Two Pretzels

FINALLY! Blogger lets us talk to one another! Comment threading is here.

2012-02-18T14:56:00.001-07:00

One of the major issues I've had with my blog over the past couple of years is that there is no way for me to reply directly to your comments. Instead, I have to email you back.

NOW - this has all changed. I can reply to your comments and you can reply to comments, too.

You literally just click, "reply" to a previously left comment and write away.

Awesomeness.

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To set this up on your own blog -- see this post on the Blogger Buzz blog.

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Family.

2012-02-17T09:55:00.002-07:00

My cousin and her husband have been in town since last Saturday -- staying at a local resort. It's been so nice seeing them...

So, there was no blogging last night. There was good times instead.

A post to come.

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MexMo: It just doesn't get old.

2012-02-16T05:08:00.000-07:00

Miniature clay plate Virgin Mary earrings with SPARKLES on them.

Um, si por favor.

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Declaration.

2012-02-15T16:05:00.001-07:00

That's how much I owe on my student loans.

I don't think that parents should pay for their children's college education.

Go ahead, gasp.

Why not?

Because everyone should have the opportunity to feel the sense of accomplishment that comes from investing in yourself.

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Lila Preschool Update: Is she still screaming when I pick her up?

2012-02-15T05:08:00.000-07:00

Terrible blackberry photo of my SWEET little 2.5-year-old after her preschool pickup.
It was a friday... "wear what you want" day, and I think she looks too cute.

In this previous post I wrote about how Lila runs away from me EVERYDAY when I go to pick her up from preschool. Then I gave an update here a few days later.

Here's our current update: She doesn't run FROM me ANYMORE! She runs to me. In fact, sometimes she's the first one at the gate. (GASP!)

I see her, she seems me and I squeal very loudly to indicate my delight and I give her a HUGE hug and she smiles proudly.

Ah.

It's better.

I attribute the about-face to her awesome teacher. I don't know how she did it, but the pick-up process is SO much better now.

YAY LILA!

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In honor of Valentine's Day I'd like to blog about my Chrsitmas gift from my Valentine.

2012-02-14T05:08:00.000-07:00

Craig got me these custom TOMS for Christmas...

...and I love 'em.

First he bought them online and shipped them to the Flavorful Fish etsy shop.

Craig says the shop owner will customize your TOMS however you want with whatever fabric you choose (or send her) and that she's quite easy to work with.

I think they're great.

And I love them.

Ladies Lunes: My Lila and Vivi.

2012-02-13T05:08:00.000-07:00

Dear readers and friends,

Welcome to Ladies Lunes. In Español "Lunes" (loon-ayes) means Monday. In the past I've done "Lila Lunes" and "Vivienne Viernes." (Viernes means Friday.) I believe I might start combining the two ladies in one update... why? Because quite honestly, it's easier.

And here we go.

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This, my friends... is love. In the photo 2.5-year-old Lila was going after her Daddy. Trying to kiss him. :)

Love that grin.

Oh, and that laugh.

Vivi loves the strawberries.

And this is Vivi's new thing. Whenever she gets shy and there's too much attention on her, she turns her head completely to the left or right (like an owl) and doesn't make contact... but she smiles.

Seriously, we need one of these in our yard year-round.

That is Lila's baby smile.

Jumping and thrilled one minute... then sullen and dramatic the next.
She's my child.

Look at my one-year-old. It's her right eye that we're still having trouble with. It's always glassy, usually a tear in it and it's infected quite frequently. Looks like we'll need to have a tube put in after all.

Donald Trump hair.

Vivienne is our climber. She is always on top of SOMETHING. Chairs. Tables. In Lila's bed. EVERYWHERE but on the ground.

I love this picture. Lila and Vivi playing in the foreground, Millie and Ferg in the background.

Ah, my four ladies.

Tucking your pants in your socks is so much cuter on babies than adults.

She takes after her Daddy.

...and she takes after her Mommy, too.

We went to a birthday party last weekend and Lila loved it.

She got to take home a fairy princess magic wand.

It's been in her hand every second since that party.

My sweet girl's smile. She's getting quite good at smiling on command.

And there, my friends, are 50% of Vivienne's teeth. She has a total of four.

Happy girl.

Lila recently learned to pucker.

Vivi had her first popsicle recently. Um. She loved it. And she's incredibly proficient at eating them, too.

And this is Lila and Emme.

Lila got Emme for Christmas and she is the only doll (aside from Petal the bunny) that Lila adores. She LOVES her. They sit together, eat together, sleep together... you name it.

AND...my favorite Vivi picture of the week.

And the grandparents left on Tuesday. The girls had a great time with them.

It's true. The only ones who loves your children as much as you do are their grandparents.

Lila loves her Mimi and her Papa. For sure.

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And Vivi Kate painted for the first time this week. I thought she would have no idea how to do it: wrong.

She watched her big sister and loved it.

This was the final product and I'm proud to say, I helped her with NONE of it. Except the first yellow stroke. I just traded out the brushes (handed her Lila's old ones) and she kept on a-painting. :)

Vivi's petite stature allows her to walk under the tables with ease. Totally convenient, if you ask me.

And finally, my little princesses.

Lila wanted to dress up as "No White" Sunday morning and she took her dressing-up VERY seriously.

Kindly note the hand-me-down ballet slippers from her cousin, Bella.

And this little one was Tinkerbell. We put the dress on her and she immediately started smiling.

But these days she's much happier driving rather than princess-ing.

And my absolute favorite picture of the week.

And, that's all for now.

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2012 Grammy Fashion Recap

2012-02-12T22:48:00.000-07:00

**I write this late at night. Ignore the errors, please.

More than a few times I said to Craig, "I don't even want to write a Grammy fashion recap. I mean, come on. This is all just ridiculous."

The clothes are were just stupid.

Still, this is what I do. I recap awards show fashions based on nothing other than the fact that I like clothes.

It was just hard this year. I mean, especially when you have stuff like this to look at:

And this. (Is she bleeding from her lady parts?)

(Excuse me.)

And this. (Is she holding a rose? Tell me she's holding a rose.)

And this. (I'm sorry. But really?)

So after seeing some of these fashions, I was literally as un-inspired as all get out.

I'm hoping that many of the Grammy artists and attendees decided that in light of Whitney Houston's passing they felt awkward smiling on the red carpet and decided to forgo it. I get it. I can respect that.

I can't, however, respect this... Nicki Minaj is offending Little Red Riding Hood. And I fast-forwarded through her performance.

Still, there were some stand-outs. And I'm not sure I mean that in a good way.

But this little lady looked great.

I love Adele. (Or, "Princess Adele" as Lila calls her.) She's incredible. She looked lovely. A little matronly - but I love the red lips, not huge hair and FLAWLESS skin. Gorgeous.

This rapper, by the name of "Wiz", I believe looks dirty. And his model-girlfriend (Amber something or another) is striking. In a Hulk Hogan-type of way.

I don't mind Bruno Mars as a general rule. (I run to him on my iPod.) However, his pants are too short. I think that and his tall hair are all part of his grand illusion to make us think he's taller than what he really is. Because let's be honest, those pants are no more than 12 inches long and he's 2 feet tall.

Carrie Underwood. GROSS. The back of this dress reminds me of the two-piece, yet still-one-piece swimsuit I wore when I was a tween. Do you remember these suits? They were a one-piece in the front and had a "bra-type" closure in the back.

Stupid then. Even stupider now.

This is just too much. Black bag? Black eyeliner? Vanna White hair?

I hate this.

I loved Cyndi Lauper's hair, and makeup and the top-half of her outfit. I would have chosen sleek, skinny pants, not a big-'ole coat.

But seriously, let's talk hair. It's FANTASTIC.

She looks like an age-appropriate rocker. Well done, little lady.

Now, orange is my favorite color. However, Halloween is my least favorite holiday, so I'm really conflicted on this black and orange number.

Conflicted?

Wait. No, I'm not.

I'll tell you what, my dog's namesake: Fergie, is wearing a GORGEOUS swimsuit coverup. And my Mom's underwear look great on her, too.

(Sorry, Mom.)

I had no idea that Glinda the Good Witch was at the Grammy's this year.

Incredible.

Kathy Griffin is a JERK but she looks better than she's ever looked. Ever.

Which is completely contradictory to what karma says...

Now, I liked Katy Perry's blue hair. Loved it, in fact. (Bet Bruno Mars wishes he could get that kind of height on his hair.)

...but, SHE NEEDS TO WEAR A BRA.

(Love the color of the dress. She looks beautiful.)

But WEAR A BRA. You'll regret it later.

Kelly Osbourne, you know I love her. She looks awesome.

Still hate the hair, though.

Ladies Love Cool James (L.L. Cool J, to those who don't remember) is adorable. STILL

I adore his Kangol hats and will forever. (Does he age?)

I want to say that Miranda Lambert is wearing a shower curtain you'd find in my great aunt's bathroom...

...but then again I don't want her to key my car then set it on fire.

During the red carpet chatting I was thrilled to hear that Paris Hilton isn't using that ridiculous little, teeny girl, baby voice anymore.

Still, we heard enough about her in the early 00's, we need not hear anything from her for at least 8 years.

She owes us that.

Rihanna looked lovely. The bangs sort of bother me. But the dress is lovely. And the back was gorgeous.

I hope she's not really dating Chris Brown again.

Someone tell me: why does Taylor Swift ALWAYS appear to be so surprised when people clap for her?

DRIVES ME NUTS. And I hate her dress. It's too much.

AND, she's going to look just like Nicole Kidman when she gets older. Yep, she's going to look like a tall, creamy-white skinned Australian woman.

What? Weirder things have happened.

And now to my WORST dressed recipient.

First, I have to say that this was a ridiculously difficult decision given the caliber of dresses on the red carpet.

But the thing is, I just don't think you should skin and wear a seal.

Taraji P. Henson looks awful. The pink, the off-center belt-type thing separating the top from the bottom, the animal skin on the bottom half?

Just gross. Blech.

BURN THIS.

And, as far as the best goes, I liked two.

Skylar Grey.

Ok, ok, so she looks a little severe in this picture... but on TV the dress was gorgeous.

I love it. I like the whole look.

Next, I adored Corrine Bailey Rae's little black number. That bottom? FABULOUS.

It's black. (I know.) And I know I always give black a hard time, but I love this. And it's Christian Siriano and that makes me happy.

So, your thoughts?

P.S. I'd like to express thanks to my DVR. There is NO WAY I could have gotten through this telecast without it.

"Do you have a second?"

2012-02-09T11:30:00.001-07:00

I've found that when people ask, "Do you have a second?" they often times would like more of my time than just a second.

I wish they'd just call it what it really is.

"Do you have an extra 20-40 minutes to listen to me shoot the breeze while I stand in your office doorway and talk to the side of your head as you continue to type in an attempt to indicate to me through non-verbal communication that you really don't have time to chat with me about the state of the economy?"

