Dear Kim Kardashian,

Please tell me that your divorce filing today is some sort of Halloween hoax? You can't REALLY be SERIOUSLY ending your [second and ill-advised] marriage after, like, 5 minutes? Although I don't know you personally and have zero idea what goes on in your "real" life, here are the reasons this news is completely unacceptable to me:

Have you no respect for the sanctity of marriage? There are human beings in this world that want nothing more than to make an eternal commitment with the man or woman that they love; but they do not have the legal right to marry. And here you are, treating it like something disposable. Something that you can just try out for a minute or two and then undo. That is not fair!

Isn't the greater Los Angeles area full of therapists?! Yes, and there are probably just as many of them as there are struggling actors in your neck of the woods. They need work and marriage takes work! How's about picking up the phone and getting some marriage counseling on the books before packing it in and calling it a day? How can you just go from [supposedly] being soooooooo in love to this?

Didn't anyone advise you to live together first? Living in sin is the best! It's how you truly learn about your partner and whether marriage will be the right step for you or not. There's no better way than to immerse yourself into daily and nightly life with them. Maybe try that first, next time?

What a waste!

• A waste of money. SO. Much. Money. 
• A waste of time. Do you know how hard people had to bust their a$$es to make your day perfect? From the wedding planner to the groundskeeper at the estate where you got hitched. Hundreds of people [I'm guessing] put their blood, sweat and tears into making your day memorable. 
• A waste of food. All that wedding food would have been better served as a donation to food banks in time for the holiday season. The last thing your mostly well-to-do guests needed that day was to be well fed.
• A waste of materials. You [unnecessarily] wore 3 wedding gowns on your [now meaningless] big day. I was going to suggest this to you whether the relationship lasted or not but please, PLEASE consider donating those dresses so that 3 brides-to-be can make something good and beautiful out of your made-for-TV marriage's demise.

If for no other reason (like love), you should reconsider making this marriage work for your mother's sake. After all, she went under the knife for that express facelift so she could look her very best at YOUR wedding. Whatever happened to respecting our [plastic/well preserved] elders?!

You're welcome for putting things into perspective,
Marja

This is Halloween!

The elusive Baby Giraffe is difficult to photograph as he is constantly in motion (they move much faster than one would think). I did my best . . .

Pondering his great escape from the Zookeeper aka Mama.

And he's off!

Rear view

Swinging is serious giraffe business.

Baby Giraffe on the loose!

Wishing everyone a safe and happy Halloween!

Shots Through the Heart

Last week Cade had his 15 month check-up. The good news? He is healthy and growing beautifully. The bad news? He was due for 3 shots (2 routine, 1 flu). The vaccination portion of his check-ups have never been pleasant for me or my husband, but it is definitely getting harder the older, more aware, and freakishly strong, he gets.

I have never been a fan of needles. When I was a wee one (translation: up until my early teen years), the nurses at my pediatrician's office had to chase me around the tiny examination room for a good five minutes before I let them do their necessary evil. And even as an adult, when I have my annual flu shot, or have blood drawn, etc., I look away until the deed is done.

But now, as a mother, it is my duty to face the shots head on and stay strong for my son, no matter what.

No matter how many shades of pink and purple he turns during the struggle after that first shot.
No matter how long he gasps and holds his breath after that second prick.
No matter how long and LOUD he cries after that final poke.
No matter how fat the tears are that come streaming down his SuperMegaUberUltra sad face once the worst is over.
No matter the fact that, by my calculations, I lose one hour of sleep (that night) for every shot that Cade has gotten (that day).
No matter what.

Because I know that these shots are protecting him, and his little bod, from some pretty scary stuff. And because I am painfully aware that there are [little and grown-up] people "out there" who go through this agony, or worse, every day. Parents with sick children. Children with sick parents. And I can't even begin to imagine how much their hearts hurt.

So, I stick it out (pun intended), and once we get to the car, when Cade is safely strapped into his seat, I can take a deep breath, exhale, and maybe even shed a couple tears of my own.

As soon as the dread that we will go through this again in 3 short months sets in, it is immediately quelled by the relief that we only go through this once every 3 months.

Daddy Dressed Me

My husband is notorious for dressing our son in mismatched outfits (reality check: he's done it a handful of times) but this time was a double dose of wacky, because . . .

1. The pattern on the pajama top was different than the one on the bottoms (I do see the similarities but the cuff color doesn't lie):

2. He put the top on backwards. You can't really tell in this picture but there are buttons on the front that run from the collar to 1/3 of the way down the shirt:

Sidebar: I am beginning to realize that in most of the pictures I post of my son he is wearing pajamas. He does have actual clothes too but, what can I say? He's at his best when he's comfy (it's hereditary). 

