O Christmas Tree

I was totally inspired by Smiling Mama's Christmas tree story so I wanted to share one of my own.

Six years ago, hubby and I packed all of our things and left Syracuse, NY. I arbitrarily chose the DC Metro area. We were both working in the theatre (he was acting and I did costumes). Both of us applied for apprenticeships/internships at DC area theatres.

Hubby was accepted as an acting apprentice at Round House Theatre. Now, as you know, apprentices and interns are not paid very well, if at all. Luckily he did receive a stipend, but probably would have made more money if he got a job flipping burgers. I was able to find employment at a soul-sucking insurance office.

Needless to say, we were quite broke. Cost of living here is much higher than Syracuse. But it was ok, right? Because it didn't snow 8 months out of the year. And the cultural melting pot didn't consist just of Polish, Italians, and some other European culture. (No kidding, someone told me that Syracuse as a melting pot due to those cultures. I'm knocking Europeans, but it's only one continent.) Oh, and since we were newlyweds, so we had love. Cute right? We couldn't afford much, but we didn't mind.

Our first Christmas, I barely remember. I remember freezing our asses off because our apartment had horrible heating. We had to turn the thermostat up to 80 degrees to get our apartment up to 70 degrees. Not to mention it was a high heating bill.

I wanted a live Christmas tree just like we had done in Syracuse every year. We visited this big red barn there and bought our Charlie Brown Christmas tree. The barn had the nice fancy, pretty trees, but we went down the reject aisle to pick our tree. It was fun tradition, and we usually found a decent tree for $5 or so.

I was shocked that live Christmas trees in our area were so expensive. I couldn't justify buying a tree for $30+ only to throw it out in 3 weeks. So we went treeless.

Until on Christmas Eve (we didn't fly home to visit our families). On the drive home from the movies that night, I noticed the Christmas tree lot near us had been vacated. Whoever ran it, had moved out BUT they left some sad unwanted Christmas trees.

Hubby reluctantly kept watch while I picked out one of the unwanted trees. He was terrified of getting caught, but I guess he loved me enough to risk getting arrested. To my credit, it was late, around midnight or so. He even helped me load up stuff the tree into our car.

He dragged into our apartment, pulled out our Christmas ornaments, and we decorated the tree together. Now we had a Christmas tree.

Gotta love my hubby. He puts up with my crazy impulsive ideas.

Christmas Shopping with Clever Girls Collective

Normally I love Christmas shopping. Last year I bought most of our gifts online. No trekking out to the mall. It was all shipped directly to me (or our parents). I try not to get sucked into the commericalism of Christmas. We normally only give gifts to our immediate family, in-laws and very close friends.

This December life has been a bit crazy. We have a newborn (who turns 3 weeks old tomorrow!). We're also on a very tight budget. Hubby and I talked about not doing Christmas presents to each other this year.

I feel very lucky, even though we're pinching pennies (like everyone else). Hubby doesn't complain about my Twitter addiction. Thanks to the Clever Girls Collective, I won an amazing toy package last week during one of their Twitter parties. Thanks to them, my shopping for Sophia is done.

Check out what I won:

•  I Can Do That Games!
•  Eco Toy Alliance toy, Cool green toys that will last.
  
•  Little Passports 3-month subscription. Ever since I heard about them from Tech Savvy Mama, I knew Sophia would love getting mail about Sam & Sofia's adventures around the world.
  
•  VTECH V-Motion™ Active Learning System Sophia has been asking for this toy every time we go to Toys R Us (ok, as well as the Leapfrog Zippity and a gazillion other toys, com'on, she's 4!). As much as I've been against getting her a game system that hooked into the tv, this one is educational at least.

I'm so glad to have met the amazing ladies of the Clever Girl Collective. They are friendly, funny, and not at all pushy about their clients' products. So follow them on twitter & join their mailing list because they have amazing twitter parties with great products. I met these ladies at Blogalicious, and they stand behind the products of the companies they represent.

Clever Girls Collective, you totally helped us make an amazing Christmas for our daughter!

Now I just have to figure out what to get my sister (can't tell you because she reads my blog). Also hubby's birthday is 3 days before Christmas, so have to figure out that one.

