what i bought at old navy this week

Patrick and I did a little shopping this weekend.  That means he sits in his stroller eating every snack from our cupboards and I replenish his supply as he needs them.  In between picking his sippy cup off the floor and opening new packages of mum-mum cookies, I attempt to make purchases.

Actually, he did really well at the sMall (Sandusky Mall) despite how PACKED it was - he laid back and seemed to enjoy himself.  I bought a new pair of sunglasses because Patrick destroyed my favorite pair from Anthropologie.  I also bought a new shower rack from TJ Maxx.  I am so not a Maxxinista but once in a while I enjoy looking at their home goods.  It was slightly awkward carrying a shower rack under our stroller.

Then we proceeded to the Proactiv Cart.  I call it the Cart because it's like a vending machine, except you don't get a Dr. Pepper, you get your facial cleanser.  Not only is it situated in the middle aisle of the mall, but it's in front of stores like Claires and Victoria's Secret.  That way you're sure to get laughed at by 100-pound teenagers who don't have a care in the world besides which nail polish color to put on.  I really don't get embarassed or feel self-concious too often, but when I'm purchasing my Proactiv products, I feel like a complete moron.  Every eye is on me, just waiting to pass so they can turn around and see if I have a face-full of pimples.  Which I don't, thanks to Proactiv.

So I'm doing my vending when I glance up just in time to see a teacher from our school.  No, not the 67-year-old female that's been teaching her whole life and knows everything about me.  It's the new male teacher.  Fresh out of college.  Now what are the chances that he'd be walking by when I was vending my zit killer?  We haven't exactly gotten to the point in conversation when you tell someone you're Proactiv.  Our conversations mostly consist of When is that meeting?  Yeah I don't know either.

So that was a bust.  We hightailed it out of there and headed to my sanctuary, Old Navy.  Seeing as these visits are becoming pretty frequent, I might as well document my weekly finds.



women's ankle boots.

striped jersey dress.

The ankle boots have been on my list for quite some time, but there was no way I was paying $34.95 for them.  They were on sale for like $14.99 yesterday so I snatched them up.  The striped dress is just another to add to my collection - I probably own a dozen of the same style dress, but they're so comfortable and warm with tights when I'm teaching.

On Saturday, my cousin and I headed to the outlets to shop for our kiddos.  I knew there were a few specifics I needed to pick up for my little family's upcoming vacation.  And by vacation I mean our one-night stay at Kalahari Waterpark and Resort seven miles away.  This is a big deal for us and we are beyond excited!

Here are the trunks and sandals I bought Pat.

Jeff could really use some new trunks (he still wears the same pair from our honeymoon) so he is next on the list.  As for my waterpark attire?  Pretty sure it's going to be one of my maternity suits. 







 

movie review: Les Misérables

INCREDIBLE!!  I thoroughly enjoyed every minute of this movie!  The only way you could watch this at home would be if you had one of those giant TVs with surround sound because the music is so phenomenal and needs to be LOUD.

When I walked into the theater I knew nothing of this story.  Now that I understand a little, I'm dying to see it on stage.

The cast is superb, from Anne Hathaway to Hugh Jackman (and my favorite, Amanda Seyfried), most of them are nominated for awards.  The only part I wasn't sure of was the Inspector played by Russell Crowe, whom I adore in films like Gladiator and The Next Three Days, this wasn't my favorite character of his.  Maybe it was the character and not really him, per say?  I don't know but I wasn't feelin it.  Well, I wasn't feelin his singing voice.

Speaking of singing, don't even attempt this if you wouldn't enjoy a musical.  It was like watching a musical in 2-D.  The reviews are saying that anybody would like this, even if you're a musical-hater, but I disagree.  Example:  my husband wouldn't enjoy a musical and he would hate this movie.  End of story.

Go and see this in the theater while it's still playing! (if you wouldn't be snoring at a musical)

what we've been up to

 

• taking twenty minutes to get ready to play outside for seven minutes.
• spending Christmas gift cards. (my fave pastime)
• going grocery shopping for our daily "we need to get the hell out of the house" moments.
• getting hurt (try curling iron burn, smashed in between toilet & wall, busted lip, things like that).
• playing with new toys.  biggest hit? CAT bump & go. 

 

 

By the way, our Christmas recap is to come - we're experiencing technical difficulties that I just don't feel like dealing with right now.  ie:  my camera is smarter than me.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

movie review: The Amazing Spider-Man



I never thought there would be a Spider-Man that would top Tobey McGuire.  I loved that trilogy.  When my mom told me I had to see this new one, I hesitated.  While we were out Christmas shopping a couple weeks ago she picked up the DVD for my dad and I went ahead and bought a copy as well to put it in Jeff's stocking (even though he's not all about the action heroes like I am).

Well, I finished the movie up this afternoon and it has easily jumped into my top ten favorite movies of all time.  This Spider-Man is waaaaaaaaaay better than Tobey.

Meet Andrew Garfield.





Whhaaaaat?  Yeah, he's perfect.  And his love interest - the ever-stunning and sensational...Emma Stone.




