I know, it’s still the middle of winter, much of the country is covered in a blanket of snow, and it’s 50 below in Minneapolis, but I can’t help it, I’ve been thinking about springtime rain boots for kids. In a month or two, the weather will warm up, the snow will be gone, and there will be more puddles than you can shake a soggy stick at. So, you’ll need rain boots, right? And since everything is done online, shopping for children’s clothes is no longer a chore.

In fact, a quick trip to Macy’s kid shoes department website shows that I’m behind the times. Simple rainboots have been replaced by thematic rain ensembles, which to my mind, means more fun in the outdoors.

For example, I especially love this Fairy Collection set, with rain boots, umbrella, and slicker from Kidorable . In green, it is too cute for words, and is exactly the sort of thing that most little girls will love to death. Look at it! Even the clothes hanger is super cute!

For the boys, also from Kidorable, here’s everything needed for a dragon-slaying knight, rain boots, rain coat, backpack/shield and umbrella (check out the handle on that
brolly!)

And if that doesn’t do the trick, there’s also a fireman, and a butterfly, and a ballerina. Puddle jumping just got a whole lot more fun.

I knew that the Munchkin needed some new board shorts.   It just so happened that a fairly well-known surf brand was having a sale, so I did a little reconnaissance.

Sure enough, they had a bunch of styles, all at a pretty good price.

I was by myself, and I was tempted to get him the style that I normally buy for him, which tends to be colorful and include some sort of Hawaiian-related floral element. Children Fashion

Because, duh, I’m a girl.

But then I thought to myself that perhaps a nine year old boy would not appreciate flowers on his shorts, and tried to remember that he is definitely at the age where his clothing is being judged, especially by his peers.  Not that there is anything wrong with flowers on board shorts, in my opinion, but they just aren’t really in style in my area of the country right now.

I wound up choosing instead a green-gray  plaid, which also had a very subtle camo element going through the fabric. Normally I despise camo on “civilian” clothing, but ever since my husband took him here, my son has been very pro-military. Which, fine, I’m technically pro-military myself.

He loved them.

He then told me that he was very relieved that I didn’t get him any with flowers, as one of his older friends had been making fun of his other board shorts.  You know, the ones with flowers on them.  And while I am very aware that it was just teasing, and truly kids will tease other kids about pretty much anything, I was glad that for that one moment, I wasn’t THAT MOM.

You know, the one who buys their nine year old boy shorts with flowers on them.

90% of you do not agree with the rather heavy-handed tactics planned by New York City to promote breastfeeding to new moms.  While I think we can all agree that it would be ideal if everybody could breastfeed, the harsh reality is that no, not every single mother can breastfeed.   Whether it be due to health conditions, failure to latch properly, failure to produce enough milk, or simply having to go back to work, breastfeeding is difficult for many.  To assume all mothers should breastfeed exclusively is to not live in reality.

Today I’m sort of excited about this.

It was a well kept secret.

Nobody told me about what would happen to my feet.

Yeah, you know, those things that, prior to the birth of my son used to be a size 8, and are now a size 9 after my daughter.

I had a size 8 foot for many, many years.  I was never informed that pregnancy would cause my feet to both spread and elongate.  For a little while I tried to jam my feet into those 8’s, but barring some drastic measures a la Cinderella’s stepsisters, it wasn’t gonna happen.

When my son was only a few months old I attended a wedding, and it never even entered my mind that I wouldn’t fit into my old heels.  Agonizing hours later, I came to the uneasy conclusion that hundreds and hundreds of dollars worth of perfectly good shoes were going to have to be donated.

During the seven years between my son’s and daughter’s births, I managed to build up a fairly sizable selection.

Only to have my hopes dashed again when I tried on my 8.5’s.

So it has been a year or so that I have been devoting to yet another set of shoes that fill all of my needs.

I’m still not finished.

If the shoe industry was smart, they would run ads inspiring women to get pregnant.  Why has nobody pushed this angle before?  Pregnancy equals different shoe size, equals big money for new shoes.  Get on that, shoe industry.  You’re welcome.

Hey, remember last week when I said my computer was fixed?

Well, it wasn’t.  Or at least I did something else to piss it off which also had to be fixed, which we really haven’t determined yet.  Either way, almost a week on the computer, lost. I was given a laptop to ostensibly use, but I hated the thing so much I just glanced at some headlines, glanced at my emails to see if anything big was happening, and hopped off.