Since hubby & I decided not to get each other presents for Christmas, I thought it might be a bit sad not to have presents to open Christmas morning.

While sitting at a red light, I had a fabulous idea! We'll each get $5 to shop at our favorite thrift store. We have to find a present for each other there. How fun will that be? It'll force us to be creative and we'll totally surprise the other. Neither of us (nor our apartment) needs more stuff, so I think this will bring the fun back into Christmas for us adults.

What do you think? What are you giving your significant other for the holidays, especially if you are on a tight budget like we are?

I was not compensated for saying all the cool things about Clever Girls Collective and the companies they represent. However, I did win the amazing prize pack. I have yet to receive any of it, but did get to see a sample Little Passports kit at Blogalicious.

One More Reason to Be Thankful

I have many things to be thankful for this holiday season. But I think the following pictures say it all. Gotta love that newborn baby smell! Baby boy was born Friday November 20 at 7:34pm. It was an amazing experience!

I'm also thankful for my amazing husband! He was wonderful during labor and delivery. And he's such an amazing dad! Love you honey!

Nesting or Just Crazy?

It's almost 1AM and I'm still awake. Not that it's abnormal.

Sophia's birthday party is tomorrow. Her actual birthday isn't until next week, but I thought it'd be safer to celebrate it early.

So instead of laying in bed chilling out, I'm waiting for water to boil so I can make some sesame noodles for the adults to eat tomorrow. That's the only cooking I'm doing for the birthday party. I think everyone will understand that it'll be crackers & cheese and a veggie tray.

I spent the evening painting a banner of a biracial colored mermaid so the kids can play Pin the Tail on the Mermaid tomorrow. I'll post picture on my new craft blog soon, I promise. (Shameless plug alert: Don't forget to subscribe to the new blog.) Unless the baby decides to arrive early. Then you'll just have to deal.

Right now the mermaid banner as well as 6 extra tails are hanging in my bathroom drying. My sad little bathroom smells like cheap acrylic paint right now. I don't think they tails will dry in time for me to cut them out tonight.

I'm really excited about her party! I only have 1 organized game planned--the mermaid game mentioned above. The rest of the party will be food and free play. The kids are 3 and 4 years old. Free play will be perfect for them.

Oh and I haven't even ordered the cake because I'm worried that baby boy might decide to arrive early. So let's hope there's some sort of pink cake at the store tomorrow. Bonus if there's mermaids on it!

Only 2 weeks till D-Day (due date)!

Visit to Pumpkin Patch

This past Friday, hubby and I chaperoned Sophia's first class field trip to Butler's Orchard pumpkin patch. We are huge fans of Butler's (yum, blueberries). Only thing missing from Butler's was fresh apple cider donuts. It was Sophia's first time riding a schoolbus (which hubby didn't get any pictures of). I followed along in our car. No way was I going to ride on a bumpy schoolbus with only 4 weeks until my due date.

Sophia's preschool is actually a child development lab program at one of the local high schools. Basically, high school students are learning how to teach little kids. I'm very happy with the program, and Sophia loves it. Until the field trip, I hadn't been able to observe how the students interact with preschoolers.

Hubby & I pretty much just sat back and let Sophia and her high school student teacher do their thing. Watching this little teenager chase her around the pumpkin patch while carrying a huge pumpkin was hilarious! Of course Sophia picked the largest pumpkin out of all her classmates.

We also learned from the high school teacher (the one who teaches the high school students) that Sophia is very popular with the students. I am not totally surprised that she's the social butterfly. After all, on the third day of preschool, I had to talk to her about kissing all the boys in the class!

Hubby & Sophia carved her pumpkin the same afternoon while I napped. Actually she helped him gut the pumpkin. He did the rest of the work! We used a stencil that came with the pumpkin carving tools. Doesn't it look awesome?

I'm saving my pumpkin. I'm going to roast it and make some super yummy out of it! In the meantime, I glazed and toasted the pumpkin seeds from the first one. YUM!