Because seriously?

I'm still working.
Not looking at the person.
Not making eye contact.
Not even offering reassuring vocal cues to indicate that I'm listening.

Is the person deterred?

Absolutely not. The talking continues.

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Millie's big day. Bob (the perv) Barker would be proud.

2012-02-09T11:06:00.003-07:00

On the way to the vet.

Today is Millie's big day.

Spaying, fixing her umbilical hernia and pulling a couple of baby teeth.

I am waiting anxiously by the phone for an update and then will pick her up around 4:30 p.m.

(How in the world am I going to keep Ferg and Millie from wrestling post-surgery? Oy. Poor Millie Lou will get lots of crate time, I think.)

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When we walked into the vet, the same vet who yelled at me about adopting an American dog instead of a Mexican dog, petted her and gave her the once over and said, "Oh, you got a sweetie."

It's true.

Then we played, "Well, what do you think she is?"

His guesses: Some pekinese, some lhasa apso. I said we thought Shih tzu, too and he agreed. Then he said, "Well, it might just be easier for me to tell you what she isn't."

Tee hee. She isn't a golden retriever or a boxer. True that.

She has a little head and a long body. Silky hair. She's black all over, except for a little bit of brown on her face and grey on her back-end. She weighs about 12 pounds and is 11-months-ish.

She's CUTE as a BUTTON and she loves to cuddle. And I swear she's thankful to be in our house. You can just tell.

And she flies. She literally jumps from our bed to a chair in our room that is four feet away from our bed.

LOVE her. You can't buy that kind of enthusiasm.

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UPDATE - 2:38 p.m. - Millie is totally fine. I'll pick her up at 4:30.

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Happy birthday Eli Thomas!

2012-02-08T15:56:00.003-07:00

My sweet nephew is one today.

Oh you guys, he's so cute. He's the baby of my little sister, Taryn.

Eli,

Sweet baby - you are such a doll and you are loved to the moon and back a bazillion time over. I am so glad you were born. You've brought so many people such joy.

Happy birthday, baby!

Love,
Aunt Ky

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Vivienne Kate's 1st birthday party. Photos. (Finally.)

2012-02-08T09:34:00.000-07:00

So, we had my baby's first birthday party on the 28th, just 4 days after her actual birth date.

The decor was strewn. The tables were set on our back patio.

Um, please look at the cute little children's table. MINI CHAIR COVERS. (OMG.)

We got a brincolin (Jumpy-house thing), a hot dog and hamburger cart and had.some.fun in our backyard.

Millie, our new pooch, was a big fan of the brincolin.

Anywho... on to the birthday girl. She had on a great outfit.

Starting with these.

There's more.

And BAM! The cuteness.
I'll wait.

Go ahead and sigh.

In a subtle nod to the Royal Wedding, Vivienne wore a fascinator.

Amazing.

I'll wait again.

Go ahead and sigh at this CUTENESS.

My sweetie pie was ADORABLE. And we think she absolutely loved her outfit.

Ah, how I love her. (Clearly I was very enthusiastic.)

Can I say it again? I love her.

She loves her Daddy, too. (We all do.)

So yeah. That was the outfit. Great, no? (The outfit is from Paisley and Posies on Etsy.)

Then came the posed pictures.

While the day was fun...

...the birthday girl did have a low point...

And then came the cake. Lovingly made by Vivienne's Aunt B.

It was SO good.

Next came the singing...

...and the eating!

...and the exhaustion.

(I love this photo.)

And yet another milestone. Another memory.

[insert heavy sigh.]

The day was extra precious.

One year. Vivienne Kate has been ours for one year.

Oh, oh, oh... how I love this baby.

For more photos of Vivienne's birthday party, click here.

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MexMo: DEAR PEOPLE WHO VACATION IN CABO

2012-02-06T16:33:00.000-07:00

Dear tourists,

I understand that you're on vacation. I am thrilled that you chose to come to Mexico because what we have down here? Well, it's amazing.

I also understand that you're excited to show off your tanning-booth base tans plus whatever it is you soaked up in the way of a ~~suntan~~ damage at whatever resort you've been at while you've been down here...

I know that you're ready to party like it's 1999 because you are in CABO! SALUD! TEQUILA!...

I know that you love the allure of going on vacation to a destination where NO ONE knows you...

But here's the deal, WE CAN SEE YOU.

So very recently there was this clearly American and/or Canadian couple walking outside of Walmart in a strip-mall type area. He was wearing swimming trunks and no shirt. She was wearing a swimsuit top and skirt and was carrying her shirt. They were no where near the beach or a pool.

I saw them and thought, "Ok. Well. Whatever. They're obviously tourists. Glad they're here. Even if they're not wearing clothes."

THEN, I saw them in Walmart.

WHAT?

If you're wondering, I literally stood in the aisle and pointed my phone at them and took their picture. They deserved to see me.

Would you walk around in Walmart without your shirt on at home?

I'll answer for you:

NO, you wouldn't...

...so, DON'T do it here.

Blurry "close-up" of the offenders.

Psssst... WE CAN SEE YOU.

(I won't even get into the hygienic issues I have with topless grocery shopping...)

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Later in the day C and I were in downtown Cabo eating at a restaurant on the marina and we saw a series of offenses that I couldn't quite get my phone out fast enough for.

I did catch this one.

WHAT?

Once again, we were NO WHERE NEAR a swimming beach or pool.

This woman was essentially walking around downtown in her high-waisted, french-cut UNDERPANTS and a bra. Sure, sure, it was her swimsuit, but REALLY?

Guys, guys, GUYS...

Ladies, ladies, LADIES...

Before you consider heading to the grocery store wearing just your triangle-top bikini and teeny swimsuit bottom... may this serve as a gentle reminder: WE CAN SEE YOU and we don't want you half-naked around our food.

Do not omit necessary articles of clothing solely because you're on vacation.

Swimsuits are for the beach. Swimsuits are for pools. Swimsuits are for boats. Swimsuits are for waterparks.

Swimsuits are not for Wal-mart.

That's all.

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No new post, but...

2012-02-05T22:57:00.001-07:00

.. how cool is Lila's painting for her Mimi and Papa?
The in-laws leave Tuesday, we did family time today. Blogging to resume shortly.
Yay for family. And grandparents for my babes.

Vivi's BIRTHDAY pictures... phase one.

2012-02-03T06:08:00.000-07:00

Vivienne Kate turned ONE year old last Tuesday.

It was an eventful day. I took the day off and spent it with my little muffin and she was adorable. Then, her Mimi and Papa arrived from Ohio in the afternoon. Then she fell face first on the ONE step in our house (it's made of travertine) and she chipped her front tooth, cut her lip (blood!) and her face...

...then our Cabo-residing family over to have cupcakes.

It was a bit stressful (sorry for that, family!) what with the injured baby, the jet-lagged grandparents, and the seething Mommy who was so sad that her perfect baby was slightly marred. (Yep, it ain't my first rodeo -- I know that there's plenty of falling and accidents in our future with this little daredevil. Still, a chipped tooth on a one-year-old? A tooth that isn't even totally grown in? It's tough. Hello parent guilt. Why didn't I catch her?!?!)

Anywho, here are the photos from Tuesday, January 24th.

The 1st birthday fiesta photos? They're forthcoming. Stay tuned! I'm hoping to get them on the blog this weekend.

Look at my little sweetie pie.

As if we'd all look at the camera at the same time. Right!

"Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you, happy birthday Sweet Viviennnnnnnne. Happy Birthday to you!"

Out goes the candle.

Boo-boo from falling down. Poor baby.

Those sweet cheeks.

Her first ever gigantic bite of cake.

She wasn't really all that into it... (She may not be my child.)

Oh wait, she is mine. She likes cake after all. :)

More photos to come...

(That's one cute baby, no?)

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The delete key.

2012-02-02T06:08:00.001-07:00

So, I just finished writing an email. I went back, re-read it and deleted a sentence or two. I re-wrote my thought, then I deleted it again. I did this whole little song and dance for about 10 minutes before I finally felt comfortable enough clicking send

The email was really just an everyday correspondence. No confrontation. No major announcement. Just an email to a friend. Simple, really. Nothing that required too much thought or effort; just everyday stuff.

However, I'll go ahead and tell you what I was thankful for: that delete button.

My words, oh my words, they just weren't flowing. They weren't saying what I needed them to say. I typed and typed and typed... but there was no emotion, no sincerity in what I was saying to my friend. Just babble.

I'm thankful for my second, third, fourth and fifth chance to say what I needed to say.

...

Then I pondered.

Oh, what would life be like if we could take all of our interactions with the peeps around us -- our co-workers, our family members, our significant others, our toddlers -- and edit them and delete the not-so-great parts before we sent our actions and words out into the universe to be soaked up by those we communicate with.

I'd bet the proportion of hurt and sad people would be far less and the amount of content and joyful people might be that might higher.

Behold, the power of words... they're even greater than the power of cheese.

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I can't even begin to tell you how much I hate baby carrots.

2012-02-02T06:08:00.000-07:00

Baby carrots* are useless.

They're gross.

They're tasteless... that is, until you bite one that is so bitter and dirty tasting that you want to spit it out immediately.

I hate them.

Still, as a conscientious human being who is more than mildly concerned with nutrition, I eat them.

But DO KNOW, dear record, I HATE THEM THE ENTIRE TIME I'm chewing them.

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*There's a bit of a kerfuffle about baby carrots not being "babies." Some are in fact just stamped, if you will, from larger, uglier, non-sellable carrots. No matter what, I would assume that eating a baby carrot (cut or regular) is more than likely better than eating a column of Pringles sour cream and onion chips which I may or may not have done a couple of nights ago.

More about baby carrots here.

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Other vegetables that are USELESS:

Cauliflower
Arugula
Celery

I've got some "impressive" Klout.

2012-02-01T05:08:00.000-07:00

So I'm a member of Klout. Why? I wish I knew.

Klout is a website that supposedly measures your interweb influence in comparison with others... I've gotten a free $25 gift card to macys.com, free business cards from moo.com and I'm getting some anti-wrinkle cream soon as klout "perks". So, sometimes it pays to have Klout. Literally. (Nope, not compensated for this post.)

Anywho, Klout measures your activity on social media sources like facebook, twitter, blogger, tumblr, instagram, etc. and apparently feels that they can assign a number (from 1-100) to your profile that allegedly sums up your social media influence. They say that 100 is the best. I'm a 56. In my opinion, Klout is absolutely flawed and not all that accurate but that said, I smiled when I got a notification the other day that they have found new topics that I am "influential" about.

But first, up until this point Klout says that I am influential about:

Glasses (I don't know if this is drinking or eye)
Chocolate (I can't argue with that.)
Moms (Takes one to know one.)
Breastfeeding (I agree.)
Ohio (I lived there for 26 years.)
Mexico (Also accurate given my current locale.)
Books (I like books.)
Health (I've got nothing against health.)
Toddler (I have two of them.)
Allergies (Not sure where this one comes from.)
Video (Ambiguous, for sure.)

So here are my recent topics that apparently I am "influential" about:

That would be "Alcohol".

"Charlotte"

And, "Baking."

Fabulous.

Klout, you're dead-on, once again.

I can't wait to hear that I'm soon influential about "plants", "air" and "carpet."

Hello randomness.

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Do you use Klout? Thoughts?

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Mirror image.

2012-01-31T05:08:00.000-07:00

By now you may have heard the news story about the Mom who was arrested for allowing her 10-year-old son to get a memorial tattoo of his brother who had passed away.

Whether you think it's right or wrong isn't relevent today.

This is the Mom Chuntera Napier.

This is Jay-Z, hip hop extraordinaire/mogul.

I think the bigger news story here is that Jay-Z's twin sister is living in Georgia.

Hello, STRIKING resemblance?

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Happy birthday, amiga!

2012-01-30T09:32:00.002-07:00

Today is the birthday of a dear, dear friend.

A friend who has been kind to me, my family, my girls, my dog since we've moved to Cabo...
A friend who is always just a phone call away...
A friend who would drop anything to help me whenever I needed it...

Friend, you are a kind soul and a lovely person.
You've reassured me and been there for us so many times and we thank you.

I am so glad you were born.
Happy Birthday, D.

With love,
ky

--

2012 SAG Awards Fashion Recap

2012-01-29T22:35:00.000-07:00

I like the SAG awards based solely on the fact that the fashion is a bit more laid back. It isn't as stuffy as the Osars and elaborate gowns aren't necessary. Love it.

Let's begin, shall we?

We'll start with the ladies of Glee.

Naya Rivera looked lovely. This is such an improvement. A bit too much up-top for my taste, but seriously? It looks far better than her standard.

Lest you think I'm being mean to Amber Riley, I'd like to confirm that in 99% of all circumstances bows are dreadfully wrong. This is no exception.

Terribly big bow. TERRIBLE.

GASP! Jane Lynch looks lovely! The only questionable aspect of this gown would be the semi-baggy up-top. Perhaps it's just the angle?

Great color on her, though.

I feel that Jayma Mays was just a bit too fancy for the evening. However she looked nice. I love the neckline and the cap sleeves. Super cute.

I love this dress on Dianna Agron. This is truly such an improvement from awards shows of yore. Look at that guy in the background, he's squealing with delight that she's finally chosen a dress that looks good.

Awesome. Love.

Take note: this is a braid I can get behind.

Sadly, I just can't be as overwhelmingly thrilled with Heather Morris' dress. She seriously looks like she borrowed a dress from a Van Halen groupie, added some chiffon to the bottom and rolled on in to the SAG red carpet all like, "Heeeyyyyyyy."

And her hair? And earrings? I die. And not in a good way.

Are those silver shoes?

Let's talk a bit more about the other black dresses.

I don't like this. Ashlee Simpson seems nice and all, but I don't like this dress.

It just looks... old. I know, I get it, flapper-esque, blah, blah, blah -- but this seriously belongs on Sophia Loren. Not her.

This is a pageant dress. Maria Menounous is beautiful. She has a great body. But this whole thing just looks so contrived. It looks great, sure... but ehhhhhhh.

I vote this dress, "Blech."

I love this look. I'm far too ~~lazy~~ sleepy to look up this actor's name, but I do feel that her hair is fun. I mean, if you're going to go, go BIG.

Not to fear sweet friends of mine, I won't be voting Angelina Jolie best dressed this week.

Nope, it just so happens that I don't care for metallic-looking, cheapy, boring-looking drape-y fabric gowns.

She's seriously worn this style of dress about a thousand time before. Yawn.

WOULD IT KILL HER TO LOOK ALIVE?

(Hee hee. That statement made me laugh.)

Tina Fey, what's that? TWO AWARDS SHOWS IN A ROW you look pretty darn good? Sure, she's back to her ole' standby color, but she looks great.

We'll work on the hair later, sweet Tina.

Let's talk about the neutrals, shall we?

Oh, you know I love Tilda Swinton. I enjoy this dress... until we get to the feet. The gown should be longer. I don't want to see her shoes.

And can we talk about Tilda's ~~lack of~~ coloring? It's amazing.

Shailene Woodley was born in 1991.

I can forgive her dress choice.

I feel that Julianne Marguiles is a lovely woman and the dress was great. I'm so glad she opted to go sans necklace. Love the color. Love the hair. Nice.

Kelly Osbourne looked great. Best ever. It's so fabulous to see her looking so great these days. She's really come into her own and I quite like her.

Well done, Kelly.

Octavia Spencer looks FANTASTIC. Gorgeous. Love it. I especially loved her hair.

Viola Davis looked gorgeous. I'm not an overwhelmingly staunch fan of sweeping grecian looks, but seriously - this woman is stunning. The gown is lovely. Just lovely.

This was nearly on my worst-dressed list. I cannot ABIDE that Kristen Wiig is also wearing a choker with that halter-style top. Horrendous.

WHY DIDN'T SOMEONE TELL HER?

I hate it.

Yep. I'm going to complain again. Sarah Hyland from Modern Family is wearing a dress that belongs on an older woman.

And her hair looks looks atrocious, seriously it's 1997 Homecoming hair. For sure.

I strongly feel that Julie Bowen looked amazing. I loved this color, loved this cut. It's perfection.

Oh Giuliana, Oh Giuliana. OH GIULIANA.

No.

So if the question were posed, "Kylee, would you wear this dress?" I would quickly reply, "No."

But I don't think we can deny that Kyra Sedgwick looks prettttty amazing.

It's TOO EASY. Sofia Veragara looks like she always does: hot. No shocker here.

Some things in life are just too easy.

Yes, of course. She looks amazing.

Jenna Fischer looks terrible. This dress is matronly and old and awful. I know and respect that she had a baby 4 months ago but those sleeves are HORRENDOUS.

(It took everything I had not to rope her into my, "Worst Dressed" list.)

Jessica Chastain from The Help looks like Jessica Rabbit. For sure.

I don't like bra-top dresses, but she's gorgeous.

Ellie Kemper is a doll but this dress was absolutely not flattering.

And the blue matchy-matchy eye shadow was painful.

Diane Lane is sporting a pony tail.

Nope. I can't support that.

Emily Blunt looked amazing in this color. I loved it. The balled-up handkerchief on her shoulder didn't even really bother me, either.

AND, now on to my favorites.

I love Zoe Saldana's ensemble. The white tank top underneath is phenomenal. It's just fancy enough and casual enough for me. I love it. Especially on her skin tone.

Emma Stone is ADORABLE. I'm not a tea-length fan, but she pulled it off.

And this is how you should wear a black dress. Different. Fun.

I covet Michelle Williams' hair.

And this dress, specifically this neckline, is lovely. It's perfect. And pixie-like. And cute. And I love the lace.

Adorable.

And, now on to my worst dressed:

Kaley Cuoco. Do I know her? No. Do I know that she looks goofy? Yes.

It's just too much. It's a wedding dress. And I hate the braid. If you're going for Bo-ho bride, why wear a matchy-matchy hand bag?

Just not a fan.

Meryl Streep is INCREDIBLE. But this whole thing is confusing. That belt. That bag. Those shoes. The long sleeves. Did she wrap a sheer drape around her?

I beg your pardon, Queen Meryl. But this is weird.

Another braid. She was doomed from the get. Busy Phillips, this is bad.

I believe this is what Jenny wore in Forrest Gump during the 60's scenes.

Just can't quite stand behind this one.

More external boning. This is seriously not age-appropriate. I hate this. Glenn Close looks awful. Too much chiffon on her arms. It's too tight. Too large of a mermaid tail. It's just too much.

And now for my worst dressed:

Lea Michelle from Glee.

SHE PAINS ME.

That slit is ridiculous.

And she really takes herself far too seriously.

I also think she THINKS she's far taller than what she really is. Every dress she wears seems to puddle far more than it should. And she just tries to looks far more vamp-y than what I presume she is.

I just can't stand it.

Two arms full of braclets? That much leg? Rhinestone bag. Too-big shoes?

Boo.

And now, for my best dressed.

It's quite simple really.

My best dressed is Rose Byrne.

I loved this pantsuit. LOVED it.

She pulled it off. She looks adorable. Her bangs are cute. I just loved that it was different. That same fabric in a gown would have been suicide.

Good for her for taking a risk that worked.

Tell me your thoughts!

--

The birthday girl was exhausted.

2012-01-28T22:15:00.000-07:00

After her birthday party, the Viv was out.

Time, time, TIME?

2012-01-26T09:52:00.002-07:00

The birthday girl pre-chipped front tooth.

New puppy.
Vivienne's chipped tooth.
In-laws in town.
Full-time work.

Not a lot of time for blogging... but I have so much to say! (Story of my life.) Stay tuned.

--

Meet Millie.

2012-01-24T21:55:00.002-07:00

This is Millie (Mildred) Mary-Lou.

She's our new dog.

She arrived today, on Vivi's 1st birthday.

She's from a high-kill shelter in Tennessee. She was surrendered because her previous owners, "had a baby" and was fostered by two of our favorite people in Ohio who are helping the world by saving one dog at a time. I saw a picture of her several weeks ago and thought, "Hmmm... maybe we need her."

All the stars aligned and the logistics worked themselves out and she arrived to us safe and sound.

She's great.
We think she's about 10 or 11 months old and we think her name has always been Millie. (We have no intentions of changing it.) However, we added the Mary-Lou. Mildred was Craig's great grandma, Mary Lou was my Grandma.

We're not too sure of her breed. Maybe some Havanese, a bit of Affenpinscher and possibly some shih tzu? Whatever it is, it works.

I think she's part ewok.

So far, so good. She's fit in to our chaos quite well and she and Ferg seem to be fast friends... well, except for a skirmish over a dog bone.

She's pretty cute, huh?

We love her already.

--

Happy 1st birthday, Vivienne Kate

2012-01-24T05:08:00.000-07:00

Dear Vivienne,

I've been thinking about this blog post for a while now. I knew I had to write it, but I didn't want to. Not because I don't like writing about you, sweet, precious girl... oh no, it's just the opposite. If I write this love letter, then it surely means that you're growing up and that soon you'll soon be a toddler, a girl, a tween, then a TEEN, then off to college... and oh Holy Toledo, it's more than I can bear.

You see, sweet Vivienne -- you are amazing.

You are my little sweet pea.

You are a baby above all babies. (It's true.) Your babyhood has just been so easy and so enjoyable and just so fun and smile-inducing.

You came into this world on January 24, 2011 at 12:46 p.m. and when I saw you...

...oh, when I saw you...

During those first 24 hours I just kept trying to place you. To figure out just who you looked like. "Whose eyes are those? How about that nose? Look at her fingers, now whose fingers are those?"