Their chemistry was completely alive - you could feel it through the screen, people!  Amazing!

 

Emma's clothes are to die.

So, the movie.  The story line was much different than the Tobey trilogy, so it kept things more interesting, since I wasn't quite sure how it would turn out.  The director did an amazing job with the location and sets.  It's just an all-around awesome movie.  You must check it out!!














merry christmas from the rowlands



Another Walmart disaster of a card. 

 

Actually, it's grown on me a little.  I searched and searched for the most perfect cheap&ugly card on the market, and this was it.  I wanted to be one of those SuperMoms that gets professional photos done (instead of setting up a tripod) and then places the perfect family scene onto a $2.00 Tiny Prints card, but decided to stick with my go-to phrase "maybe next year."

 

Anyways, have a beautiful and blessed Christmas!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



the first snow

The first snow this winter was a pretty big deal in Patrick's life - it was the first time he got to be out in it!  I don't even know if Ohio got any snow last year??  It was so mild.  Here is Patrick last winter...

"why do you dress me up in hats?"

This is about as bundled up as we got, and it was done inside the house because ya just didn't need this warm of a hat.

I knew we'd get some snow this winter so we bought Pat some snow boots (he still needs snow bibs) for trekking around.  He loved them, although running on icy sidewalks was a bit of a challenge for his Mama to watch.  I was all careful!  wait!  slow slow slow!  hold my hand! (yeah right)  This kid is busy.  I apologize for the pictures of his back but I can't get this kid to pose or look at me for anything!

 

 

 

cute snowy butt.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

christmas shopping

As much as I despise Christmas shopping, I tried to put on my best face and lunge myself into the chaos of the traffic and stores.

 

These trips to town had their ups and downs.  One of the high points was shopping for Patrick this year - it was so fun.  Even though all he understands about Christmas is he gets to dance to "Away in a Manger" or say "Ho Ho Ho" when he sees Santa, the toys are becoming more fun to shop for.  Last year it was all about books, stuffed animals that never got played with, and drool.  This year it's all about real toys.  Here's what Santa picked up for my boy in the girl aisle this year:

fisher price shopping cart.

Yep, this was in the girl aisle.  I'm thinking Patrick will dig it; he's sick of his other push toys.  The great part is it comes with the groceries so he'll have even more shit to toss on the floor which he LOVES.

 

 

 

meowsic keyboard.

 This isn't your average xylophone.  This is the amped up version. 

 

 

 

 

leap frog chat & count.

 I'm most excited about this present!  Patrick is obsessed with cell phones, and since I don't let him play with mine, I was looking for something realistic that made noise.  There are a ton of play cell phones on the market, but most are "baby-ish."  This one is perrrfect.

melissa and doug gear toy - train.

 

My child loves twisting anything - caps, tires, lids.  This should occupy him for at least five minutes.

circo easy wipe bibs.

nuby super straw easy grip cups.

 Anything involved with eating is a must for a stocking stuffer.  I am finally going to throw out all of Patrick's bibs and retire to the huge and obnoxious ones, although the Circo ones I bought aren't too bad.

 

We're also moving on to straw sippy cups, which I put off as long as possible simply because it's weird seeing a one-year-old sucking out of a straw.

 

 

 

Jeff got the usual.  Every year since we've been dating I have either bought or made him a calendar.  This year I made it on Shutterfly and it consists of solely pictures of him and Patrick.  It's one of those desk calendars, not a full size.  This way he can keep it on his desk.  It actually came in the mail on time and turned out so adorable!  He also got underwear, DVD's, and a new coffee thermos.

 

Amazon and Etsy were my go-to online shopping destinations this year.  I feel like Amazon is a little pricey but it's like Walmart without the snail-slow clerks and wife beater tanks in the dead of winter.  You can get anything! 

 

b. woofer guitar.

 

I got this awesome guitar for my nephew.  Before I wrapped it I let Patrick strum a few chords.  He then proceeded to scream bloody murder which satisfied me because I then knew it was age-appropriate (my nephew is five).

 

 

Shopping did have its low points too.  Like when I ordered prints of pictures online and went to pick them up at the Meijer and they "must not have gotten the order on their end."  Well then, FIND THE ORDER ON YOUR END.  I was livid, but remained calm and politely told the photo dude that I would never, ever order through Snapfish again. 

One of the lowest points was seeing how pissed off the majority of shoppers were in Meijer.  I almost ran into like 17 people with my cart and screaming child.  We also left a trail of Goldfish and fruit snacks wherever we stopped.  As each of these encounters would happen, I would immediately say "Oh, excuse me!" or "I am so sorry!"  Most of them growled glared at me and pushed on.  Are you kidding me?  Come on people, I know it's Christmas and all, but manners are still obligatory in my eyes.  I don't care that you have to rush to the gift card counter for your aunt's best friend's grandma.

So Christmas shopping pretty much sucks, but it's kind of fun too.  Like when we come home and start wrapping and snuggling as a family.