Everything is Better With Apple Pie

My day started off before the crack of dawn. I awoke to my poor Sophia vomiting on me in my bed. My wonderful husband stripped and washed the sheets. He even gave Sophia a bath to wash out her hair.The poor kid was miserable for most of the day, just laying on the couch and watching a lot of tv. With me next to her on vomit watch. Sounds like fun, huh?

Thankfully by late afternoon, her appetite was back, her meds kicked in (for her fever) and she was singing and dancing again.

After she went to bed, I made apple pie with a crumb topping. Hubby peeled the apples even. Methinks he needs a gold medal for all he did today. I baked the pie to in my trusty cast iron skillet. I can't believe I didn't start baking sweets in it until this year.

Once the pie was in the oven, I actually sat down and watched tv. Without my laptop, without flipping through a magazine, and without doing some sort of craft project. It felt weird. I definitely have a hard time sitting still. Once I got used it, it felt nice.

The pie came out great. Waiting for the pie to cool was tough. Thank goodness for Top Chef! Apple pie was the perfect way to end my crazy day!

To Smartphone or Not To Smartphone?

Hubby and I have been debating on if I should cross the smartphone threshold. I have this sad little Motorola Razr. About 2 months ago, it started acting crazy and I could only charge it by hooking it up to my computer. For some reason, it's working normally again. I guess it's time to go cellphone shopping as I use this phone for my Passion Parties business.

My girlfriends (and business colleagues) tell me I need a Blackberry. I feel like I'm already plugged in too much: email, Twitter, blogs, and more. Some of it is for work but a lot of it is for fun too. Will I be too addicted if I can access all this from my phone? Will it make me unable to be fully present when I'm supposed to be having quality time with Sophia? Those are my main concerns.

My calendar is half electronic now, thanks to Google Calendar. I'm even sending myself text reminders of my to-do lists. Am I being a Luddite? I love my paper calendar. I like pulling it out my bag and seeing the entire month at a glance. I've even printed out my monthly view Google Calendar so I could carry it around in my purse. I guess I wouldn't need to do that if I had a smartphone.

Why all the internal debate? My friend Leticia from Tech Savvy Mama is giving away a TMobile MyTouch Phone. After reading the review, I discovered I can use it for my Gmail as well as Google Calendar!

Devra from Parentopia spoke about mommy guilt this week at our Mocha Moms meeting. She sets a self-imposed limit with her tech time. She doesn't plug in while her kids are getting ready for school and when they are home from school, she doesn't plug in either. She wants to be 100% available for her kids. Her kids are older than Sophia, but I think that's a great idea.

With the new baby coming, I know I'll have to work my business when I can squeeze it in. Once he's on a schedule, I can go back to a schedule myself.

Maybe I do want a smartphone? That MyTouch looks sleek!

PS Don't forget you a few more hours to win a pass to Blogalicious!

The Burden of Perfection

I fear my daughter has inherited my weakness of desiring perfection. Maybe it's an older child trait or part of my parents' expectation of being the best, but always aiming for perfection is something I catch myself doing quite often.

Sure, I mostly brought home straight A's on my report card. I also dreaded bringing home that one B+. Worried that I had disappointed my parents. Knowing the look my dad would give me when he saw it. "Do better next time," he would say and sign my report card. Instead of enjoying learning (which I loved), I focused on the result. Yes, I'm a nerd and learning came easily. I never really had to study except to memorize dates and random facts. That meant I went to college with horrible study habits.

Last weekend when I attended the Passion Parties training in New Jersey, Sunday was entirely dedicated to Elizabeth Hagen, who spoke about organizing. She gave us all postcards with this quote:

I am careful not to confuse excellence with perfection. Excellence, I can reach for; perfection is God's business.
--Michael J. Fox

I immediately taped it to my computer monitor when I got home. I've known for a while that my desire for perfectionism gets in my way of success, of accomplishing all the things I want to with my life. Often times, the want for perfectionism paralyzes me. I am unable to take action for fear that it will not come out the way I wish it to be. So instead of enjoying the process I'll take to get there, I stress about the outcome.