Here's what I found out very early on: you are nothing like anyone else.

You, my sweet Vivi-cakes are your own person. Your own baby. And even though before you were born I was a Mommy to your older sister, that experience is nothing like our experience and you are nothing like your sister and she is nothing like you.

Sweet Vivienne.

You are perfectly you.

Let's talk about those first few months.

Your entrance into our lives was seamless. What's that? You weren't always here? Here's why it was so smooth: because you... this... it was all meant to happen when it happened.

You moved in. You took up residence in our space and in our hearts. Lila was thrilled to have you. Never, not once did Lila have an issue with your presence. I think it's because she knew what your Dad and I knew: that you were cool.

Maybe it was because parents are naturally a little more laid-back the second time, but sweet Vivienne, you have been easy. You immediately showed us that you were different by preferring the opposite of everything your older sister liked. You were a belly sleeper. You liked cuddling. You hated accessories... except stickers...

You are perfectly you.

Let's talk about your personality. At this point in your life, you're calm and collected. You're an observer. You have distinctive preferences: you love this little plastic fake bottle of perfume that came with your sister's-stuffed-animal-cat-carrier-thing and you carry it everywhere (totally random), you love TV remotes and cell phones, you adore blueberries, you despise having your diaper changed, you love attempting to eat Ferg's food, you crawl outside through our patio doors on a regular basis in an attempt to escape, you love to swing, Lila must constantly be in your view and you love books.

Upside-down books.

You're also my partner. You really like me and I really like you. (I'll remind you of this when you're 13.) You cry when I leave the room... but in all honestly, shhhhhh..... don't tell anyone -- I love it.

Sweet Vivienne, when you were a newborn in the hospital, I would hold your head to my face and shush you and sigh out loud; a sigh of pure contentment. I continued to do that each time I've held you. Then, sweet baby... you started sighing back. I'd hold you, or your Daddy would hold you and you'd gently rest your head on us and sigh. You still snuggle into us on a daily basis. You snuggle with your baby dolls, too. We hand them to you and you hold them, rest your head on them and sigh and pat their backs.

You are a snuggle muffin.

You are perfectly you.

You weigh 18 lbs and are about 26.5 inches tall. You have four teeth (two on the top, two on the bottom) and you're absolutely walking. You clap. You smile. You say Mama, Dada, and Lila. You laugh and laugh all the time. You have brown hair and brown-ish eyes.You love Ferg's kisses and like to play with her. You're neat; you like to put toys and other items away again and again. You climb, oh boy do you climb. You're always climbing on something. And you're quite the dancer. You shake it on a regular basis.

Oh, Vivi... you are perfectly you.

Sweet Vivienne, I wish for you so many things. But most of all, I hope and wish and dream and pray that one day, you will hold your sweet baby in your arms and that you're filled to the brim with love for your baby in the same way that I am for you.

I am so pleased that I am your Mommy. And for forever, sweet girl, you will always be my baby.

My sweet Vivienne Kate, happy birthday.

I am so happy you were born.

love,
your mommy

more about vivienne kate
• • • • •
Pictures from Vivi's first year -- just a few -- click here to see
When I announced my pregnancy -- click to read here
Vivienne's birth story -- click to read here
Vivienne's birth announcement here -- click to see it

--

Four things.

2012-01-23T05:08:00.000-07:00

1. This fourth drink on this list... Oh, I can't even tell you how badly I wanted Craig to order it. I need to hear my husband order a "Spicy Latin Lover."

2. This weekend I go to the grocery store to get a toothbrush for Lila. There's a limited selection in Cabo of EVERYTHING. Colgate had two toddler toothbrush options: Sponge Bob or Barbie. SHOOT me.

I bought neither.

3. I had basil ice cream this past weekend. It was gross. I didn't order it, it came with the hot lava cake. Pass. Who wants basil ice cream? (Why didn't they use mint?)

4. My daughter turns one tomorrow.

--

My princess.

2012-01-22T18:52:00.001-07:00

This is my 4,500th post.

2012-01-20T14:57:00.001-07:00

That's all.

Just wanted that small milestone to be mentioned.

--

Who's two?

2012-01-20T14:55:00.002-07:00

Brody is.

This little baby entered our family's life and brought with him the cuteness like no one had seen before. He also brought with him crying like no one had seen before. (His parents deserve a medal.)

Today, he is sweet. Ohhhh, is he sweet. I wish you all could hear him say, "Thank you." It's pretty much the cutest thing ever.

There's something about this little one that I love. I just love.

Oh, sweet Brody Daniel - happy, happy birthday. We are so glad you were born. Aunt Ky loves you.

--

Lila: Preschool update

2012-01-20T14:46:00.002-07:00


Smiling. Eating a cracker. All.was.good. P.S. Friday is, "Where what you want to wear day" at Lila's school.

So today was supposed to the the, "Run and give Mommy a hug as soon as you see her and it will make her soooo happy" day at preschool.

I arrived at the gate to pick her up. She saw me. She did not walk toward me. Nope. She walked away from me. (Seriously???) However, she sat down NEAR the gate. (Not on the slide. Improvement? I'd say.)

Miss Luly (the preschool whisperer) talked to her. Walked her to the gate. Lila re-saw me, I asked Lila, "DO YOU HAVE MY HUG?!?!!"

She walked very, very,very slowly toward me (Hello, I'm Kylee. I'm your Mom. We've met before.) and said, "...yes... YES!" and threw her arms around me and we left the school WITHOUT TEARS.

We hugged about five more times while I carried her out.

It was a small success.

--

P.S. LOVE all the comments from the last post. You all are supportive and awesome.

We'll see how Monday goes.

--

Oh Lila: Every.Single.Day?

2012-01-19T16:27:00.000-07:00

Are those tears of joy behind those eyes? Riiiight.

The deal is, Craig drops Lila off at school around 9 a.m. every morning. And I pick her up at 1:30 p.m.

My creature of routine loves school and all that comes with it: her uniform, her shoes, her lunch bag, her backpack, EVERYTHING. She loves school. "I go school now? Now? NOW?"

Every morning, Craig tells me that Lila is welcomed with greetings from her teachers and classmates who are so excited to see her, "Hi Lila!"

Every morning, she walks in the school and forgets about Craig immediately. She NEVER says or kisses Craig goodbye. Ever.

Oh Lila, my spirited child.

Then I pick Lila up in the afternoon. She stands by the gate until she sees me.

Then WITHOUT FAIL she RUNS from the gate as soon as our eyes meet and screams, "LILA NO GO HOME!!! NO!!!" She doesn't yell it. She screams it.

She has done this EVERY afternoon since she started school. In August.

All of the other parents smile and judge me as their little cherubs run to them yelling, "Mama! Papa!" I know what they're thinking: "Ah, that Gringa. Her daughter runs from her. She must beat her at home. She must be a horrendous parent."

The teachers smile at the daily routine.

Even the school administrator smiles... politely.

I can't stand polite smiles.

Then, every.single.day Lila's sweetheart of a teacher ambles over to her in the midst of the insanity that is preschool pickup time and PEELS her off of the slide, whispers magical words to her and Lila reluctantly walks toward me.

All of this takes anywhere from 3-8 minutes and it drives me CRAZY.

SO. Today was a new day.

I warned Lila last night about the "new day" and told her that when Mommy comes to pick her up from school tomorrow, and she sees me, it would make me so happy if she would STAY at the gate and not RUN to the slide. I explained that she needs to be a big girl, blah, blah, blah.

Now before you think I'm a heartless mother who wants to hurt her child, know that I have tried every soft and sweet approach possible. Now? I'm over it. Ask my family who sees Lila regularly, she is a tough cookie. EVERYTHING is done in Lila's time. Not ONE minute sooner.

So enter TODAY.

I walk up to the school and watched Lila leave her classroom, walk through the gate and into the courtyard. She immediately walked toward the gate where she gives me the stink-eye every afternoon.

I said, "Hi Lila! Wait there. Mommy's coming."

She darted.

AHHHHHH.

I took a deep breath and ignored the teachers, other parents AND the school administrator ~~laughing~~ judging yet again... opened the gate, walked over to Lila and told her it was time to go now. She said no.

I stood her up and walked her out.

SCREAMING.

She screamed all the way to the car. In the car. (Hence the photo above). And for about 5 minutes in to the drive.

Then finally she was quiet and we talked.

Bottom line: she doesn't want to go home and take a nap (I know), she doesn't want to leave school (I know) and she loves Miss Luly (I know.)

She also made it clear that she "no love" me at that moment. ("I no love you.") Her words, not mine.

Then 2 minutes later she was smiling.

--

TODDLERS ARE INSANE. Or is it just MY toddler?

So, tomorrow she promises that when she sees me, she is going to give me the biggest HUG ever and I told her that will make me sooooo happy.

Fingers crossed.

If I was a bettin' lady, I'd put $300 down that Lila is going to run like the wind. Again. Tomorrow.

Ah, my spirited child.

--

I miss Mr. Rogers.

2012-01-19T15:53:00.000-07:00

Do they get any sweeter than this?

Mr. Rogers is an angel now, for sure.

--

Bear with me.

2012-01-19T11:49:00.001-07:00

I'm sentimental.

She's almost one.

Her 1st birthday party invite.

READ this. Understanding SOPA

2012-01-18T10:01:00.001-07:00

You've heard that today is blackout day for those campaigning against SOPA.

Read more here.

--

Six More Days.

2012-01-18T05:08:00.000-07:00

Six more days... until she's one.

Heavy sigh.

--

Happy Birthday, Sweet Bella.

2012-01-17T21:38:00.001-07:00

My niece Bella turned four today.

Oh, sweet girl. You have brought so much love to our family.
Your hugs. Your kindness. Your sweet smile.

You are so loved.

I am so glad you were born, Bella Rae.

Love, Aunt Ky

--

Butter, ya'll. Let's talk Paula Deen.

2012-01-17T12:59:00.002-07:00

Paula Deen could totally be Elizabeth Taylor for Halloween next year.

In reference to Paula Deen's recent admission that she has had Type II diabetes for three years, I have to say that I see some validity in rainbows, unicorns and butterflies lover, Anthony Bourdain.

"When your signature dish is a hamburger in between a doughnut, and you've been cheerfully selling this stuff knowing all along that you've got Type 2 Diabetes ... It's in bad taste if nothing else," celebrity chef Anthony Bourdain, told People.

(I did sort of snicker.)

You cannot eat that way.
There I said it.

You simply CANNOT eat with that much butter, that much salt, that much oil, that much sugar... and not expect to experience some repurcussions. Especially if you are inactive.

There's always a volatile differing of opinions regarding how much media influences real life, and I refuse to blame Paula for America's obesity issue, but it's statements like this that DRIVE ME NUTS:

"People see me cooking all these wonderful, Southern, fattening recipes... it's for entertainment," Deen said. "People have to be responsible."

