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEESE!!!!!

Add on to a great "No Yelling" morning the following:

1. I'm having a good hair day (there aren't many left since I have a huge mop of curly hair and the warm weather is coming. it's time to stock up on gel.)
2. I'm loving the new necklace and bracelet set I got that I'm wearing today
3. I didn't have to wear a coat but rather a nice light vest b/c
4. I walked outside and it was WARM! It registered at 50 degrees in my car this morning and most of the snow from this weekend is gone already. This was shorts weather in Vermont when I was in college. Around April, we'd get 1 or 2 of these days and it was shorts from then to the end of school. Nice little flashback to college days to perk me up. If I only I could throw a frisbee.

Sturbridge Girl Time

I met my cousin in Sturbridge, MA yesterday for lunch and hang out time. She lives in CT and this was the mid-point. We stumbled across this beautiful store filled with homemade jewelry, house accessories, bags, and other miscellaneous items. We spent a good hour and a half in there browsing, buying, talking...it was really great. The jewelry was so pretty and unique and not expensive at all. I was thankful I hadn't splurged at any of those Lia Sophia parties people have been having lately. I got a green, bronze, antiquey necklace and earring set and a pretty multi-color beaded necklace and bracelet set with lots of browns and pinks. I got a super cute silver necklace with a pink butterfly for Shelaghs 4th bday in May and a mothers day gift for my mother-in-law too. I also stumbled upon a really lovely beaded hanging thing that had the exact colors of my living room, so I bought that too with a soft beige wall bracket to hang it from...everything was on sale too! The store is called Sadie Greens and they do sell stuff online apparantly. I'll definintely be back there for more if I need anything.

My cousin and I had a nice 2 hour lunch afterwards just talking and catching up. It's nice to have the one-on-one time outside of our big family gatherings where we can just talk and get to know each other more as adults. I think and hope we'll do it again soon both with and without the kids. I relaxed and laughed listening to Howard Stern for the hour long trip there and back. It was a sunny crisp day out. The kids got some alone time with Joe before he heads out on his annual ski trip. It was a relaxing and nice slow day all around.

Could the Recital Costume be any worse?

Shelagh had her dance class on Saturday morning and did a great job "doing her moves" at the end of class when the parents can come in and watch the last 5 minutes. They put a picture up of the million-dollar costumes they will be wearing for the recital in May and, damn, they are hideous. I'm not generally a ruffly, poofy sleeves, taffetta and lace kind of girly girl so big poofy dresses and costumes are tough for me to swallow anyway. But, this lavendar monstrosity is under the category of child beauty pageant costumes. It's completely JonBenet (okay, that is kind of mean, but isn't she just the poster child for the pimped up kid pageant scene?). It's got a zillion skirt layers, has ruffles EVERYWHERE, is satiny purple and white with some sparkles and glitter, has huge poofy sleeves a la 80's prom dresses, and a hair thingy that is just weird. And it was $66. I do think tutu's are cute, so here's a pic of Shelagh in her tutu leotard that my aunties got her for Christmas this past year. She loves it and will rarely wear anything else to class.