There's a lot of self talk involved when I realize I'm stalling on a project for the very reason. (I think many perfectionists are also great procrastinators. Ha!) Maybe it's fear of what will happen once I complete the project. Human beings dislike change, even if it means it's for the better. I just have to write down what steps I need to take, then take the first step. Little steps don't seem so scary (like SARK's micromovements). Just focus on one step at a time.

So why this perfectionism talk? I fear Sophia may have inherited it from me. She is so bright, so inquisitive, wanting to grow up so fast! When we did arts & crafts before, she simply created just for the joy of it. Somewhere along the way, she has started focusing on the outcome.

She wants to be like me so much that she compares her art to mine. "I can't draw it. It won't be perfect," she said today. My heart broke. Three is too young to worry about perfectionism. I haven't forced my fight with perfectionism with her. With her art, I don't focus on how her paintings or projects look once completed. I usually tell her, "Tell me about your painting. What is your favorite part about it."

I'm not really sure how to change her view on making her art perfect. I'm worried it will seep into other aspects of her life. She wants to do so much and is so hard on herself. Today she refused to craft because it wouldn't come out perfect (her words). Then she got herself all worked up. She's upset because doesn't know how to write or read yet.

I tried to explain. "Three year olds aren't supposed to know how to read and write, sweetie. It takes a lot of practice to learn how to read and write. That's why you're starting preschool soon." I asked her if she wanted me to teach her how to write her name. I found some printables online for her to practice the letters in her name. (Great for her eye hand coordination by the way.)

That was a temporary resolution. I know that perfectionism is an ongoing battle for me. I don't want it to be one for her too. I'm just not sure how else I can teach her. Where should I go from here?

Happy Anniversary to Us!

Today is our 7th wedding anniversary. (I know, there's less than 2 hours left to my anniversary) I've been so busy lately, we forgot it was coming up until a few days ago. So no special plans for tonight. We've been together since my freshman year in college.

Thanks for putting up with me! I love you so much! You're an amazing husband and a fabulous dad! (That's our wedding picture)

Becoming a Big Sister

Watching how Sophia adapts to my growing belly, her brother-to-be, has been quite interesting. She’s become super clingy. It’s understandable. I’m tired, grumpy, and bitchy. I’m not the same mom she knew before I got knocked up. Right?

By super clingy, I mean obsessed. She’s obsessed with my belly. As in touching it every time she thinks about my belly. She has to rub it, love it, and snuggle it. It has to be my bare belly. We’ve had quite a few talks about pulling my shirt up in public. She’s also obsessed with my boobs. How do they make milk? How will her baby brother drink the milk? (I nursed Sophia for 2 years).

When I tuck her in bed, she actually says goodnight separately to my belly, my boobs, and me. All 3 of us. As if I don’t feel like a cow already, now there’s 3 of me.

The other day, she dialed my belly (bare belly, of course)—like a telephone—to talk to her brother. My black hole of an innie navel was the receiver AND the earpiece. Apparently the baby is ready to come out, according to Sophia. I’m sure as I grow more rotund, she’ll be calling him more often. Hopefully there won’t be any roaming charges.

I’m glad she’s warming up to having a baby brother. I know that she has no idea what she’s in for once he’s born. Even though I get tired of Sophia rubbing my belly all day, I’m glad that she’s excited and interested in the baby.

This post was inspired by DC Metro Moms’ August book club selection, Birth Day by Dr. Mark Sloan. Sloan shares how the medical aspects of giving birth has evolved over the years, from pain relief, to a father’s role, to what the baby tastes and sees.

What Would You Have Done?

So you're on your way out of Ikea and have bribed your 3 year old with an ice cream cone so she'll leave willingly. Then in the parking lot, she drops her ice cream cone (which was partly my fault, but don't tell her that).

Of course she starts screaming because she dropped her ice cream and she's tired. Other families walk by the two of us with looks of sympathy on their faces. I was totally tempted to pick up the cone and wipe off the part that touched the ground. But there were too many people watching.

So, as my tortured child screamed, I picked up what I could and threw it away. I was too tired to deal with the Sunday Ikea crowd to go back in for another cone. I dragged her screaming to the car with a promise of another cone from the drive-thru at McDonalds. Poor kid just yelled "Ice cream! Ice cream!" over and over until she passed out from exhaustion. All before we reached the nearest McDonald's.

What would you have done?

Photo courtesy of Caro Wallis.

Princess Presto Rocks!

So you already know that I'm not too thrilled that Sophia loves princesses. I guess I'd tolerate it better if it wasn't the Disney Princesses. They're all white and skinny (except for Jasmine who she doesn't like, and Mulan who technically isn't a princess). Sophia's not white, for sure. It'd be nice to expose her to princesses that looked similar to her. Thankfully Disney finally got the message. But that's at least a year away.

Last year we discovered PBS's Super Why! show. It was cute, funny, and of course, educational. Of course Sophia gravitated towards Princess Pea. The cool thing about Princess Pea (who transforms into Princess Presto when they are on an adventure)? She has a way with words, dark curly hair, and dark skin! Thanks to a great PBS event we attended in May, we knew to be on the lookout for Super Why toys.

I learned that Toys R Us was hosting a Super Why Play day this past weekend. (Thanks Justice Fergie & Tech Savvy Mama!) We made a point to go and Sophia was able to pick out a Princess Presto Role Play Kit. Of course she ripped into it as soon as we got into the car. I even let her wear the cape and crown all day as we finished our shopping. (She was bit disappointed that the Touch & Learn Super Duper Computer wasn't available.) As we picked up necessities in Target, she would wave her wand and "magically" make things appear. It was so cute!

All day she mentioned that even though she had her cape, crown, and wand, she wasn't really Princess Presto. So, I washed the puffy pink dress I made for her Halloween costume, and voila, instant Princess Presto! She made me put her hair in an up do just like Princess Presto too. She says all she needs is a pink purse just like the princess.

I'm so excited that she has found a non-Disney Princess as a role model. Especially a princess of color. I keep hoping that she'll outgrow the princess thing but in the mean time, I think Princess Presto is pretty cool. If you've never seen Super Why!, it's a great show for preschoolers. Super Why definitely helped Sophia learn her letters. (and ignore the dirty dishes on my kitchen counter please)

Super Why picture courtesy of PBS

Handmade Mart Report

I'm so lucky that I live in an area where there's so many great things to do, especially in the summer. Today, Sophia & I met my sister and a visiting friend at Handmade Mart. I wished that I had realized my camera was at the bottom of my backpack. Alas no pictures.

The weather was just beautiful! Sophia eagerly check out all the cool vendors with me. Her favorite vendors included anyone with pink jewelry. LOL. My girly girl. Luckily, my sister gifted her with one of Isabel's Rose oh so cute lampworked cupcake beads. Of course Sophia's had much more pink on it than the picture here. (Pic shameless borrowed from Loriola's etsy shop.) She was very sweet too!

As we went to each booth, if they weren't too busy, I introduced us to the artist/crafter. Sophia was awed as I told her that this was the artist that created the items in the booth. I think it was really cool to see her connect the art of handmade items with a real person.

Eventually, she would ask herself whenever we went in a different booth. "Are you the artist that made these things?" or "You made all of these?" Screw the craft versus art debate. These wonderful vendors are artists. I want Sophia to know that being an artist doesn't mean you have to create with canvas and paint or other traditional media. She's super creative and artistic, I'm going to encourage it as much as possible!

We then shared a delicious Italian ice while enjoying the live music. I love downtown Silver Spring! I can't believe I've never had Italian ices before. It was perfect as the afternoon got warmer.

Of course I had to browse the Pyramid Atlantic Store. In addition to the great art made my local artists, they had great demos. You could silkscreen your own shirt wit the Handmade Mart logo or make some jewelry. Guess what my darling opted to do? She made a totally sparkly pink stretchy bracelet. Totally worth the $5 as I hope she'll stop wearing my jewelry.

Also kudos to blockpartypress who had a kids table at her booth. Most of the booths weren't necessarily kid friendly (even if they sold kids items). I was worried that Sophia would jumble up the displays and such. But she covered a small table with brown paper, put out a bowl of markers, as well as some polymer clay. Sophia did not want to leave her booth. The clay was a bit harder than playdough, but she still had a blast. (Pic also from blockpartypress's etsy shop)

We ended the afternoon with a yummy lunch at Lebanese Taverna, where Sophia actually ate the hummus this time. She loves hummus but sometimes decides it's a yucky food. Maybe it's a texture thing.

Seeing all of these wonderful handmade art really makes me want to create something! So I ordered some elastic thread and making a cute Heather Ross faux smocked sundress for Sophia. I thrifted a fugly dress last year. It's fuchsia and 100 % linen. I think it'll make the perfect summer dress.

How I spent my Saturday (img heavy)

With lots of great friends, great food, beer, and a beautiful day! It was our Louisiana Alumni Annual Crawfish Boil! You know it's a good crawfish boil when they run out of corn, sausage, jambalaya, AND beer! The beer line was unbelieveable long--but can't have spicy crawfish without some beer.

We also brought home about 20 pounds of leftover crawfish. I peeled half of it last night while we watched some action movies. They were so spicy, my fingers were swollen and burning last night. It'll be worth it when I make some yummy food out of those tails.

Without further ado, the rest of the pics!

The best of both words! One of my friends I've know since college.

Adam, who was twittering the crawfish boil and taking pictures of himself.

Look at that monster crawfish! Run for your life!

Don't mess with the hubster. He's tough! He's going to take down that monster crawfish. We're all safe.

And the aftermath. It was delicious!

Comforts of Vietnamese Food

Way back when I was disillusioned by the robotic sweatshop of a theatre's costume shop, I considered going into culinary arts. I even sent for an info packet from the CIA. Sure, I love to cook and entertain, but after reading how many hours you have to put in at a restaurant, I decided just live vicariously via Top Chef. Plus telling people that I sell sex toys for a living is way cooler.

Now that I'm finally in my second trimester, I can actually eat again. Whew! I lost 8 pounds thanks to first trimester queasiness and lack of appetite. When I'm not feeling well, there's nothing like good old Vietnamese food to comfort me. I ate a lot of pho. Thank goodness there's a pho joint in walking distance. My absolute favorite is something you can't normally find in Viet restaurants, bun rieu. The pork and crab/shrimp meatballs in a tomato-shrimp broth topped with fresh cilantro and bean sprouts over bun noodles. My mouth is watering just thinking about it.

My mom didn't enjoy cooking when I was young, so she discovered many shortcuts to her favorite dishes. I have no idea how authentic these dishes are with the shortcuts, but they're the flavors I grew up with. Heck, even my non-Viet hubby loves these dishes. I'm just amazed how resourceful my mom was with her meals. Both she and my father worked long hours so it was a necessity. She taught me how to cook rice (on the stove not the rice cooker) when I was 10 or 11.

Growing up, our family was pretty close. My mom had a gazillion brothers and sisters and they in turn had a gazillion kids (ok not that many but a lot). Our family was on the small side since my parents only had 2 kids. Every Sunday, we went over to my oldest aunt's home. The women would cook enough food to feed us all day. Every week it was something different, but sooo yummy. The men would sit on the floor in the living room, drink, eat, and gossip. The women would sit with the kids, always serving themselves last. After we ate, the oldest girls did the dishes (meaning mainly me).

Then we'd pull out the cards or the Viet bingo cards and spend the rest of the afternoon gambling, laughing, and nibbling on leftovers. As we older kids became teenagers, these afternoons weren't cool enough for us, of course. We didn't get together as often anymore. Family started to move more further away. That magic seemed to dissipate. I guess that's just how things evolve.

Even though we're too far away to join my parents for their monthly family gatherings, somehow eating my childhood Vietnamese comfort foods make me feel closer to them. Especially as DH, Sophia and I sit at the dinner table together. Sophia loves pho and many other Vietnamese food. I'm glad to be passing on this tasty part of her heritage to her.

What's with all these thoughts about comfort foods? Over at Silicon Valley Moms Blogs, we're reading Kate Jacobs' newest book, Comfort Food and talking about comfort. Check it out!

Photo from sushi4viki via Flickr.