Ok, ok, ok. It's for entertainment? Your 3 cups of sugar and 2 sticks of butter is for entertainment, but the truth of the matter is -- you are releasing into the atmosphere that it is acceptable to eat like that on a regular basis. It's your legacy, Paula. OWN it.

And, she says that she hasn't really changed her diet too much, but she's attempting to be more active. She is aligning with drug company, Novo Nordisk that provides the Diabeetus drug she's on, Victoza. Perhaps a new marketing promotion will allow fans to buy one of her cookbooks and get a free sample of Victoza. (Catty, I know.)

I'm not a huge believer that you need to eat a gluten-free, dairy-free, vegan lifestyle in order to be healthy; we've all read stories and seen first-hand that daily-runners and athletes can develop heart disease or cancer.

But Type II diabetes can often times be prevented... by getting up and moving. Race, age, and genetic predisposition do factor in, but diet and a sedentary lifestyle is also incredibly important.

Now, I don't think Paula's running any major marathons, but with a regular show on Food Network, cookbooks up the wazoo and all of her TV appearances, I don't imagine she's a couch potato. I'm sure she's active... But continuing to capitalize on fatty foods and crazy-sugar-laden comfort dishes while you know the potential health hazards is comparable to leading the sheep to the slaughter.

Yep - the sheep have minds of their own, but why does the shepherd have to be a jerk?

Before you think I'm insensitive, let me put forth my disclaimer: I wish NO ill will on this lovely grandmother. I truly don't. But I hope her experience provides an inspiring opportunity for others to make change in their diets.

I guess when you know better, you do better.

So, will Paula Deen lighten up her traditional southern cooking?

--

Cookin' with Ky

2012-01-17T05:08:00.000-07:00

My kitchen prowess is unrivaled.

Ya'll, I'm fancy.

Exhibit A. Last night's dinner.

(Gorgeous, no?)

2 potatoes, 1 bunch of brocolli, 2 hand-fulls of baby carrots, 1 red pepper, 1/2 of one red onion, green beans, cherry tomatoes.

Salt & pepper. Seasoned salt. (A touch). Olive oil.

30 minutes - 400 degrees.

DONE.

We are so fancy, we even ate it off the fancy baking sheet.

And that was, "Cookin' with Ky."

Note: Real Simple, where I found the recipe, indicated that you should throw some bone-in chicken with the veggies, but all we had were frozen chicken breasts. SO... we ate veggies.

YUM.

--

Golden Globes Fashion Recap 2012

2012-01-16T05:08:00.000-07:00

First off, I want to give props to Giuliana Rancic for looking phenomenal and for working after going through all that she's been through recently. Incredible. Good on you. GOOD on you.

On to the fashion.

First off, I'd like to submit a plea to actresses considering going to an awards event. DO NOT WEAR RED. I am so over red dresses. They're the little black dress of the red carpet. They're boring. You seriously don't want to blend in with the carpet.

Shoot me. I seriously hate these dresses.

Kyle Richards looks tacky. (Shocker.)

Boring.

I love Reese Witherspoon and her hair is stupendous. I love Zac Posen. I hate this dress. The sweetheart neckline is incredibly flattering, however the exterior boning is hideous and not at all flattering. I was shocked when I saw it from the side. Not ok.

The ruffles are pointless. Ambery Riley looks the best she's ever looked, but RED? AHHH. SO boring. The ruffles need to be larger or gone.

Dianna Agron from Glee always gets it wrong. The laser-cut thing? Cool. I like the top, hate the ruffles (which I usually adore) and cannot STAND the color. Boo. Try again.

Oh, Madonna. I wanted to like this dress. I did. Because let's be honest, Madonna looks less worked on than she has in years. (How does that work?) She looks gorgeous from the waist-up. But all of those little satin green squares look like leftover pool tile. Blech. Do-over.

Now, I know you're going to wonder if my brain has left my body, but I kind of like Laura Dern's dress. It's totally something I'd expect to see Cindy from Three's Company wear. (And I guess I like that? Yeah, I know, I'm confused, too.) Who doesn't like a long, formal, sequined tennis dress? "Hey Buffy, where are you heading?" "Well, after tennis, I'll be walking the red carpet at the Golden Globes."

Right on.

I don't know this Connie Britton lady, but apparently she's new to earth. It's a RED CARPET event. You're wearing your Easter dress. Why didn't someone tell her?

Ok, Tina Fey gets the, "Most Improved EVER" award. LOOK! Tina is wearing a color! And her hair looks great! Excellent. Fabulous. I'm so pleased.

YAY TINA!

And the, "Most disappointing" awards goes to Amy Poehler. This seriously reminds me of something that Michelle Duggar or a very conservative Mormon would wear. I'm all for modesty, but this is ridiculous and boring. It looks like it's way too big and for someone quite a bit older than her. Boo. Hiss.

Better luck next time, sweet Amy.

Why is Jessica Biel wearing what appears to be a vampire's wedding gown to the Golden Globes? That Justin Timberlake is one lucky fella.

This woman is incredible. Dame Helen Mirren looks phenomenal. Wow. (Seriously, can you even fathom your grandma looking like that?)

She's hot stuff.

(It felt odd typing that.)

Now let's chat about the black dresses. Specifically this one. It's not overwhelming flattering. Too severe for my taste. Morena Baccarin. I'd like to burn it.

Debra Messing looks fine. And boring. I almost didn't even want to include this photo in my write-up but I did to prove a point: BLACK IS BORING.

Julianne Moore is gorgeous. I appreciate the green earrings and her dress is lovely. She looks fine. But safe. And boring.

"The Audible Gasp Award" goes to Meryl Streep.

WHAT IS THIS?

It's like a long, satin, country button-up dress. With a belt.

No.

Mila Kunis looks fantastic. I love the top of this dress. She played it safe, but looks stunning (and slightly annoyed), as always.

Jane Lynch has worn this dress several times over in green and copper. (I believe.) Let's try something new, shall we?

Out of all of the black dresses, I loved this one. Definitely the winner of the "Best Black dress" award. It was perfect for Rooney Mara. I loved the way it moved on the red carpet and she can pull off that nonsense.

And the winner of the, "Old-school Movie Star" award goes to Jessica Alba. She looks gorgeous. That color, her skin, her hair... lovely.

Disappointing.

Kate Winslet was disappointing. In posts past, I have said it again and again: I love her. But this dress? It was effortless. In a not-great way. Can we please see a different cut? A different style? Please? Something DIFFERENT?

So Katharine McPhee did it wrong. And...

Kate Beckinsdale did it right. Incredible.

Look at Heidi Klum lookin' all not tacky! (Surprise!) I love this Calvin Klein dress. It's gorgeous. Um, that's an an amazing back.

Tell me Nicole Kidman creeps you out in the same way she creeps me out. That dress is so weird. I can't get over the way her up-top looks. Boo. Thumbs down. She will forever be a Stepford Wife to me.

Speaking of misshapen up-tops. Oh, Kelly Osbourne. I love you on Fashion Police. I respect your opinions. I hate your dress. Your uptop looks freakishly pointy. This dress is wearing you. And I LOATHE the hair color. I just can't get used to it. This just doesn't work.

And the third up-top comment in a row: I think Sofia Vergara is trying so hard to get us all to look at something aside from her Dolly Partons... and it's working. The fishtail of that gown is incredible. I adore the color, too. And she showed some restraint with the accessories this time. Well done.

And now to my favorites:

Charlize Theron was amazing. Hello runway model. Love this.

Next, I am in love with Claire Danes' gown. Would I wear it? Of course not, I can't wear any of this stuff. (I can only blog about it. I'm 5' 3" ya'll.)

Anywho - um, stunning. And the best part?

THIS back!

Tilda Swinton is incredible. I think she is just cool. This dress/outfit thing? NO ONE ELSE could wear it, but she wears it so well.

I love this. Love the hair. Love the lapels sticking up. Sleeves up. Nice.

She seriously just made a Mom-of-the-bride outfit look cool.

And then there's this dress. And I must confess, on first sight... I loved it. Yes, you read that correctly.

It's FUN! Good for her for having fun. Sarah Michelle Gellar, I like it. I do.

Sweet Emma Stone. This. is. fantastic. NO ONE ELSE looked like this. And seriously, I liked your look so much I didn't even notice that it was in the red-family. Incredible. Great hair, too.

(I'll have my best dressed at the end.)

Next, can we please talk about the crimes? The crimes against fashion?

Emily Watson. WHAT IS THIS? This seriously looks like something straight out of Ann Taylor. (Which is cool for work. Not for the Golden Globes.) You can't just add a tri-strand gold necklace on it and head on in to the red carpet.

Gross.

This dress on Julianna Marguiles is disgusting. It is inappropriate and all-the-way-around unacceptable. Sure, sure, sure - I'm sure it has amazing movement and flow, but in photos it's horrendous.

I'm embarrassed for her.

Not only is this dress far too tight, but you can see Mary J. Blige's under-things and she appears to have side-boob showing. The bottom also looks like the boots that Beyonce wore when she was in that terrible Austin Powers movie. That look should never be repeated.

Horrendous.

Alright, this little lady from Glee is a mess. That seam. THAT SEAM is driving me crazy. I cannot even FATHOM why anyone would accept this as a Golden Globes dress.

THE SEAM IS PUCKERING.

Even her most ferverent supporter, whom I am married to, cannot dispute this fact: THIS DRESS IS TERRIBLE. It is just ugly.

Zooey Deschanel is so quirky, yeah, blah, blah, blah... but this seriously looks like she was sponsored by Mountain Dew.

I hate it.

And I could not STAND her hair. Did you see it? She had these weirdo-layers cut right near her ears that made it look like she had lambchops.

AH. WHY DOES THIS GIRL REMIND MY HUSBAND OF ME? (I would never wear that. Nor do I sing when I talk.)

AND, the biggest crime of the night:

Lea Michelle from Glee.

Friends.

Friends.

FRIENDS.

WHAT in the world is happening here? She's 26-years-old. This dress is not for a 26-year-old. And it's not for a person who plays a high school student on TV. It's just mature. And it's just too much. I mean seriously, this is an Oscar dress. And, this dress has been worn by Halle Bery about a bazillion times already.

I could go on and on.

I hate this.

And next, I feel that a brief disclaimer is necessary before you clearly see who I have chosen as my best dressed.

DISCLAIMER: Just because I've chosen her as my Best Dressed, it certainly doesn't mean that I like her. She's holier than thou, she's the most non-relatable person in Hollywood and I seriously have yet to see a film she's been involved with that I like. I am not a fan.

But when I saw her, I gasped.

Therefore, Angelina Jolie (ugh.) is my hands-down winner.

SHE LOOKED stunning.

That body. Those lips. That hair. That dress.

It all worked.

And I mean, come on - she just looks so friendly. She's all, "I want to know you more. I want to be your friend. I care about you. Do you want to be friends?"

Blech. So yeah, it's her. I vote for her.

It's essentially treason, if you ask me.

Thoughts?

--

Good morning from my ladies

2012-01-15T08:11:00.001-07:00

AND THERE YOU HAVE IT, Ya'll. IT IS FRIDAY THE 13th.

2012-01-13T10:25:00.001-07:00

I'm not superstitious, but I will say that people are acting a little kooky right now. Driving weird, talking weird, acting weird.

...well duh, it's Friday the 13th. This day is notorious for weirdness.

That explains it.

--

Bacon. And noodles.

2012-01-13T05:08:00.000-07:00

Background info: Whenever Lila asks why Craig (or I) go to work, we always say, "To bring home the bacon."

Scene: Lila and Vivi eating dinner. Lila at the table. Vivienne next to her in her highchair.

Vivienne: Da-da-da-da-da-da-da...

Lila: Diddy, Daddy [is] at work.

Vivienne: Da-da-da-da-da-da-da...

Lila: Daddy's [going to] bring the bacon [to] my house.

--

Awesome.

Then later...

Lila: I go to work. I go to work, ok?

Me: Absolutely. What will you bring home?

Lila: [pause] Noodles

--

Oh, Blake Shelton.

2012-01-13T05:05:00.000-07:00

Happy girl loves going to school

2012-01-12T14:48:00.000-07:00

I have no issues with it.

2012-01-12T05:08:00.000-07:00

In response to this article: "Should Sesame Street Teach Children about Breastfeeding?"

Yes. It's fine with me. Show a mommy nursing a baby. Show a mommy feeding a baby with a bottle. Show a Daddy feeling a baby with a bottle. It's all fine with me. Just show it and talk about it.

There's a lot of learning in a 60-second clip.

Big Bird's last comment, "That's nice..." is about the cutest thing I've ever heard.

--

Project Runway All-Stars is on TONIGHT.

2012-01-12T05:00:00.000-07:00

9 p.m. on Lifetime.

I'm pumped.

I think last week was the first episode. I missed it. Story of my life these days. A day late and a dollar short.

If you don't live in Mexico, you can watch the first episode on the site here.

Suh-weet.

--

PSA: Funtainer Kids' Thermoses

2012-01-11T10:46:00.002-07:00

We have about three of these stainless steel thermoses and I just ordered two more because the straws were getting kind of, blech. (I regularly bleach them because we all know kids sippy-cup straws get gross.)

Then I thought, "Wait a minute, I wonder if I can just order replacement straw pieces from Thermos directly?"

Um, yes you can. They're $1.00 each and you can buy them by calling 1-800-831-9242.

My girls LOVE these cups. They stay cold and they're easy to maneuver. LOVE them. I highly, highly, highly recommend them.

--

Confessions.

2012-01-11T05:09:00.000-07:00

I want this dress. From madewell.com.

I buy jewelry from Forever 21, then I wonder why a necklace breaks every time I put it over my head. Someone needs to mature and move on to other stores.

My first inclination when I wake up is to bemoan that I must start my day. I've been trying to instead wake up and say, "Thanks for today, God." This has been much easier since Vivi and Lila have been sleeping well and C. and I have been getting 7.5 hours of CONSECUTIVE SLEEP at night because the truth is when I was getting 5 hours of interrupted sleep I wasn't very thankful at all. I mean, who would be?

"Beats me," doesn't quite translate from English to Spanish. Neither have I ever heard a Mexican say, "Mi casa es su casa." (These are the types of things I think about.)

I receive more email in my inbox from clothing stores and shopping websites than I do from actual people. Time to catch up with some old friends. But don't get me wrong, I do like to hear about new TOMS.

I overindulged in white wine approximately 2 months ago and I still can't stand the smell of it.

I haven't been taking a whole lot of photos lately and all these recent posts/tweets of the January "photo of the days" keep making me feel like a slacker.

I'm a little burned out on twitter. And facebook. But I do be lovin' my blog. I need to think of some new fun posts.

I love my husband. He is handsome. But that's not the only reason I love him.

In 2012 I will not be giving up coca-cola because I'm not there yet. You can't change if you're not ready to change.

Lila has recently learned how to pucker when she kisses. She hasn't, however, mastered saying the word, "pucker." I'm going to go ahead and let you figure out what it sounds like when she says it. Hint: It sounds like "pucker"... with an "f" on it...

--

Oh, bath time. Product Reviews.

2012-01-10T05:08:00.000-07:00

Bath time used to be a struggle for us. Why, might you ask? Because Lila cried EVERY.SINGLE.TIME we washed her hair. It was like she thought, "What?! You're going to wash my hair? I had no idea! [insert ridiculous, at the top of her lungs, scream.]"

It was a shock to her each time.

We tried various accoutrements, but none of them helped with the crying. Still, we kept them in the tub. Now? They work and we couldn't live without them.

Exhibit A. The shampoo hat.

A friend bought this for Lila after yet another, "Lila hates having her hair washed" rant. It didn't work at first solely because Lila didn't trust it. The hat = shampooing. Now, she LOVES the hat. She understands that when she's wearing it not only does she look CUTE, but it saves her eyes (and her ears! Thank you very much, ear infections) from the water. It contours to her noggin and therefore protects her eyes from the wretched soapy, shampoo water of death.

$14.98 at Amazon. Buy here.

Exhibit B. The pitcher.

Lila's aunt gave us a that pitcher also after I ranted about bathing my little cupcake. It ALSO molds to the child's forehead and therefore allows you to control the water and semi-shield the kid's eyes. If your child screams when water touches her eyes yet still refuses to look up when it's time to rinse, using the pitcher in conjunction with the shampoo hat is perfect. No water or soap gets into her ojos (eyes.) This pleases her and us. This essentially means a scream-free bath.

$5.95 on OneStepAhead.com. Buy here.

Exhibit C. The shampoo/conditioner & body lotion.

Now that I know that Johnson & Johnson is totally fine with including formaldahyde-releasing preservatives in their baby shampoos since the FDA says they can, I've decided to stop using their products on my ladies. Enter, California Baby. While the product labels do need an aesthetic makeover, they're serving their purpose in my house. We've been a fan of their sunscreen and now we're using their body wash/shampoo and body lotion and it's great. No adverse reactions. My children are clean and I feel good about what is touching their baby skin. (I've written about the calendula cream before here. It's GREAT.)

My favorites:

California Baby Calming Shampoo and Body wash in French Lavender. See it here.
California Baby Everyday lotion in French Lavender. See it here.

Below "borrowed" from the California Baby website:

California Baby Shampoo & Bodywash gently and effectively cleans hair, face and body using 100% natural and organic cleansing ingredients such as organic soapbark, wild harvested yucca and super gentle glucosides that all come from renewable and sustainable vegan sources. These all-natural vegetable cleansers are non-stripping, sulfate-free, synthetic fragrance free, naturally low foaming and readily biodegradable (that’s the term for extremely and completely biodegradable). California Baby’s gentle natural Shampoo & Bodywashes are ultra-concentrated, long-lasting, allergy-tested, tear free, non-drying and leave skin soft and supple and hair shiny and manageable. Formulated for sensitive skin and perfect for the whole family, pick up any of the five California Baby all natural Shampoo & Bodywash blends for happy and healthy cleansing. Made in our very own FDA registered and Certified Organic facility.

So there you have it. Our current faves.

--

Am I the only one? [TAKE THE POLL]

2012-01-09T05:08:00.000-07:00


That's Craig and I. Ok, no it's not.

Let's talk about massages.

Prior to yesterday, I had never completely disrobed for a massage. No. Absolutely not. No matter what I kept my unders on. (I refuse to use the word panties.)

Why? Well because I felt more in control that way. I don't need a stranger touching my butt.

Massages are so phenomenal, but the truth of the matter is that when I'm in the act of being rubbed down by a stranger whom one I'm paying to touch me, the precise location of the massage therapist's hands completely alludes me.

Apparently when my eyes are closed I can't tell if my thigh or my butt is being massaged. (Am I alone here?)

So, anywho I decided I was a big girl. I was at a spa that I've been to countless times, with a massage therapist that I've gone to before... so I was massaged au' naturel.

Um.

She totally massaged what I think was my butt-zone. Ok. It was.

And I liked it.

Consider me sold on naked massages.

P.S. I was just reading this post out loud to my husband. And I get to the part where I said I hadn't had a naked massage before, and he was all, "You haven't?" I'm literally the LAST person on the planet to have had a naked massage. Or am I?

--

happy, happy birthday...

2012-01-08T21:03:00.002-07:00

happy birthday to my sister, b.

I hope your birthday was amazing and I'm so pleased you're part of our family. You're beautiful beyond words, and you're kind and loving, too.

I'm so glad you were born and I love you.

Happy Birthday!

ky

--

Parenting: Tonsillitis

2012-01-05T20:56:00.000-07:00

Lila's been sick since September. I blame the new germs that she encounters at school. However, as it turns out she **LOVES** school, so... she will continue attending... and hopefully one day developing immunity.

Still, she's had several ear infections (and had never had any before) and what seems like, about 25 colds. Now, we've got our first (and hopefully last?) bout of toncillitis.

Because I believe in sharing with others what I have learned (I'm such a giver. Tee hee.) - I thought I'd tell you what to look for in your toddlers who can't explicitly describe what ails them.

Fever - Lila had a fever of about 99 - 103 for 4 days. (We let fevers run their course, I watch them, but let them fight off the infection.)
Raspy voice
Possible nasal congestion (Lila was congested for about a week before the tonsillitis.)
Swollen glands
Decrease in appetite
White spots on the tonsils
Swollen tonsils
Bad breath

Yes, bad breath. A couple of days ago I literally thought, "Whoa. My two-and-a-half-year-old has some rank breath."

And it finally occurred to me the night before we took her to the doctor that maybe I should look in her mouth at her throat. (Yeah, I know. Parenting fail. Hey! This is my first rodeo.) So I look in her mouth with my handy-dandy LED flashlight and I saw RED, SWOLLEN tonsils and what appears to be white stripes/dots on them. Whoa.

Serious stuff.

--

So went to the ENT on today, two-weeks earlier than our previously scheduled follow-up visit, and he immediately confirmed it: incredibly swollen tonsils and a bacterial infection. Unfortunately, an antibiotic is absolutely necessary.

When we were sitting in the Doctor's office after the examination the doctor was writing up the prescription and we were conversing. Lila was randomnly interrupting our conversation (because she's 2) and making various statements:

"Taco, Santa came to my house."

The Doctor would say, "Oh wow. How nice!"

"Taco, Santa drank mook at my house."

The Doctor would say, "I bet he was very thirsty."

"Taco, Santa bringed me balooms."

The Doctor said, "You like balloons?!"

Finally, the doctor said, "Is she calling me, 'Taco'?"

I laughed. No, she's saying, "Doctor."

--

Before we left Lila hugged the doctor and said, "Taco, I lud you."

This is because we see him more frequently than we do some of our family members.

So, off we went. We'll be seeing Taco again on February 2nd.

--

Life delay.

2012-01-05T13:36:00.002-07:00

Lila has tonsillitis.

No post today. Boo.

--

Kenny G: An American Treasure

2012-01-04T05:08:00.000-07:00

So I tuned into the Tournament of Roses parade on New Year's Day (or the day after, whichever it was) and sat through the opening singing number. (Creepy.) And then I sat back to view the first float.

I love parades. I like seeing the same 'ole balloons squeezing between buildings, I like to hear high school marching bands play Christmas tunes. I even like the batonists. (That would be my made-up-word for baton-twirlers.) I mean where ELSE are batonists going to exhibit their skills?

Even though the Tournament of Roses parade bores me to tears on an annual basis, I gave it another shot.

Then came the first float.

You can imagine how pleased I was to see that the, "Sweet Dreams" float sponsored by Honda featured a singer who very much so embodies the precise demographic that I believe Honda is more than likely attempting to appeal to: Kenny G.

Kenny G on a float.

(Note, if you must ever write about Kenny G, don't add a period after the G. Nope, he goes by Kenny G -- sans period. I had to google it.)

I definitely know that back in college when I was very proudly rocking a Honda Civic (my first ever brand-new car), I would have rather been run over said civic than own a Kenny G CD. That was many years ago. I still feel the same way today. (I'm not doubting Mr G's talent - it's incredible. I'm more of a strings fan, less a fan of the saxophones.)

So Honda's choice of on-float entertainment? Questionable.

That said:

So there I am on my couch with Lila next to me, in awe of what Honda's creative department has crafted out organic plant-based materials and a truck chassis.

Then it happened. Kenny G started performing.

It was almost more than I could bear.

Kenny G. On a float. Playing the soprano saxophone.

I smiled in spite of myself. And promptly changed the channel 45 seconds later all the while asking, "Really? Kenny G on the FIRST float?"

Then I thought about that hair. That hair hasn't changed.

I think there are two schools of thought when it comes to that mane of sexy curls:

1.) If it ain't broke, don't fix it.

2.) It's broke. Fix it.

Group 1. thinks: "There's nothing wrong with that man's hair. His curls and his part are American tradition. People pay good money for that. He is a fine looking man with lovely curls."

Group 2. thinks: "He has had that hairstyle for no less than 35 years. It's time for a change. Even MICHAEL BOLTON cut his hair."

Me?

I think it's time for a change. But then again, strip him of his various saxophones and flute, cut the hair and still put him on the Honda float. Who would recognize him?

Kenny G knows what he's doing, kids.

He's keeping that mane.

If you care to book Kenny G for your next corporate event or party, click here for more info.

--

It's important to set attainable goals.

2012-01-02T21:27:00.000-07:00

Blogs across the world are overflowing with New Year's resolutions. "I"ll eat better. I'll work out more. I'll save money. I'll spend time with my children. I'll be in the moment. I'll read more."

Not me.

What I really want to do is break 100 on amazon.
What?

What does that mean?

As you'll see by looking at this handy graph that I did take the time to create in excel (because I'm ~~that cool~~ that much of a dork), I've recorded my total annual number of orders placed on amazon.com since 2004.

Ky's Annual Amazon Orders
2004-2011

I'd like to thank amazon prime, the purchase of my kindle and the births of my daughters in 2009 and 2011, respectively, for inspiring me to purchase as frequently as I've done.

Still, I'm slightly disappointed.

Only 82 orders in 2011? Even though that averages out to 6.8 orders per month, I still feel I can do better.

See friends, I like to make resolutions that I can attain. Why set myself up for failure? Nope, I'm going to capitalize on an existing skill and sharpen it. Hone it, if you will. (I will.)

I'll keep you posted.

Let's go team.

--

**Disclaimer: Nope, I did not receive any compensation from amazon for this post. This is all me.

--

Winter is over

2012-01-02T11:44:00.000-07:00

Happy New Year!

2011-12-31T23:58:00.001-07:00

Happy New Year from everyone in my family, except Ferg.

She hates the fireworks.

It's mine.

2011-12-30T21:40:00.001-07:00

Yessss...

Thank you, B. Love you to the moon and back.

Evening cuteness

2011-12-29T19:11:00.001-07:00

It appears that Sinead O'Connor is single again.

2011-12-29T14:35:00.002-07:00

Married for 16 days and, according to O'Connor, it felt as if she were "living in a coffin."

[insert chuckle]

My favorite part of the article from People.com below.

(My notes in red.)

"In addition, O'Connor owns up in the interview that she went on a frantic hunt for cannabis on their wedding night.[WHO DOES THAT?]

"We ended up in a cab in some place that was quite dangerous," [WHO DOES THAT?] O'Connor is quoted as telling the Sun. "I wasn't scared – but he's a drugs counselor. What was I thinking?" [She married a "drugs counselor"? Stop it. No she didn't.No HE didn't. I'm certain there's a set of guidelines regarding not marrying your patient/client.]

She adds: "Then I was handed a load of crack. [WHO is just "handed" a "load of crack"?] Barry was very frightened [Well duh.] – that kind of messed everything up a bit, really."[Yeah, I can see how that could be an issue.]

Story here.

[Phenomenal. You can't make this stuff up.]

--

Duh.

2011-12-29T05:08:00.000-07:00

Of course Oprah's back on television. It's her "new chapter", ya'll.

"In this new, weekly, primetime series, Oprah steps outside of the studio for some riveting, enlightening in-depth conversations with newsmakers, celebrities, thought leaders and real-life families."

You see, Oprah must travel the world in order to converse with others about herself. It's part of her plan of world domination.

She's the energizer bunny. Or something.

Ombre, ombre, ombre.

2011-12-28T05:10:00.000-07:00

So, remember last week when I said I needed a change? I mentioned that I was contemplating the "ombre" look. (See post here.)

I felt that my cousin's comment to the post was incredible accurate. She felt that the whole ombre craze was really a ploy created by hairstylists across the globe since we all know colored hair will eventually boast the "ombre" look if it's not touched up.

Good point, cousin. Excellent point for those of us who don't have grey hair.

Because kids, if I grew my hair out for six months and didn't color it, my Stacey London streak would be screamin'. And grey is fine for you. It's not fine for me.

So, I changed the hair a bit.

No time for a professional photoshoot. Nope. The photobooth on my computer will have to do. Gritty and real, yo. Gritty and real.

Here's the before. Long. Brown.

(Please note my incredible golden-Cabo tan. Tee hee. I shun the sun.)

Now, for the after:

The ratty back. (Remember, I don't do the back of my hair usually. Why? Because I can't see it.)

And that's me. It's not blonde. It's copper-y.

There's the roots that I paid for. Note, the GREY is covered. YAY!

Also note: I didn't do my hair this morning (Remember? You saw the back of my head.) I just had it in a bun last night. So if I did my hair, I'm assuming the results may be better. Maybe.

And there you have it, the paid-for ombre look.

--

Hello new lens.

2011-12-27T21:21:00.001-07:00

Exciting times in my house.

New lens. Happy Ky. Care to walk with me?

P.S. You're going to want to see the last photo. Trust me.

Boring. I know.

The Christmas tree Lila made.

The cute stuff.

Vivi's pigs.

Squash face.

My big girl.

A very tight hug.

A really, really tight hug.

Look at Vivi's eyes.

The smile that Lila inspired.

Sisters laughing. I wish this photo captured the sound, too. They were giggling so much.

My babies.

Lila's pigs.

Vivienne hugs everything and everyone.

My sweet and silly Vivienne.

They're almost on.

And this, my friends...

...this is the money shot.

...and so this was Christmas.

2011-12-26T20:56:00.001-07:00

The cookies were rolled out, cut out and "painted" by Lila on the Eve.

Then they were carefully selected (just stars) by Lila for the big man.

The unenthusiastic elf posed near the gifts.

Lila's only Santa request was fulfilled.

"Lila, what would you like for Santa to bring you?"

Her: "BALLOONS."

Easy-peasy, little lady.

(We like to wrap everything. Makes it seem like there are a lot more gifts.)

P.S. I will forever put colored lights on my Christmas tree. Why was I using white lights for all of those years?!

Simultaneous to the gifts appearing, Jesus was born.

On the dining room table...

Happy birthday, sweet baby.

Then Lila woke up around 6 a.m. She let us know that Santa came.

Oh, the bah-looms. They made her so happy.

And Santa ate his cookies and drank his milk.

And Vivienne celebrated her first Christmas...

And the presents were opened.

...and the presents were hugged.

Believe it or not, below is a look of excitement.

Pure. Lila.

And they played.

And here's Vivi sharing her play-cookies with her Daddy.

And there you have it.

The requisite 1st Christmas, in pajamas, standing-by-the-tree photos.

Lila (and her bruise) were very happy.

Epilogue:

Since Christmas, Lila has put approximately 45 miles on her new stroller from her Mimi.

She's so busy she can't even stop strolling and look at the camera.

And Vivienne?

Well, she's been making music. In her own way.

I hope your Christmas was merry and bright.

ky

--

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-22T21:25:00.000-07:00

Wishing you and yours a very blessed and very happy Christmas.

C., Kylee, Lila Ross & Vivienne Kate

Shopping in Los Cabos Part I: In celebration of the bith of the Christ child

2011-12-22T14:47:00.003-07:00

They like to put Jesus, Mary and Joseph (and various saints) on everyday objects down here in Los Cabos.

Coffee mugs.

Candles.

Plates.

Balloons. (I've seen it.)

And now this..

Yep.

That's what we're working with down here, peeps.

Virgin Mary baby bottles.

--

Shopping in Los Cabos Part I: The value of Elmo

2011-12-22T14:41:00.004-07:00

It appears that Mexican "Rocker Elmo" who lives on Plaza Sesamo (see the box) holds a bit more value here in Los Cabos. He's $999.00 pesos. (That's $72.29 USD.) Um. Ridiculous.

On amazon.com, he's $58.88.

Why the price difference? I'm assuming because Mexican Elmo is bilingual.

Or perhaps Mexican Elmo comes with a case of chiclets valued at approximately $13.41.

There's value in chiclets.

--

Happy Birthday!

2011-12-22T10:14:00.002-07:00

Trophy Life and I in May 2011.

Oh, dear friend. How I love you.

I smile when I think of the day you were born. Primarily because you and your twin were a surprise to your parents. Well, one of you was the surprise. I like to think that you were the surprise because surprises make people happy and you, dear friend, make so many people happy.

I love you and feel that you your friendship makes me a better person. I also love the way you dress. The way you travel, the fact that you have friends EVERYWHERE... well, it's just a testament to your incredible spirit.

Please come see us again. Soon. You know you're always welcome here.

I am SO glad you were born. Oh, happy birthday.

ky

--

Another post about Lila. This one with severe bruising.

2011-12-20T22:40:00.000-07:00

So I'm at work today and I get a text message from our nanny. (We text throughout the day.)

For some reason, the beginning part was cut off by Telcel and whatever she typed didn't come through.

"[receiving text] no le sale sangre ella no llora esta tranquila. Perdon. :("

Loose translation:

"...there was no blood and she didn't cry and she's calm. Pardon. Frown face."

[heart falls out of chest]

WHAT?

HUH?

WHO?

So I immediately get on the horn (my cell phone, for those of you born in the 80's) and ask if she could please clarify. Still that wasn't good enough and I drove home in 32 seconds to survey the damage and to hear from Lila first-hand:

Pointing at the door jam while showing me the scene of the accident she said, "Lila hurt head. Hit door. Ow. Boom."

(That pretty accurately sums it up.)

As it turns out, Lila SMOKED the wall. She was running to the bathroom and hit her FACE on the door frame. Our wonderful nanny apologized PROFUSELY (not her fault) and I accepted her apology and told her not to worry, Lila's a kid, these things happen. (In all honesty I wanted to scream and explain to her that her job is to be stuck like glue to my child ALL DAY LONG and that accidents should not ever happen. Unreasonable? Sure. My protective-Momma-feelings? Absolutely. What? Did you just say that this is not the last time something like this will happen? I didn't hear you.)

Hello goose egg.

It's PURPLE.

Of course I watched anxiously for three hours after she hit the wall to confirm that she wasn't concussed. And, I'm happy to report she ate just fine, did not have dilated eyeballs, wasn't nauseous or vomiting and wasn't sleepy.

As it turns out, this was a [major] boo-boo... and she's ok.

I think I'm glad we celebrated Christmas LAST Saturday. That shiner ain't going to look so great in the 'ole Christmas pics.

--

Christmas memories 2011: Lila's first time making cutout cookies.

2011-12-20T05:08:00.000-07:00

This was exciting for Lila since, "Lila help?" is heard constantly 'round these parts. This kid likes to grab her footstool and wing it over to any counter top she can barely get her head over in order to help.

"Lila, wanna make some cookies?"

"YEEEESSSSS!"

On goes the apron.

Yep. Her hair is really that messy.
Weekends be crazy up in here.

She's actually smiling. She was so pumped. "They are letting me SIT on the counter. I am MIXING some food. I am WEARING my apron. MY LIFE IS INCREDIBLE." (That's an exact quote.)

She had been waiting to use her mini-rolling pin for quite some time. Actually, that's not true. I had been waiting for her to use it. It was gifted to her when she was like 6 months old. Her ~~lazy~~ busy Momma just had to find the right time to use it.

"Shall I taste some flour?"

"Yum. The forbidden flour is goooood. I will not make eye contact. Nothing will deter me from eating copious amounts of flour throughout this entire process."

(Another exact quote.)

Enough of the smiling. Back.to.business.

Lila LOVED using her mini spatula to move the cookies from the counter to the baking sheet/tray.

(Whenever we bake/cook, I miss all of my kitchen equipment that has been sitting in storage in Ohio for over 5 years. Dear stand-up yellow Kitchen Aid Mixer, I miss you. Dear All Clad pots and pans, I miss you. Dear Longaberger pottery, I miss you. Dear air-bake baking sheets, I miss you. Thank God I brought my avocado slicer to Cabo, though. I use it all the time.)

The fruits of her labor.

My daughter and I. (Ignore both of our hair. Weekends. Messy. No makeup. Hair up. Fun to be had.)

Lila had SUCH a good time. I love how she's holding her rolling pin like it's a World Wrestling Federation belt OVER HER HEAD. Yay, Lila! YOU are the champion baker of Los Cabos.

The outtake made me smile. Lila? There's a rolling pin in front of your line of sight.

Then it was time for THESE.

So exciting. And those little mini-spreaders that I bought a couple of years ago totally came in handy.

You might note that the decorating was less "frosting" and more like "piling" icing onto the cookies. I would assume this is a universal toddler cookie decorating technique.

And then... we brought out the sprinkles. (You'll notice in the background that there are hardly any bulbs/decor on our tree. It's because of Vivi's propensity for pulling all of the ornaments off of the tree. It's an uphill battle.)

So proud of herself. Yet annoyed with me at the same time.

And wah-la! The finished products.

(Tee hee. There were more than three. Keep reading.)

This one was my favorite. Way to go, Lila.

Ho, ho, ho.

Love,
Kylee and Lila the Champion Baker

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Cars, work stress & hair

2011-12-19T22:40:00.002-07:00

My Jeep (Lola) reached 30k miles today. It's six years old. Clearly I don't take a lot of road trips. I don't want to drive into the ocean. Nor do I want to drive 1000 miles to San Diego.
Sometimes I feel like my job gets the best of me and my family gets what's left. I hate that.
Speaking of work, I hate it when people respond to my emails within 2 minutes of me sending them. GIVE.ME.A.MINUTE. I want the ball to be in your court for at least 60 minutes.
I want to do an ombre look to my hair. Appointment on Friday. This is what I want. Less blonde, though. Mama needs a change. Thoughts?

Product Review

2011-12-19T05:08:00.000-07:00

I'm still a faithful bare minerals user, however I'm a fan of Laura Mercier products, too. I already write about their tinted moisturizer here... but I must confess my appreciation for this, too.

It's Laura Mercier secret camouflage. (I use SC-3).

It's supposed to be great at hiding dark circles and "minor imperfections" and for the past 10 months or so I've had dark circles consistently. (Thanks Lila and Vivi!)

Enter this stuff.

I like it. It goes on smoothly and you just need a bit. I use it under my eyes, but you could use it all of your face, for sure.

No one's told me I look exceptionally exhausted so I think it's doing its job.

$28 on Sephora.

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**Nope, compensated for this endorsement.

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Melt my heart

2011-12-18T13:11:00.000-07:00

They held hands for nearly an hour...

Ferg Friday: a haircut

2011-12-16T14:04:00.001-07:00

Lila's first Christmas Program

2011-12-15T05:08:00.000-07:00

Lila's first Christmas program was yesterday.

She wasn't pumped.

We were somewhat concerned because it was in the middle of her normal nap time and we had to wake her up to attend. (Eek. Waking up Lila is never good.) Let's just say, she was not in the mood.

I love this kid.

Thankfully, her cousins Bella and Brody attend the same school and they were in the Christmas program, as well. So they attempted to perk her up.

I love that the three of them were holding hands.

Look at how well that went over.

How gorgeous is Bella?

Still, the cousins were precious. They're cute, no?

Brody is almost 2, Bella is almost 4 and Lila is 2.5.

So about the Christmas Program:

It was in an outdoor palapa at the park near Puerto Los Cabos. Perfect venue, if you ask me.

This is happy Lila and sweet Brody getting lined up before their performance with their WONDERFUL teacher, Miss Luly. (She's p.h.e.n.o.m.e.n.a.l.)

Note: Lila is still pumped.

I thought she'd lose it. Cry, something... but she was emotionLESS. She just went with the flow.

Then came the actual performance. (Lining up.)

The kids were lined up behind a choo-choo-train. They sang and shook maracas. I'm not even sure what the song was since so many of them were crying.

Then it was over.

How was it? It was phenomenal. Lila's quite a performer.

Ok, so she just sat there and didn't sing. She didn't have to sing because she had such innate stage presence that singing would have just knocked people out of their chairs.
:)

She was cute.

And of course, after the program she perked up.

Then it was time for the balloon release. (No, we probably shouldn't talk about the ecological repercussions of a balloon release in the year 2011 on a peninsula surrounded be sea creatures who could eat, choke and die on balloon release remnants. We'll chat about that another time.)

Here's Lila with her balloon. (Or as she calls it, her "baloom." Craig says to ignore his hair. His stylist is out of town and he has a haircut scheduled next week.)

Then everyone released the balloons...

...everyone except Lila.

Let's just say that after a bit of contemplation, Lila adamantly decided that there was no way that she was willing to release her balloon. EVER. So don't ask her.

(It was so sad. Her little chin trembled and she was literally like, "No. Please don't make me.")

Who can blame her?

So, she kept the balloon and it's at home in her bedroom.

--

Truth? I had such a great time.

This is what it's all about.

Feliz Navidad.

P.S. How great is this photo that my brother took of my nephew, Brody?

If you want to see the rest of the photos, click on my "i take pictures" button on the top right-hand corner. Or, click here.

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This made me smile.

2011-12-14T22:14:00.002-07:00

Product Review: Kid's Sleep Classic Toddler Clock

2011-12-14T05:08:00.000-07:00

Note: I think you're all right. It's a cow.

A while back I wrote about how we had no idea how to get Lila to sleep longer. She was getting up, opening her door and heading into our bedroom around 6 a.m. every morning. Sometimes earlier.

We were losing our minds.

She'd invariably wake up Vivienne and we were all unpleasantly awake by 6:15 a.m.

Enter, this new clock.

I found it on amazon and it's pretty simple.

The sleeping hippo (Or is it a cow? We call it a hippo in our house.) lights up during naps and at night to indicate that Lila needs to be in her bed...

...and then the dancing hippo lights up when it's ok to get up!

Um, does it work, you might ask?

Let's just say that Lila now gets up/leaves her bedroom at 7:30 a.m.

On the dot.

"Mommy! Hippo's dancin' Hippo's dancin'."

We slowly pushed the clock back 5 minutes at a time over the course of a month. And, that technique has worked.

The functionality of the clock is somewhat clunky, but like I said -- Lila knows she can get out of her bed when the hippo is dancing. Not before.

That alone is worth $31 dollars.
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How does it work?
1. At bedtime, you flip a switch that lights up the sleeping cow.
2. After the child wakes up, you simply turn the dancing cow/hippo light off.
3. At nap time, you flip a switch that lights up the sleeping cow.
4. After the child wakes up, you simply turn the dancing cow/hippo light off.

The clock also has a sounding alarm (which we haven't used purposely) and functions as a nightlight using a different "plate" on the front that comes with the clock. The light has 3 different intervals of brightness which is awfully convenient.

My complaints:
1. If you accidentally unplug it, you have to reset the whole clock (including the nap times, wake up times, etc.) again. Not convenient, but do-able. (The clock has no battery backup.)
2. We have no idea if it is a dancing cow or hippo. That sort of bothers me.

Would I buy it again?

YES.

P.S. It comes in blue and pink. And I think even green. Check it out here.

*Nope, I didn't get compensated for this review.

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'Tis the season...

2011-12-13T09:39:00.000-07:00

...for blogging to slow down a bit. Holy wow, life is busy. For you too, I'm assuming.

A post will be forthcoming.

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Things I would never buy myself:

2011-12-12T12:03:00.000-07:00

If anyone is looking to throw approximately $200 my way for no apparent reason, I would like to own every episode of Cheers ever made.

"Making your way in the world today, takes everything you got..."

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