 

 

 

 

it's exam week

 

This looks like a student, but it's really me.  It's exhausting preparing for, creating, and now grading these high school exams.  And to think I don't even remember taking exams in high school!

 

THE countdown is as follows:

One more exam to give, 75 more to grade, one more all-school Mass, one more Secret Santa Reveal Party, one more musical at the theatre, one more Christmas party for my homeroom, and two more days of school.  That means I only have to move that frikking Elf on the Shelf one more time (if I remember).

 

And then I'll be back!

patrick at 15 months

Amazingly, as Patrick gets older his cheeks get larger and therefore bouncier...I LOVE THEM. 

Fifteen months is awesome.  Patrick is lively, loud, and fast.  He's talking up a storm, making up words that sound like "peaches" and "giraffe" to him but not to anyone else.  I had this list going in my head of all the words he knows and then I thought this is stupid.  I'm not going to compare him to anyone else or to my future children - nor will he ever ask what words he was saying in December of 2013 so what's the point of writing them down??

Here is a recap:

• Weight/Height:  I don't know.  26 pounds??  Tall enough to ride the Raptor?  Who cares.
• Clothes:  Depends on the brand - anywhere from 12-18 mos to 2T (bought the first 2T today...it was a milestone.  I love the T's.)
• Sleep:  SUPER SUPER SUPER!!  Sleeps 7p - 6a most nights!  Now that's most nights.  We've had some 3 am'ers here and there but it's no big deal to me, seeing as I haven't slept in over a year.
• Teeth:  Still 4 on top, 4 on bottom
• Food:  We're to a golden age in food.  Feeling lazy?  PB & J!  Feeling fancy?  Salmon and rice it is!  Feeling soupy?  Whip up some barley vegetable!  He'll eat anything except broccoli.
• Tantrums:  Stomps feet, even throws himself to the ground.  They last a total of eight seconds.
• Toys:  He plays with his toys when Jeff is home.  When it's just him and I, he is whining at my feet or begging me to play blocks with him on the floor.  There is no such thing as Stef time when we're alone.  Am I okay with that?  Yes.  One of the coolest new things he gets to do is sit on the counter while I cook...he likes being up high and I get dinner on the table for my hungry husband.
• Likes:  Playing "I'm gonna get you!", going for wagon rides, being outside, playing with the remote, snacking, juice, dancing, climbing on the kitchen chairs, opening and closing doors, going up and down steps, not listening, taking showers with Daddy, playing with cell phones.

He's a happy kid, and we can't ask for more than that!

our weekend

At this point, I really don't remember what we did last weekend, but I do have pictures with proof that we did something.  And that something was that we went outside for a few short minutes and froze our tails off.  Fifteen minute increments is all we can do before cheeks start to go numb. 

book club #5

It was a good one...





No husbands allowed.

Only minutes after Abbie Elliot and her three best friends step off of a private helicopter, they enter the most luxurious, sumptuous, sensually pampering hotel they have ever been to. Their lavish presidential suite overlooks Monte Carlo, and they surrender: to the sun and pool, to the sashimi and sake, to the Bruno Paillard champagne. For four days they're free to live someone else's life. As the weekend moves into pulsating discos, high-stakes casinos, and beyond, Abbie is transported to the greatest pleasure and release she has ever known.

What happened last night?

 

In the morning's harsh light, Abbie awakens on a yacht, surrounded by police. Something awful has happened—something impossible, unthinkable. Abbie, Winnie, Serena, and Bryah are arrested and accused of the foulest crime imaginable. And now the vacation of a lifetime becomes the fight of a lifetime—for survival. GUILTY WIVES is the ultimate indulgence, the kind of nonstop joy-ride of excess, friendship, betrayal, and danger that only James Patterson can create.

 

 

 

This book was our second consecutive murder mystery, and although the two books were completely different, I still don't think any of us had this one figured out.  And girls?  No more mysteries please please please. 

 

We did have a great time discussing the book.  Unfortunately, I can't remember back three weeks ago when we met soooooo to sum things up, we all loved the book.  As long as you have a strong stomach, you need to read it! ;)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



santa 2012 + corny ornaments

I live in the kind of city where everything is below average, and that would typically include the mall Santas. 

Much to my surprise, our mall Santa this year is amazing. He had the perfect amount of pudge (which is extremely important) and he was so sweet and friendly.

Not surprising though, was that their cameras did an awful job on my child.  This smile was after the "photographer" put a large DUSTER in Patrick's face.  The look is almost between a cheesy smile and an insane Chucky I'm going to kill you in the night smile, which makes me proud.

It was also disappointing that it wasn't Zooey Deschanel helping my kid onto Santa's lap.

 

 

After telling Santa what we want for Christmas, we headed to the Corny Ornament Wagon for our annual tree ornament.  I love these things and I will never stop buying them.

 

2012

 

2011

 

2010

 

 

2009

 

 

bought this the Christmas before we got married - we jeff was renovating at the time.

 

 

2008 engagement!!

 

Of course I had to keep a couple in storage until we got married, but it was a tradition I was intent on starting and I love it.