So, apologies and onwards and upwards and all that jazz…

My last poll question was regarding cruises, and the majority of responses (45%) said that they hadn’t and had no desire to.  27% haven’t but would like to, and the next two responses of “yes, and it was great” and “I have, but it wasn’t what it was cracked up to be” were split with 13% each.

I must admit wanting to try cruising at least once.  I have my eye on a Disney cruise as soon as my daughter is old enough to stop throwing tantrums, which at this rate might be in five years or so.

Anyhoo, I’ve been shopping a lot lately, and want to know:

A good work friend of my husband’s is having his first baby in July.  He and his then-girlfriend were kind enough to send us a gift card when our daughter was born, so of course I am going to get them something.

But what?

I’m torn because I know that as a first-time mom, she will definitely need a bunch of “practical” items, some of them she may or may not even know she needs yet.

I sort of pride myself on being the person who can be counted on to get a useful baby gift, rather than some weird baby book that the person might not even like, or things like thick, wintry socks for a baby born in August.  Trust me, I’ve seen that.

For some reason, this time I keep leaning towards cute.

I love cute things, but I rarely buy them for babies other than my own.

But my head keeps telling me that I’m being selfish, and to get something that can be used many times, rather than a froggy hooded towel.

Persuade me…

Thanksgiving seems like such a long time ago, does it not?

It seems that almost all of you are in it for the stuffing, with 48% of the vote.  Dessert and alcohol tied at 14% (imagine that) and turkey came in with 11%.  Which is suprising because I don’t know all that many people who are crazy about turkey.  NOBODY voted for sweet potatoes, which boggles the mind. Your house must not feature the ones my sister makes.

Today I wish to ask your opinion of this rather highly rated shirt from a popular tween store called Justice.  I want to warn you that it is made of polyester.

I will say it right now, unless the men in your lives have very specific hobbies that they LOVE (i.e. golf) men are quite difficult to buy for.  Much more so than they claim to be, anyway.  One can only receive so many ties, after all.  Even if they are nice ones.

So here is a little guide to help you out a bit.

Buffalo Nickel Tails Side Hand Painted Cuff Links

I’ll admit it, I’m a sucker for cuff links.  When I was a little girl, I remember going through my parents’ jewelry cases and seeing cuff links and having no idea what they were for.  These are real Buffalo Nickels and are a nice departure from your boring old black/silver combination.

James Perse Lounge Long Sleeve Crew

My husband used to be the kind of guy who never wanted to spend more than five bucks on a shirt.  I kid you not.  So on a daily basis for almost twenty years, my eyes have been assaulted with the most ugly, godawful shirts you could ever have the misfortune of seeing.  But about six months ago in a sudden moment of clarity, he decided that life was too short to wear crappy shirts all the time.  He felt he deserved a little luxury, a little comfort, even when relaxing at home.  And indeed, shouldn’t that be when you feel the most comfortable?

Incase Monochrome Soft Touch Slider Case-4G

What would be more appreciated than a wonderful case for his beloved iPhone?

Pioneer AVIC-Z130BT 7″ In-Dash Navigation AV Receiver with iPod/iPhone Control, Bluetooth, Pandora

Make him the envy of everyone in the neighborhood with this uber cool navigation system from Pioneer.  It has everything he could ever want, and maybe some things he never even knew he wanted.  Until this came along.

Roku 2 XS 1080p Streaming Player

This little device will allow him to watch almost everything he wants on television, including Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Instant, Pandora, sports, plus more.  Enough, in fact, to keep his butt glued to the couch so that you can have some time to do some more online shopping without any pesky questions being asked.

Logitech Harmony 650 Remote Control

Sick of having five different remote controls for everything? Then this top-rated baby is the solution.  Even better is that he will be so enthralled with this gift, he won’t realize it isn’t just for him, technically.  You know, like when he buys you a  KitchenAid stand mixer.  Sure, you love it, but you won’t be the only one eating the results.

Logitech Ultimate Ears 700 Noise-Isolating Earphones

Does he do a lot of traveling?  Work in a noisy environment? Or does he just have some really annoying neighbors?  His ears will thank you forever.

How to Be A Gentleman

Do you have a certain younger male relative who constantly mistakes family gatherings for frat parties? Then this short, quick, and to the point handy dandy guide is just for him. Gently given advice, but sometimes greatly needed.

Kiehl’s Ultimate Man Body Scrub Soap

Does he want to be the ultimate man?  Of course he does! Then get him this soap!