While my hubs doesn't have a future in fashion, that is just fine with me because he is one incredible Dad to this little person. And, for that reason alone, I shall forgive all dressing faux pas! Even this one . . .

 

Why, yes, that IS a gold shirt with a brown color font, paired with gray, white striped pants.

Friday Funny: The Crust Stands Alone

Duncan, refusing to make eye contact with the unappetizing bread crust. 

Normally, no food goes to waste in this household. Cade is a pretty good lil' eater (except every other day when the picky toddler phase rears its less-than-adorable head) and when I give him bread, most of the crust is included and consumed.

However, on this particular day, Cade used his extremely long wingspan (for more on this click here) to grab some bread off of the plate I was feeding him from. He immediately took the bread bites to the face and nonchalantly chucked the crust (that I hadn't made bite sized yet) on the floor. Duncan sniffed it for a millisecond and then proceeded to ignore it while he returned to his under-highchair post to wait for "something good". And can you blame the pup? The least "they" could have done is come up with a more appealing name for the least appealing section of the bread (in my opinion).

A Halloweenie's Movie Guide

If you're like me, you enjoy a good scare . . . every once in a while. However, I am not one to watch REALLY scary movies over and over again (The Exorcist (1973) and Hostel (2005) *gag* were most definitely one time deals for moi). I've seen the majority of the "modern classics" (most recently, Misery (1990)) at least once and am pretty much good with that (although whenever Poltergeist (1982) is on the ol' boob tube I admit that I get sucked in).

I prefer to stick to the Halloweenesque movies that don't involve an overabundance of terror and/or gratuitous bloodshed, with the exception of Scream (1996). My girlfriends and I loved it so much that we saw it in the theater twice. I appreciate a little humor with my horror, you know, to take the edge off. Translation: I am an admitted Halloweenie and proud of it!

In no particular order, here are some of my favorite Halloweenish movies:

1.  It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown (1966)

2.  Hocus Pocus (1993)

3.  Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1992) - The movie that came years before the TV series.

4.  The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993) - Bonus feature: you can watch this gem from October through December as it transcends the one holiday rule!

5.  Ghostbusters (1984)

6.  Beetlejuice (1988)

7.  The Harry Potter Series, 1-7 (2001-2011)

8.  The Goonies (1985)

9.  E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial (1982)

10. Michael Jackson's Thriller (1983) - Yes, technically it's a music video, but at 14 minutes it's not much shorter than some of the Charlie Brown TV specials (although a whole lot scarier when you're 9 years old). My Mom would make a fun to-do out of watching it; we'd pop in the VHS tape and chomp on popcorn and other treats, cinema style.

Honorable mention: Casper (1995) - My sister and I LOVED the two minutes that 90s teen heartthrob Devon Sawa played the "real boy" Casper.

Looking to lose some sleep in the near future? Check out Vintage Love's Fright Fest O' Rama.

What is/are your favorite Halloween movie(s)? Any suggestions (fine, I'll take REALLY scary ones too)?

Sweet Saturday Snapshots

Earlier this evening Cade did a dry run aka half-dressed rehearsal for tricks or treats. He was all business in his giraffe head, with his pumpkin pail at the ready (and full of toys, although Mama is hoping to replace those toys with a nice little haul of treats for her and Dada, but mostly her, when the time comes) . . .

To Fast or Not So Fast?

After starting and stopping numerous times since my son was born (and my entire adult life) I FINALLY re-started working out on a regular basis. Things have been going great for the last month -- I already feel so much better (more energy is a beautiful thing when you're chasing an almost 15-month-old around all day) and cannot wait to get back into all of that neglected denim collecting dust in my closet.

While the exercise and diet (everything, chocolate included, in moderation) have been falling into place (so far), I am aware that I have a large bulge long road ahead of me in the post-baby-tummy-shrinking department. So, lately I have been pondering trying one of those cleanses that I read so much about. You know, a juice fast or daily cleanse that lasts a week or so and supposedly helps kick-start your weight loss? However, I don't know how safe these truly are or if they even really work so I'll definitely consult with my doctor before I proceed.

In the meantime, please share your fasting experience with me. Have you ever done a cleanse? Did it "work"? Would you do it again?

Silly Sunday Snapshots

This morning Cade thought that he'd brush up on his Pop Culture via Mama's very "educational" magazine. I'm so proud . . . 

Quintessential Quote

"There are three things I have learned never to discuss with people: religion, politics and the Great Pumpkin."

-Linus Van Pelt (aka Sally's Sweet Baboo), "It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown"